A sad state of affairs.

Another book I especially like related to all this is The Selfish Society: How We Forgot To Love One Another And Made Money Instead by Sue Gerhardt www.amazon.co.uk/.../1847375715 #TheConfusedSociety

It was even worse in the past.  I was kicked out of a normal school and placed in a 'special school' in 1973.  The year I spent there was an experience I will never forget. 

On my first day I was given responsibility for tomato plants growing in a grow bag near a window.  There was some discussion among the staff wether I should be with the "small boys or the big lads.". It was decided that i was a big lad.  A boy asked me how old I was. I said nine and a half. He started crying that he was ten and still with the small boys.  He never spoke to me again and shunned me.  Some boys were playing table tennis, there was a skinny girl sitting in silence hiding under the table.  She never spoke to anyone the whole year I was there.

Education wise the school had zero worth, no exams, no teaching, no Ofsted inspection,. I learnt to weave baskets.

I only spent one year there, but others were there until the age of 16.  I wonder what their  prospects were when they left.

The money was wasted when invading Afghanistan and Iraq. That's the long-and-short of it.

I believe that our whole system is being scaled-down to reduce expenditure, under the guise of modernisation, I don’t believe that mental-health/welfare/transport/education/healthcare is going to see any solution that doesn’t introduce disregulation, followed down-scaling.

Regulated Ticket offices are be replaced with info-desks and tech followed by removal of facility.
Professional mental health replaced by online counsellors and online groups followed by removal of facility, just this year the upscale of online-counsellors (and sub-contractors) has sky-rocketed and the lateral-movement across level 3 resources removed, plus you can no longer do more than one level 3 treatment, so if there is no available in level 4 intervention, you are discharged. lol. 
For welfare solutions you can just read the news, education has been under the yoke for a decade, and if you talk to any NEET Organisation you’ll find that none of them anticipate a stable future..

I could go on, but i’m worried that the push for a psychological-playbook for autistic distress and behaviour, may signal an intention to reduce regulated social-resources for autistic-people. I may be wrong but I don’t think I am, I don’t mean to be a negative, but I can’t deny that things are changing around me either.. societal-windows are being broken and no one is fixing them or plans to fix them..

I had a conversation with my level 3 counsellor, who I wouldn’t have if I’d been referred a week later (back in January), she cheaply batted-off the thought that she could be replaced by AI, I said “well you replaced your regulated-superior counterpart, what makes you think that you are more-constitute than them, what makes you think you won’t be replaced by the more-economic option as it becomes viable”.. She fell silent..

Plus, school is about the pursuit of remembering facts; rather than learning skills and wisdom.

Plus, it's a Warzone. Kids are preparing for War, rather than Work.

I don't see much hope for some sensible reforms in the near future.  But things can change.

Agreed. The only thing the league tables seem to do is put pressure on the pupils to do well and create additional work and stress for staff.

I don't recall league tables being a thing back when I was at school, but they were by the time my son started school in the late 90s.

The whole education system needs massive reform.  Competition and league tables need to go and that's just for starters.