Last updated 09:15, Saturday, 26 April 2008

Despite the best intentions of parents, politicians, teachers and other professionals, secondary education in Cumbria remains far less than satisfactory.

In fact, “could do better” hardly begins to describe the situation.

Failing schools have attracted so much publicity in recent years that there is a danger of failure being seen as a natural state for the county’s young people.

The arrival of Lord Adonis on a fact-finding mission is an encouraging sign. Adonis spent seven years as an education advisor to Tony Blair and is clearly a man who knows a thing or two about setting targets and achieving them.

A fresh perspective is welcome in an arena which has attracted a considerable amount of heat but precious little light.

The waters have been muddied by talk, but little action yet, of school closures and academies.

The news that parents of 100 children who were refused a place at over-subscribed Trinity School in Carlisle have appealed against the decision may lead to more short term confusion but their determination to seek the best for their children is exactly the attitude Cumbrian needs.

Too many of our young people drift through secondary education, leaving school ill-equipped in terms of qualifications or enthusiasm for working life. Cumbria needs its young people to prosper, not just for their sake but for the future of the county itself.