politics | Schools Week

Let’s take a deep breath and make changes

A Conservative government with Nicky Morgan as secretary of state gives some chance of stability to allow schools to implement changes already in the pipeline In the National Governors’ Association (NGA) manifesto published a year ago we called for a period of stability, the most called-for request by our members – governors and trustees across […]

Thoughts from after the election

The Conservatives have a clear majority. So what is the reality for school leaders, governors and teachers? Many of us will remember the 1997 election and the glow of Tony Blair’s campaign mantra: education, education, education! We recall, too, the excellent, school-sympathetic secretaries of state for education under Labour – Blunkett, Morris, Johnson, even Balls […]

It’s a chance to hit the accelerator

There are the challenges of securing sufficient places, teachers and funding, but with a majority government and an experienced secretary of state, the government has an extraordinary opportunity to push through bold education reforms The election has given David Cameron and his government an enormous boost. Not only have they managed to secure a majority, […]

General Election 2015: “The challenges of the Conservative education plan should not be underestimated”

The Conservatives will control the Department for Education, after today’s outcome of the general election which saw the party gain a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Professor Chris Husbands, director of the Institute of Education, gives his view on what to expect. No-one foresaw the scale of the Conservative victory – it exceeded […]

General Election 2015: “A threatened teacher recruitment and retention crisis will become a reality”

The Conservatives will control the Department for Education, after today’s outcome of the general election which saw the party gain a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, gives her view on what to expect. The next Conservative government will pursue, with added […]

What does a fully-Conservative government mean for schools?

At a certain point last night I grabbed our election supplement and flipped nervously to the Conservative education pledge list. It was the first time I’d considered a party might need to deliver their list in full. So, what can we expect from a fully Conservative department? The Ministers David Cameron said before the election […]

‘If I were education secretary (again)…’

I would secure all-party support to launch a ten-year programme to spread technical education throughout the whole education system. One of the biggest challenges for the next government is to fill the skills gap: by 2020 we will need 830,000 STEM graduates and 450,000 technicians and engineers at levels 3 and 4. The institutions in […]

‘If I were education secretary (again)…’

Money is not the sole salvation in achieving quality education for all children. However, cutting the money available can have a devastating impact on those schools that have been making the most progress, reaching out and engaging with families and for whom the pupil premium was a lifeline at a time of retrenchment. That is […]

‘If I were education secretary (again)…’

Secondary schools have become an increasingly diverse and rather chaotic gathering. It seems to be held together (more or less) by Ofsted and the examination system, with huge emphasis on league tables and exam grades to the detriment of creativity and imagination. The result is the imposing of great stress on youngsters in the later […]