Leaving it all behind

At Easter I finished my stint as the Leicester Mercury’s education correspondent to move to Brussels as a freelance journalist. It had been a thoroughly enjoyable four years covering one of the most interesting education patches in the country.

But it got off to a shaky start.

So what now for Leicestershire’s transformation of secondary schools?

It should be seen as nothing other than a massive blow. The announcement came from Schools Secretary Ed Balls this afternoon: Leicestershire had lost out on £80million to be spent rebuilding and remodelling secondary schools.

Yes, there were serious, and justified, concerns about how the plans would mean an officially “outstanding” school, Limehurst High School, would close.

Pupils must never be let down again

The world of education in Leicester never seems to stay still. I was thinking just the other day about all the senior education chiefs who have come and gone during my near-four-year stint as Leicester Mercury education correspondent.

To say nothing of the head teachers who have fallen by the wayside. One constant of my time here is hearing the frustration among head teachers and teachers that the stress of the job is becoming too much.