Cooking the books.

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, is clearly a man of ideas - some would say barmy ideas.  He does seem to have a habit of going off half-cocked and then having to back-track.  He's just had to accept that his idea of going back to O-level style exams is a non-starter, but has bounced straight back with a plan to make cooking lessons compulsory for 9 to 14 year-olds (memories of Home Ec anyone?) and insisting that all children have school dinners - no more packed lunches.  His motives may be sound, but has he thought through the practicalities? Where are schools going to find the money to set up dedicated cookery suites?  Is there an assumption here that teachers know how to teach cooking?  What about parents who are unwilling to shell out for school dinners - they're not cheap, especially if you've got several kids? What about children who refuse to eat them - are they going to be allowed to go hungry?  Watch this space.