The head teacher of the infants school came up to me while we were getting ready for After-School Club last week. 'I don't know whether the church can make use of this', she said, and showed me a book. It is a big, brown leather-bound Bible, contained in a presentation case and marked on the spine with letters tooled in gold. 'Presented by the Secretary of State for Education', it says. Michael Gove has decided that, to celebrate the King James Bible and its contribution to literature and culture, every school should have a copy. It worked for Henry VIII, after all. Not just any copy, though, but a big, brown leather-bound copy contained in a presentation case and marked on the spine with letters, you will have recalled, tooled in gold. 'I really can't think when we'll use it', said HT apologetically. When she reads Bible stories to the children, it tends to be from the Lions Storyteller Bible, it has to be said.
It's an age of austerity when we're cutting back on public services and benefits to those who work for them.
It's a year late. The KJV anniversary was last year.
It's an INFANTS SCHOOL.
'In the beginning, the earth was without form and void'. And the Tory Party's grasp on reality remained that way.
I'm almost Weeping and certainly Cross to read of this idiocy, which you sum up and dismiss so effectively. Ham-fisted tone deaf clowns!
ReplyDeleteThe cost has been met by donations, not the state.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree that it is a daft idea.
Oh OK, thanks for clarification, that's a help. But...
ReplyDeleteYes, I did hear eventually that it was being funded by donations (after I wrote this). Michael Gove also says he was surprised to see what the bibles looked like, all that gold lettering. Still bizarre.
ReplyDelete