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12 April 2026

Tag: politics

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO UNLEASH GREATNESS IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

For too long the relationship between government and the teaching profession has been strained. Ministers have imposed frequent changes to curriculum, assessment and accountability, leaving school leaders and teachers to manage constantly moving goalposts. Their aim may have been to raise standards, something with which we would all agree. However, their approach – of micro-management […]

If I were education secretary…

I should keep at the back of all my policymaking the remembrance that what goes on beyond the world of education has an impact on what takes place inside it, and that a popular culture more or less founded on the glorification of stupidity will necessarily colour the atmosphere in which children make the decisions […]

Do the education manifesto pledges stand up?

It’s the election next week and all the parties have waved their education banners long and hard. But the evidence that any of their policies might work in raising attainment or participation is slight or non-existent With the general election looming, the three major political parties have all promised to protect the education budget for […]

If I were education secretary…

To deliver the best possible education for all children we need motivated, well-paid and respected teachers. School budgets must be sufficient to meet the needs of every pupil and our children deserve to be taught by qualified teachers. The current curriculum is not encouraging critical or creative thinking, particularly at primary level where the succession of tests […]

If I were education secretary…

As the chief executive of a multi-academy trust, my team of three executives and myself spend nearly all of our time trying to make sure that the trust and the schools within in are following all the rules. But it is impossible to be 100 per cent compliant. Not only is there a ridiculous amount […]

‘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 […]

‘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 […]