Posts Tagged ‘Guardian’
The policy boys – who is behind the big ideas?
The furore surrounding the departure of Michael Gove adviser Dominic Cummings may have died down. But his parting shot – a 250 page tract on everything from genetics to school effectiveness and teacher quality – raised interesting questions about who makes education policy, and how. Quizzed on Mr Cummings’ influence recently, the Secretary of State […]
Just say no to more grammars
If I were Michael Gove, the decision I would least relish at the moment would be having to rule on the fate of the Sevenoaks grammar school. This little time bomb was lobbed into the Secretary of State’s court around 18 months ago when the county council in fully selective Kent decided to approve the […]
Why Justin Welby is right about faith admissions
The Archbishop of Canterbury made an important statement yesterday. Church schools, he said, may be moving away from faith based entry tests and opening their doors to a wider group of pupils than is currently the case. His comments were swiftly toned down. But it was too late – intentionally or not, the Archbishop had […]
Tristram Hunt’s challenge
I have a general rule of thumb when watching education ministers and their shadows perform in public. Remember the audiences, because there are two. The first, is comprised of parents, pupils, heads and teachers. In spite of the best efforts of politicians to divide them, this group generally has a common interest in ensuring their […]
Radical action is needed now to stop cheating
If I were a head who did everything strictly by the book, I think one of the things that I would resent more than anything else is the suggestion that others are less scrupulous. There is no doubt that many schools do an excellent job of building and sustaining improvement over time. But some have […]
Exporting academies won’t benefit English children
You have to hand it to the coalition; it would appear that nothing will deflect ministers from their pet plan to make money from schools. It is less than a month since David Cameron’s plan to allow English academies and free schools to sell places to overseas students was leaked then promptly disowned largely due […]
School performance – why intake still matters
Is there a problem with school accountability in this country? Yes. Is there an easy solution? Probably not. The latest consultation on this issue has just closed, to remarkably little fanfare. Perhaps everyone was so preoccupied with the National Curriculum Review, or taken aback by the climb down on the EBCs, that less attention was […]
