John Connor, independent education consultant, of Kingston, writes:

I read with interest the article by Isabelle Speciale in the Academy Gazette, October 7, who as a Year 11 student is a young lady wise beyond her years.

If a 15- to 16-year-old can see through this benighted Government’s pernicious and divisive rhetoric, then we as adults, with more years of life experience, should also be able to.

There is no evidence anywhere in the world that selection raises standards across the board or fosters social mobility. Indeed, in areas such as Kent, which has retained grammar schools, disadvantaged pupils perform worse overall than their peers in non-selective areas nationally.

This Government has long looked towards Finland as a model for a successful international jurisdiction, regularly performing at the top of the Programme for International Student Assessment rankings. Ignoring the fact that Pisa

is a pretty blunt instrument, ­examining the reasons why Finland does so well is illuminating.

There are no private schools; there are no adversarial ­inspection regimes; teachers are highly qualified and developed rigorously throughout their careers; formal education does not start until the age of seven; and there are no high-stakes tests at every conceivable stage of a child’s development.

So let’s emulate Finland by doing the exact opposite of everything they do? Don’t ask me – I can’t figure it out either.

So while Theresa May is introducing a completely new set of deckchairs into the Titanic that is the education system, assessment, particularly in primary schools, is a mess – this has yet to impact on secondary schools, but you only have to wait until the 2018 results; admissions are ­hopelessly convoluted as there is no real oversight; funding is about to fall of a cliff; ­academies and free schools are a curate’s egg of some good practice; there are some hair-raising tales of financial irregularity, criminality, ­cronyism and nepotism; and initial teacher training is a dog’s breakfast.

No one is really sure exactly how to become a teacher these days, and they have failed to plan for the increase in pupil numbers, so there will not be enough teachers or classrooms for children.

I would have said that they need to concentrate on other priorities rather than further fragmenting an already ­fractured system.

Thankfully, Sarah Wollaston saw through this nonsense straight away – and she’s not alone.

Throwing chunks of red meat to the rabid right wing of the Tory party usually ends in tears – ask David Cameron – and it is gratifying to see that some of our young people will not be fooled either.