h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Heavens! And I thought that our education system in the UK was in a mess.

The last Conservative run Government in the UK introduced a voucher system for Nursery Schools (kindergartens) where parents were issued vouchers that could be used in State Nurseries or private establishments.

Fortunately, the current "New Labour" Government withdrew the voucher system, but sadly they have carried on with many of the Conservative Party's policies and introduced many more within our State education system that are not all good ones. Some even open up our state school system to "partnership" (as they call it) with privately run, profit-making establishments.

My recent experiences with my Local Education Authority are not good ones and I am currently embattled over my ten-year-old son's autistic provision that they are trying to withdraw. If they do this, he will be "integrated" (as is Government policy) into a mainstream school, which I know will be completely unsuitable for him.

I'll stop now before this turns into a "rant" and thank you for your entry, which I will be showing to some of my friends in our local Autistic Support Group who I know will be very interested to read it.

I'm glad to know I'm doing some good. You know, the more I rant about problems that appear to be local, the more I find that everyone is going through the same sort of foolishness. I certainly didn't expect a British audience to be able to identify with this piece, but there you have it.