• Angela Rayner at Labour party conference 2019

    My, but Angela Rayner is a canny political operator. Early on a Sunday morning, not a high point for crowd engagement, even at party conferences. The delegates had been whipped into a fervour by discussions of motions from the conference arrangements committee, and then a fairly somnolent speech from the leader of Welsh Labour. The…

    13.43 Sep. 23rd, 2019 | Reviews

  • Labour manifesto: Plans to let councils 'run schools' dropped

    The Labour party has dropped official plans to let councils “open schools”, instead stating it will “oppose any attempt to force schools to become academies” if the party should take power. Schools Week previously revealed how Labour’s draft manifesto included a pledge to allow local authorities to open schools. It backed up a previous promise…

    14.38 May. 16th, 2017 | News

  • Greening's first education questions: Green paper 'will help' SEN pupils, and four other things we learned

    The government’s new(ish) education team faced its first proper grilling in Parliament this afternoon during the first education questions since Justine Greening’s appointment. Buoyed by the new additions to its own team, Labour went on the attack over grammar schools and funding, while Greening and her ministerial colleagues were forced to defend some of their reforms against criticism from…

    16.59 Oct. 10th, 2016 | News

  • Labour reshuffle: Rayner stays, Mike Kane becomes shadow schools minister

    The Labour MP Angela Rayner will continue her work as shadow education secretary following a reshuffle of the opposition frontbench, while former teacher Mike Kane will be responsible for the party’s schools policies. Rayner has revealed that she will continue to lead Labour’s education team, backed up by Kane, who is the new shadow schools minister. They will work with existing…

    9.21 Oct. 10th, 2016 | News