That's about three times our everyday call level but nowhere near as many as when we discussed Prescott's punch-up. Prescott, by the way, is one of many MPs who refuse to go head to head with Nicky Gordon Brown's really good at it, though. Mind you, this time, Blair hardly had to do any electioneering. The callers were all so respectful."So, is it a contest? "Absolutely not!" Sandell was quick to reply.Nevertheless, it's still a battle of wills, I suggested to Campbell after his latest set-to "Sure. He first came up to me in Radio 1 reception when he was shadow Home Secretary, schmoozing: 'I'd just like to say that I really enjoy your late-night show'," Campbell mimicked, admitting he was flattered.
"This time, as we went into the studio, he said: 'Hey, Nicky, you're looking good. Have you been on holiday?' I found myself saying: 'No, but last year I started going to the gym', and then I thought: 'Hey, I'm being sucked in here.' Also, on the air, if he couldn't answer a question or if things got a bit tricky, he'd say: 'Let me take your details and I'll come back to you.' I thought, 'Hey, that's good service', but then I heard Gordon Brown doing the same the other night on Radio 4, so obviously it's a new technique that they've worked out between themselves."And he's always on his guard, like when I asked him about his son's first birthday. Did he have jelly or sweets or anything? You could see his mind ticking away, working out the implications of his answer What a way to live. Who'd want all that for the next five years?"Now there's a good question.. Small class sizes are the main reason why parents choose to send their children to independent schools, according to a new Mori poll. Small class sizes are the main reason why parents choose to send their children to independent schools, according to a new Mori poll. The prospect of a teacher for every 10 private pupils persuaded the largest number of parents to take their child out of the state system, according to the survey commissioned by the Independent Schools Information Service (Isis).The poll coincides with the publication of research which showed that cutting infant class sizes to 22 could improve children's reading test pass rates by 10 percentage points.Although the Government is on target to meet its 1997 pledge that no child aged between five and seven should be taught in a class of more than 30, the gap between state and private schools remains wide.
State primary schools now average 22.9 pupils per teacher, compared with 11.01 in independent prep schools. In secondary schools, classes are now higher than when Labour came to power with 17.1 pupils per teacher, while private senior schools enjoy a pupil-teacher ratio of 10.35.The Isis survey showed that more than one third of parents (36 per cent) who enrolled their child at an independent school this year cited smaller classes as the main reason for their choice, up from 25 per cent in 1997 when the last survey was carried out and higher standards scored most.David Woodhead, the Isis national director, said: "Parents apply a commonsense equation: smaller classes mean more individual attention."Meanwhile, research by Maria Iacovou, of Essex University's Institute for Social and Economic Research, found that cutting classes to 22 children could result in an extra 10 per cent of seven-year-olds passing their national tests in reading. Reducing infant classes by eight pupils would result in boys, who currently lag behind girls in reading, performing as well as their female classmates are doing now, while girls would improve by the same amount, she added.. Headteachers are demanding the right to expel pupils whose parents harass or threaten teachers in a bid to curb abusive and violent attacks on school staff. Headteachers are demanding the right to expel pupils whose parents harass or threaten teachers in a bid to curb abusive and violent attacks on school staff. Leaders of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) are to ask the Government to amend guidance governing school expulsions to give heads a specific right to expel pupils in such circumstances.David Hart, general secretary of the NAHT, said yesterday: "There appears to be some doubt at the moment whether it is possible to expel in these circumstances."We have received legal advice that it should be possible in appropriate circumstances but governing bodies are reluctant to do this."At one south London primary school parents are threatening to go to court after the headteacher excluded a pupil claiming he had constantly harangued staff about the way he had been treated at the school.Teachers at the school said they would refuse to teach him if he was allowed to remain in the classroom.A report to the union's annual conference in Harrogate next week is expected to reveal a rise in the number of cases where heads and teachers have been subjected to physical and verbal abuse by both parents and pupils.Mr Hart said: "Cases like this are clearly becoming a regular occurrence and highlight an increase in parental violence towards teaching staff."Our members are being faced with an increasing amount of violence and abuse and clearly if parents persist in behaving like this it makes it very difficult for the staff if the child remains at the school."There are those who argue that you can't exclude a child because of the behaviour of the parents, you can only exclude as a result of the behaviour of the child, but where the relationship between the parent and the school has sunk so low something has to be done. It puts the school in an impossible situation."Mr Hart said he would be writing to David Blunkett, the Secretary of State for Education, asking for support in expelling the children of parents who are hostile to school staff."The matter can only be dealt with by the Secretary of State amending his department's guidance to make it quite clear that in appropriate cases where the relationship between the parents and the school has simply broken down that the child can be excluded and sent to a different school," he said.A motion adds that the hostility of parents is threatening the introduction of home-school agreements brought in by the Government to get parents, pupils and headteachers to agree a code of conduct for the operation of the school.It adds: "Conference calls upon the government to recognise that schools cannot be held accountable for the shortcomings of parents.".
