Alex Fisher: The public examination system needs urgent reform

Alex Fisher is Press and Media Officer to Ben Jeffreys, Conservative PPC for Cheadle.

David Cameron has repeatedly reinforced the need to move from a health service which is judged by process-based targets, such as waiting times in A&E, to one judged by its results; whether patients are surviving from conditions and living longer. Such an approach is right for the NHS, where outcome is everything, and high-quality care futile if it doesn’t achieve results.

But the flaws in our educational system are not caused by a lack of focus on results. Rather, they are the product of a philosophy rooted in statistics and perceived outcome at the expense of almost anything else. I have recently completed my A-Levels and was privileged to attend a first-rate independent school, where intellectual curiosity was cherished. This allowed the school to provide a broad experience that prepared its charges for the world outside, as well as achieving commendable examination results.

Nevertheless, no institution is entirely protected from the rigid constrains imposed by a G.C.S.E. or A-Level syllabus. These are, in the most case, vast documents which lay out in detail what ‘should’ be taught; competing exam boards prepare alternatives and many schools simply look for the option which will provide their students with the highest grades, which is understandable when teachers know that if they don’t choose that option, others will, causing their own school to fall in the league tables and potentially resulting in missed university offers from the sixth form.

Alex Fisher: The sinister side to Labour's equality drive

Alex, a student and Vice Chairman of Bury Conservative Future, comments on the relaunch of the Black Socialist Society.

"A group of right-wing Tory MPs today announced the founding of the White Conservative Society. Their move, which was immediately criticised by those on the centre and left, has led to speculation that the Party is stuck in the past and some Labour MPs have already described the move as 'racist.' However a spokesman for the new group said that it had been established 'simply to fight for the rights of white people and to encourage their selection in races for candidacy."

Sinister? Yes. Unpleasant? Yes. Untrue? Fortunately so. But imagine the uproar if it wasn't. Imagine the criticism that we as a Party would face. And it would be rightful criticism, too.

Why, then do we allow the left to get away with carrying out a virtually identical activity to that fictitious story? In June last year, to precious little media attention, the Labour Party National Executive Committee took the decision to re-launch the Black Socialist Society. It would be an organisation of like-minded people affiliated to the Labour Party. Except for one caveat, of course; all members had to be 'of Black, Asian or other Ethnic minority groups.' The establishment of such a group and the decision of the Labour Party at a national level to support it shows what they really think of equality. Instead of striving for full involvement from all sectors of society in all levels of their Party they set up a fringe organisation with only ethnic minorities invited.