To Let : one pond in need of Fish ....

With a new year upon us and one that is going to be interesting, in a challenging sort of way. Unlike many of the media pundits, I cannot foretell what is to unfold nor give some clever pithy comment on the state of education. But i can share with conviction that there is going to be some seriously unpleasant and unanticipated surprises.

Education is more customer driven than it would like to admit and whilst many institutions have been working feverishly to gird their loins in preparation for the oncoming storm, taking as many precautions as possible, it is hard to predict what is to happen.

Anything post 16 is up for grabs, with a government focussed on a free market 'survival of the fittest' mentality, its a worry that even the fittest may not know who they are.

I am interested in some manoeuvrings of some organisations, where they seem to be taking on more in the compulsory education arena, a vote winner and therefore political hot potato.

It is clear that if one is to survive, one has to be open about what model your organisation is to have and to ensure that it is able to adapt to change. Bringing bigger, more interesting and aggressive fish into a busy pond.

It does not matter where you are in this educational arena, the opportunity exists for federal structures to dominate education at multiple levels and there are cases of this already happening. Whilst it may currently appear benign, will this always be the case?

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