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U.K. forward slash innovator.

Hello and welcome to Spectator Out Loud.

Each week we choose three pieces from the magazine

and ask their writers to read them aloud. I'm Oskrevenson and on the podcast this week.

Neri Ratnam argues that teachers are putting principles ahead of children. Gus Carter

discusses the curious business of fertility and Graham Graham Thompson reviews Beyoncé at Murrayfield Stadium.

Up first, Niro Ratnam.

It is a bright Wednesday morning in May. My son, T, the year 8 pupils should be at school,

and I should be working, but instead we are playing tennis.

We're also listening to Romian Juliet by

Dias Straves because he's supposed to be studying the playing class, so I figured I can cover both

P and English literature the next half an hour before we head home and I start the work I'm meant

to be doing. My son isn't ill and isn't plain truant. His school, along with five others in

Lewisham, South London, is in the middle of 13 days of strike action called by the National

Education Union in EU. Prendergars Ladywell, Prendergars School, Prendergars Vail, Pernagast,

Prenegars Primary are all part of the Leather Sellers Federation,

which wants to turn the schools into a multi-academy trust, an MAT.

The N-EU is against MATs and academies in general.

...