Parents as teachers

SIR – Those demanding more financial education in British schools (Letters, February 20) have not considered the more basic question: namely, which aspects of education are best left to schools, and which are best left to parents?

Essentially, schools should deal with subjects best taught in large groups by teachers with specialist knowledge, while parents should deal with one-to-one training in managing everyday life.

The educationalists will respond that too many parents are incompetent, and that schools need to fill the gap. The answer is that this incompetence – to the extent that it exists – is the result of governmental and administrative changes over the last two or three generations, which have been driven by adolescents of all ages seeking to free themselves from family constraints and by bureaucrats ever keen to expand their remit. The result is that parents are left marginalised and ignored.

What is needed is a restoration of the pivotal role and responsibilities of parents and the family. Educational experts could help to transfer the power back.

David J Critchley

Buckingham