THE LOONY LEFT

It is not only the success of their football team, or their commitment to yachting for the unemployed [see the English Rights Campaign item dated the 2 December 2008] that has put Hull on the map. Not to be outdone by the Loony Left at the University of Manchester [see the English Rights Campaign item dated the 4 October 2008], the Kingswood College of Arts, despite the credit crunch and the fact that the building is due to be demolished in 4 years, has spent £100,000 to have classical music piped into the school lavatories [this is not a spoof].

The secondary school was ranked as ‘inadequate’ in a recent Ofsted report. Only 13% of the pupils gained five A* to C GCSE grades this summer. Hull’s educational standards have been either the worst or among the worst in the country for many years.

Tony Hammond, the school’s director of resources, said:

‘Four years in the life of a secondary school student is a long time and we feel strongly the students who are here now deserve the best facilities and one of those is the toilets.’

The money came from the council’s capital budget for school buildings. The Liberal Democrat leader of Hull City Council said:

‘I think many parents of children who go to this college will think spending that sort of money is a bit bonkers. And I must admit I have some sympathy with that view.’

If that is the council’s view, one wonders why the money was spent? The luxury loos also include the school’s logo built into the floor, touch sensor flushes and all-in-one hand wash-and-dry units. The school has claimed that the piped music is necessary to protect pupils’ privacy.