ASCL: Govt overloading schools

Lord Goldsmith's "half-baked" citizenship review "should be allowed quietly to go mouldy", the Association of School and College Lecturers (ASCL) believes.

Its general secretary John Dunford says Britain's schools are overloaded, with the government imposing quotas on culture, sport and cookery in recent weeks as well as a statutory duty to promote community cohesion.

"Schools will reject it as an un-British idea imported from America, which does not fit into their ethos or culture. Schools already have their own rituals and annual ceremonies," Dr Dunford said.

"School leaders will also reject the idea that this ceremony should mark the graduation from school to citizenship. Schools want children to become good citizens long before they leave."