Former education reporter Ian Wishart
The Leicester Mercury continues its search for a new education reporter.
The gaping hole left by former schools reporter Ian Wishart remains empty after more than a month - and is unlikely to filled by an internal applicant.
Not because the current crop of reporters feel intimidated by the thought of filling Ian’s large educational shoes – not at all. It’s because no one wants the horrific, Herculean task of dealing with Leicestershire’s educating elite, or head teachers as they’re otherwise known.
They are notoriously the most difficult people to get hold of, and if they don’t feel like speaking to you – they will simply won’t.
This was tough lesson learnt by two of the Mercury’s district reporters – Loughborough’s Dan Martin and Hinckley’s Shirley Elsby – who spend most of Wednesday calling schools in the county to see what heads thought of one of the biggest potential changes to the English schooling system in recent times.
Those who can't...
Every school in the country will have the chance to opt out of local authority control if they wish, and become an academy.
After ringing 70 – yes that’s seven-zero – schools, they successfully spoke to just four heads about the pro and cons of academy schools. Needless to say the article never made it to print.
Newsdesk wanted a story about head teachers’ reactions, instead they had to go for a story about the county education chief, Ivan Ould, pleading with schools to trust in the wisdom of the Government.
But teacher know best, and if schools don’t want to speak to us then who are we to argue.
