I AM furious about the seemingly underhand methods being employed by Ofsted and their masters the Department of Education.

School inspections have become a weapon against schools to “justify” putting them out for academisation (privatisation).

How come schools recently classified as outstanding or good have suddenly been judged as unsatisfactory/requiring improvement and/or being put into “Special Measures”?

Many loyal teachers are leaving because it is too stressful with all the red tape and bureaucratic paper chasing. They are dedicated but cannot teach under the present regime. So now we are short of teachers and the situation worsens every day.

This scenario reminds me of the persecutionist McCarthy trials of alleged Communists in the USA in the late 1940’s and 1950’s against free-thinkers. (If you don’t know about this, look it up).

Britain is becoming a police state where people are not allowed their own views on how they want to live and bring up their children. Regulations are forced upon them by the hierarchy.

It seems that the policy now is to produce clones who will be unable to be independent individuals. Soon many young pupils will be sitting in front of their very own screen in the classroom all day.

The teacher is almost superfluous as regards content of lessons. Discussion will die. All teaching will follow a strict programme. A rounded education will be a thing of the past and we’ll be left with “Stepford” young people who are complacent and compliant.

Bill James, via email