The coalition is avoiding spending money on those who need it the most with its plans for education
Regarding your articles in last week’s magazine on education (A poor third? and Flexible friend, 5 April, page 32 and page 36)- I fear that this is typical of the present government’s approach to capital spending.
The PodSolve system, while sounding ingenious, seems inappropriate for educational environments. However cheap it may be, do we really want children to learn in a warehouse full of pods?
I suppose schools in local authorities with the least funding will be forced to go down this route whilst those in better-off places (and private institutions) will benefit from bespoke, traditionally designed buildings where the defining feature is not “cheapness”.
Meanwhile, whilst the Enhanced Renewal Grant and College Capital Investment Fund was presented with a more positive slant, as Jon Poore observes in thearticle (A poor third? 5 April, page 32) “those colleges that have no capital and aren’t able to match fund won’t get any of the funding”.
The previous government’s programmes may not be perfect but the coalition’s plans reflect its whole philosophy - to avoid spending money on those who need it the most.
Rob Holmes, York
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