The golden thread: Jewel in the crown, or tarnished tiara? The early career framework of 2019 has been hailed as one of biggest policy success stories by those involved. But the education secretary who set the reform in motion said its controlling hand from ministers ‘fills me with horror’. Schools Week investigates …
The ‘zombie’ grammar schools policy that refused to die The hugely controversial policy to open new grammar schools crashed after Theresa May’s disastrous 2017 election – but it kept being revived across the next seven years. Why? Schools Week investigates …
A decade-long stumble to fair school funding The national funding formula was well-supported and resolved a well-established problem – so how did it get severely stuck in the policy-making weeds? Schools Week finds out …
Curriculum reform: what grade should it get? Nearly 15 years after Michael Gove’s curriculum reforms, England’s primary pupils rank among the best in the western world. Does that mean they’ve been a soaring success? It’s not that simple …
Academy commissioners: blooming flowers to ballooning bureaucracy Academy commissioners were sold as the sector’s chance to ‘take back control’. But ten years on, that control has gone full circle back to Whitehall – mirroring a similar shift in academies. Schools Week investigates …
The colossal Covid catch-up crash Sir Kevan Collins was promised a ‘blank cheque’ to help children recover from Covid’s learning loss, but schools were let down as the Treasury took control. Schools Week investigates …
Ten policy lessons for the next 10 years New education secretary Bridget Phillipson has acknowledged the scale of the task ahead. But John Dickens and Loic Menzies outline the hard-earned lessons from the past 10 years that can inform the next decade
The not-for-turning regulator Amanda Spielman was Ofsted’s longest-serving chief inspector, holding office from 2017 to 2023. She speaks to Schools Week …
Ofsted in crisis: The inspectorate’s fall from grace Support for Ofsted slumped after inspections returned post-Covid. But why did it take the death of a headteacher to spark real change? Schools Week investigates …