I think that is the point GOS ~ Poor use of English in letters from the Headteacher does not inspire confidence.
The problem is that there are many, like me, who cringe at his lax grammar and wonder if this indicates that the school will be content to allow such matters to drift by without correction thus perpetuating the problem for future generations.
For example one of his pupils has been privately coached by Mrs S#2 to enable him to attain a grade 'C' or better in GCSE English. Failure to gain a 'C' at his FOURTH attempt in this very simple examination would have meant that his employers (British Aerospace) would have thrown him off his apprenticeship. Thus far the lad had managed an 'F', an 'E' and another 'E'.
Now his employer's patience had run out and two years into the apprenticeship they were about to throw him overboard ~ to what? Who knows? A labouring job at best or a lifetime on the dole.
The biggest problem we had (yes we both worked with him) was to teach him that there are two sorts of English ~ One you use in conversation and one in which you write. It took months to convince him that whilst he might get away with saying "I wouldn't of" he must write "I would not have". He simply could or would not see the difference. BTW when writing "I wouldn't of" he actually wrote "I wooden of".
Now this is something that the school should have sorted out years ago but they had failed the boy all the way. For his entire school career not one teacher had bothered to correct this basic problem. Twelve wasted years then. The upside of my tale is that he did get a 'C' grade and his job was saved.
It is not just Nick, DS or me that minds ~ it is the people who employ them that really care about these things but under "modern" teaching methods "it doesn't matter as long as the child is allowed to express himself". Red ink must not be used to mark or correct written work.
