No political party has the monopoly of wanting the best for our children, but in their quest for higher standards, I hear neither of the other parties arguing for the value of a holistic education.And by this I don’t mean essential oils and or teaching children how to manage their chakra.

In the drive for three Rs, we are forgetting key aspects of what children need to understand to become rounded individuals.For me this was brought into sharp relief in case I was dealing with for a local resident in Hornsey & Wood Green.A Suzuki method music teacher contacted me to complain of the difficulty of getting schools to make time for children to do music lessons.Her view, which I share, was that the rigid structure of the national curriculum left little time in the school day for children to take on music lessons – particularly young children who don’t have much time and energy left at the end of the school day. I raised this with Ed Balls who rejected the concern, proudly extolling the virtues of the national curriculum and the wonders it had done for school children.

Yes it is important that a child should start secondary schooling being able to read, read and do arithmetic.But any teacher worth their salt will instinctively teach this.Focusing on the developing the professionalism of teachers with discreet checks here and there will make sure this happens.

Tory and Labour Governments have dogmatically pursued the mantra of national curriculum and what I call the three Ts – test, test and test again.But these pedagogic edicts issued from Whitehall have been the death knell for curricular activities that nurture the soul.If you can’t label it, level it and then test it – then it’s out.

For a brief moment I did think there was a glimmer of hope on the horizon.However, my joy at the ending of Key Stage 3 testing was quickly replaced with despair with what Labour intends to replace them with.A school in my constituency was unfortunate enough to take part in a pilot.This ‘radical’ new programme is supposed to free teachers from the shackles of SATS, but the name says it all – single level testing.

Education is about helping children to become better adults.As Liberal Democrats, we must continue to be all the forefront of pressing for holistic schooling.

This piece appeared in a booklet published by the Liberal Democrat Education Association in Spring 2009.

(c) Lynne Featherstone, 2009