Michael Rosen
Inward bound Words by Michael Rosen Illustration by Dan Berry
Guardian, 28 August 2021 England’s schools in urgent need of repairs, say heads Teachers tell of leaking ceilings, broken heating, inadequate ventilation, as leaders say they have no money to fix problems.
Do you remember those great school trips, away for a week, outward bound learning and exploring, map in hand, walking miles on muddy ground?
If you want to face the elements or get that outdoor feeling then stay in school, you can get it there the rain is coming through the ceiling.
We headed off in hired coaches singing our way to a distant place: a special centre where we’d meet the trained warden with the smiley face.
Everyone can wear their waterproofs and study the cracks on the walls. When they skid on the soaking floors they can study the effects of falls.
Forget it, folks! For now there’s no need for all that effort and expense you can get as good much cheaper, an experience just as intense.
We’re back to J.K. Galbraith’s words when he looked at who got the dollar: while some build up their private wealth we get public squalor.
educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)
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