My old school has consistently come bottom in league table results and before they were introduced as I was informed of the same by a college friend who's father worked at County Hall. Needless to say, my college friend had never stepped foot in my old school and had attended a school much better my own, I wonder why?

Today at least we have some measurement of success or failure as the case my be.

When schools consistently fail and having just checked the position of my old school, I was not surprised to find that it came bottom yet again (yawn). The old school building contained asbestos so they levelled it and built a new one.
The school still failed so they gave it lots of money to improve standards. The school still failed so they decided the old school name was blighting its future and therefore changed it.

We now have a new school, it's been given lots of exra funding and they even changed its name, all to no avail.

Please, please, close down these schools.

Graham Wharton, Preston , Lancashire

I gained a grammar school place from a council estate in Brighton many years ago, but remained close friends with neighbour's children who did not. Those "disadvantaged" children were still able to converse without "you know" and "urr" every second and hold down reasonable jobs, and were literate and numerate, although without the certificates to prove it. Application forms for employment were sufficiently detailed to allow employers to judge standards
Also in that era, many, as I did continued education through evening course to HNC level, which from observation in later life was equivalent to degree standard now. The change from Polytechnics to "universities" seems to have led to a vast reduction in this type of further education.

K Wells, Bognor Regis, England

I watched an 'ex-teacher of the year' on tv this morning defending the lack of necessity for decent standards of English. He stated that written English wasn't a real necessity and being able to 'converse' was enough. With plantpots like him in charge of our kids, ( and being honoured for his highly dubious views), what can anyone expect? He was very much in favour of 'comps' and against Grammars as well. Towing the Labour party line no doubt. I wonder what kind of aspiration he inspires?......Can't be a lot I would have thought.

Judy , Liverpool, england

Elisabeth, I actually reposted my comment again after noticing my oh-so-awful spelling error; obviously it didn't show up. I cannot believe you have made such a stereotypical judgement about the teaching profession based on a spelling error-do you really believe that that makes me a 'bad teacher'; because I made a simple error when typing? By the way, you spelt my name incorrectly.

I came on here to share my opinion, not to be judged by someone who clearly doesn't know the reality of teaching and what it means to be a good teacher. Oh, you realise that private school teachers get the same training as do those in the comprehensive sector, don't you?

beckyll, Leamington, Warwickshire

It has always been essential for Labour to ensure there is a large and expanding pool of under- and non-achieving pupils in inner city areas. Otherwise it loses much of its political rationale and base.

How else can you explain 40 years of ever-increasing spending in Labour-controlled LEAs with little improvement in outcomes at constant measure.

MarkS, Leeds,

Select intelligent hard-working kids with potential, as grammar and most independent schools do,give them good teachers working in well-ordered class-rooms, and you get good results.
Leave the unintelligent, disruptive, unmotivated, ill-intentioned dregs in schools with teachers who can't control them, are semi-literates, who have never themselves produced or seen any work of high standard or who are trying deperately to get out, and you get poor results.
Move a measurable nuimber of the kids from the second group into a good school and you wreck it in a year.
Time people realised that there is a proportion who are unintelligent and also some who in addition are uncontrollable - money spent trying to educate them is largely wasted.

Jan Thomas, Salisbury, England

Perhaps the blame should not be put just on schools ("We owe it to parents to make sure low-performing schools turn around quickly"): how about putting pressure on students and families? Schools don't get poor results because they aren't concerned, it's the students who get poor results.

Eduard Castanyo, Barcelona, Spain

And if the standards of examinations had not been lowered so that the majority of schools are able to meet the govermments spurious 'targets', what would the 'failure' figure be then? Still, keeps OFSTED Inspectors busy doesn't it, that's the main thing; so long as there's plenty of failure there'll always be a job, even though after two decades there is little evidence that any good has come of it.

eric campbell, harrogate, uk

I'm assuming Beckyll is a teacher by the remark, 'welcome into my classes to get a better grip on reality'; if not being able to spell is the reality that is being offered ('priveliged' as opp privileged) then I would decline Becyll's 'reality' and definitely opt for private ed.

Elisabeth, Harrogate,

Any coincidence that these schools happen to draw from much more priveliged backgrounds; hence pupils are generally far more likely to want to succeed and value their education?hmm. The government really needs to get real and actually go into schools and see what is going on-perfectly welcome into my classes to get a better grip on reality.

beckyll, Leamington, Warwickshire