Which is where the usual newspaper opinion pieces on 'Why aren't schools teaching X?' fall down. Chances are all of this extra stuff is being covered by someone who really doesn't want to do so, delivering substandard resources to bored kids who see it as an hour off from real work.
Two questions, the first is when you say. "Chances are all of this extra stuff is being covered by someone who really doesn't want to do so".
We are constantly told, That teaching is a 'Skilled Professional Occupation' that should be respected. Now I do realise that any 'Professional Occupation' will always have some *******, I also realise that some also in the teaching profession are political agitators. I suspect that there is also likely an overlap of both characteristic in such teachers.
So let us discount those, when talking about those who have to cover lessons, everyone can have a bad day but not wanting to something because its covering, is a shite attitude.
As an instructor many times i have had to instruct and only had substandard resources, no one wants that to be the norm, but it will be in some cases a long or short period before resources match requirements.
To my mind that is the difference between a real teacher being one who strive to pass on knowledge and wants to contribute to society at large. from someone who is just marking time between pay days. Why on gods green earth would someone like that become a teacher other than its easy to hid being mediocre in the profession.
Yet anytime a government proposes changes other than throwing more money at state education, the teaching unions rabble rouse. That is something of a rhetorical question, and one that you have alluded to in the past as being a pretty wankish attitude.
That the only honest path out of poverty, is education and I think it is something we can all agree on. I think we can also agree that despite the narrative of equality for all, humans are not all the same, not everyone is an intellectual but that does not mean they are stupid, not everyone is capable of being an artisan even, if they have a genius IQ.
I know from experience though there is a real issue that some are unteachable, it does not follow that they are just useless or violent potential criminals, but he sad fact remains though being unteachable has consequences, and that some choose not to engage at all, is likely to see them fail at every turn.
While schooling has adapted to try and ensure that all have a path to education, the simple fact is that the teaching profession as a whole seems to dislike streaming of children's education, into ability cohorts. Because it is considered unfair or unequal. Until this fiction is abandoned, and it is accepted we cannot all be CEO's nothing much will change.
That so many urban school are straining under increasing cohorts of the differing cultures all being told that cultural practices must all be equally valued and celebrated, has seen discrimination not eradicated, and thus someone is judged by the content of ones character, rather they are judged by the character of ones cohort, because well they need more help because they are not the same as us, and need more money time and resources, than another cohort... This is once again an example of the bigotry of low expectation. All this has done just change who is on the top of the tree...
That children are often told "you can be and do anything in life" sadly often missed out is the proviso "with application of effort". Also I think we have moved from seeing the education of children, properly ending for the majority after secondary education thus it is too make them fit to work. with small cohorts of the intellectuals going on to university, and the artisans to college. the reality is that "you can be and do anything in life" there are consequences that when you want to be a brain surgeon but have hands like shovels, and are clumsy as fcuk you are likely to fail.
While we continue to push the conveyor belt of education into filling the halls of higher education, which sadly is even more a zone of indoctrination than education it is little wonder that they embrace any narrative of victimhood when it all goes tit's up.