Heartland

exactly.

At least in England he won't have to suffer the "Curriculum for Excellence" we have up here (as someone once said, "self-praise is no praise"), which isn't even half thought through yet the first cohort of guinea pigs are already facing their first exams next year. I note that Mr Gove went to a private school up here, and therefore is doubly removed from the curriculum he is now seeking to influence.

you've not seen the draft of the new primary curriculum for down here, have you...?

Employers are complaining they're receiving functional illiterates, and our universities are claiming students require top-up courses despite high grades. I fondly remember watching the A grade, A-level student on the telly confidently claiming you put food down your trachea. I hope she didn't go on to a career in medicine..
So somethings going wrong. Whether it's useless teachers not being booted, children being ungovernable little s**t who refuse to do anything they don't want, or parents regarding their children as darling angel who shouldn't be told they've failed I have no idea.
Going back to what I remember back there, I would have said the issue is children being little s**t, and whenever disciplined, in marches the parent full of righteous indignation. God knows how how you're meant to teach or learn in that environment I have no idea.

As for the "creativity" thing..I don't know anyone who had any talent that way that didn't nurture it outside school. Good luck nurturing artistic ability in a school art class where all the kids are throwing wet sponges at each other, or anything musical when listening to 30-odd kids arse raping "Frere Jaques" on the keyboard..