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21 August 2026

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Opinion

Is the grammar school nightmare finally over?

In the delirious early hours of last Friday morning I tweeted that, finally, the nail was in the coffin for the grammar schools project. A hung parliament meant the Conservatives would have to form a coalition and that would be the end of that. By 10am I was regretting my words: as the realisation dawned […]

What does a no-majority government mean for education?

One week on and the dust is still settling on the General Election. As Theresa May forms a government and prepares for her first parliamentary test in the Queen’s Speech next week, those of us who spent the election period wondering what a new government would mean for education are still left wondering. School funding […]

Trojan Horse hearings were an abuse of justice

Five of Lee Donaghy’s former colleagues have had their names muddied and their careers ruined, he argues, through politically-motivated negligence As headteacher from 2001, Lindsey Clark transformed Park View School in Birmingham from a byword for low standards in the city into a school feted by a prime minister, with David Cameron citing it in […]

Schools must be more vigilant on Islamism than ever

We must not downplay the seriousness of Trojan Horse, claims Jamie Martin, even if the case collapsed Barely a week after the Manchester Arena attack – which was carried out by someone educated in the English state school system – a procedural failure led to the collapse of misconduct hearings against three teachers suspended after […]

What happens to grammar schools in a minority Conservative government?

Can the Conservatives still push through their plan for new grammar schools now they are a minority government? Editor Laura McInerney explains what we know so far. The first rule of a government is that almost nothing will stop one implementing an outrageous policy if they really, really want to. I learned this back in 2010 when […]

Some images of injustice are hard to erase

Some images are hard to shake. Year 6s crying for fear they will “fail” their primary tests. Year 11s drawing on each others’ shirts as they disappear for study leave. Michael Gove making speeches about his knowledge of “Indian sex manuals” (it’s three years now and I’m still not over it). But, from this week’s […]

The NCTL was created in a rush and it’s time to reform it

The NCTL was created in a rush and it’s time to reform it, structurally and operationally, argues Andrew Faux The National College for Teaching and Leadership was born from a rushed decision by a deeply political secretary of state to abolish the General Teaching Council for England in March 2012. Given its recent failures there […]

NCTL processes are robust but must be applied correctly

The NCTL’s procedures are robust and rigorous, says James Lynas, but it needs sufficient numbers of properly trained staff to apply the rules correctly The National College for Teaching and Leadership’s disciplinary process has rightly come under more scrutiny after the collapse of action against five teachers in the so-called “Trojan Horse” scandal – after […]

Giving UTCs a lifeline through the free school model

UTCs face a big challenge in that the English school system isn’t set up for recruitment at 14, but there are ways to make it work, says Sam Parrett With the people in charge of university technical colleges sticking their head in the sand over the growing problem of recruitment at 14, it’s no wonder schools, UTCs and […]