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26 April 2026

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Opinion

‘If I were education secretary…’

The education system must change so that knowledge gives way to wisdom, emphasising the application of knowledge as a source of power for living that leads to individual happiness and success. I would create a system that enables students to develop a questioning mind and put in place systems that produce a new generation of […]

Wanted: home-grown teachers of Mandarin

The Conservatives are promising more Mandarin teachers – and in an ideal world every young person should be able to learn it as a language of their choice. But is this a manifesto pledge that can be implemented? Tucked away in the Conservative manifesto is the pledge: “increase the number of teachers able to teach […]

Soft skills can’t be taught… but they can be learned

The current education secretary, Nicky Morgan, has been on a drive recently to promote ‘character education’. Adding the teaching of ‘grit and resilience’ to a teacher’s already growing workload is a big ask but a greater focus on employability and skills beyond the classroom mean that it is no longer enough to simply get every […]

‘If I were education secretary…’

Over the past few years, there has been a grassroots professional rejection of bogus ideas within education, coupled with a wellspring of enthusiasm for more credible alternatives. New ideas — such as direct instruction, spaced and massed practice, curriculum sequencing, and mastery learning — are gaining popularity amongst certain teachers and schools. However, the 65 […]

‘If I were education secretary…’

Integrating private schools would bring down the Berlin Wall that grossly favours the 7 per cent on one side of it, and that remains an ugly, disfiguring scar on our society. Our private schools — and I use “our” in the loosest sense — are for the most part excellent institutions. The fundamental problem is […]

Too much toe? – The peril of sandals in the classrooms

Nancy Gedge knows that summer brings tough clothing decisions – especially for women. And what sort of shoe is ‘appropriate’ in a sweltering classroom, anyway? About six years ago I went back to teaching.  Up until then I had been on an extended maternity leave, and after making the decision to return to the classroom, […]

Free schools: what to ask

Labour’s views are based on a reality that has long dissolved; free schools are no longer for white middle-class parents in areas where they are not wanted It’s nearing the end of the general election campaign and time to get down to the detail in education policies. But there’s one thing we know for certain: […]

‘If I were education secretary…’

I would ask to stay in my job for the rest of the government’s term and in that time seek to make myself largely redundant. I would start off with a big conversation about the purpose of education, with a view to recognising that it should make the world a better place. I would consider […]

‘If I were education secretary…’

Secondary education is too exam-focused. There is also too much specialisation too early (after GCSE), too little variety between schools and within curricula, too many reforms with every change of government, too little practical preparation for life after education, and too great a jump between school and university. If I were secretary of state, I […]