The real reason headteachers hate Ofsted
England’s biggest school leaders’ union, The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has called for a halt to graded Ofsted…
The broken special needs system is betraying those who need it most
Everyone agrees that England’s special educational needs (SEND) system is broken. Earlier this year, the government said so itself. It…
The great teacher shortage is turning into a crisis
In recent years, it seems we have become stuck in a state of permacrisis. Headlines are dominated by the cost-of-living…
Why is the Scottish government giving children free schoolbags?
It seems that good intentions do not just pave the road to hell, but the path to foolishness. The SNP…
What is the point of predicting A-Level grades?
Today is A-level results day – and yet another reminder of how bizarre and backwards our education system still is…
It’s healthy for kids to learn the meaning of true boredom
My 22-month-old son has just started enjoying imaginative play, and it’s a wonder to behold. There is little better than…
Keep the robots out of the classroom
When it comes to technology in schools, we seem to be less in Uncanny Valley than some sort of nightmare…
Is Burnham prepared to get tough with his NEET shake-up?
‘We’ll value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap.’ These are stirring words from newly incumbent prime minister…
Why white working-class kids fail
Another year, another educational inquiry, another round of soul-searching about the underachievement of white working-class pupils. This time, senior education…
The plague of bad behaviour in primary schools is getting worse
In 2023, I wrote an article about the epidemic of bad behaviour plaguing British schools, blaming screen-obsessed kids and tuned-out…
The problem with Labour’s toddler screen-time guidance
As a parent of an 18-month-old, the glorious weather last weekend could mean only one thing: a tour of the…
The truth about the surge in home-schooling
Historically, home-schooling has been seen as a niche or eccentric choice of education: an option only really considered by hippies,…
Why misogyny lessons for schoolboys will backfire
All parents and teachers of teenagers will know two things. The first is that teenagers are the human equivalent of…
In praise of learning German
The University of Nottingham, one of the most prestigious Russell Group universities, is preparing to close its languages department, as…
State school kids will pay for Labour’s International Baccalaureate crackdown
It appears that Labour is determined to ensure that choice in education is only for those who can afford it.…
Why kids won’t learn languages
The English have always had a terrible reputation when it comes to learning languages. Think of the stereotype of the…
Free childcare shouldn’t just be for working mothers
This week, we had a rare example of a family-friendly policy coming into effect: working parents of children aged 9…
GCSE English language isn’t fit for purpose
Today is GCSE results day, and as ever that is cause for celebration: one in five entries got at least…
Teachers deserve their long summer holidays
What’s the best thing about teaching? July and August! Or so the old joke goes. The long school holidays are…
Every boy needs a strong male role model in their life
Imagine you are the parent of a primary-school aged boy. Outside of family, how many men do you think your…
Labour owes it to special needs children to reform SEND
They say that history repeats itself, but the Labour party won’t be expecting it to happen quite so quickly. Last…
The biggest reason people aren’t having babies? FOMO
In his book Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids, economist Bryan Caplan notes that, due to modern conveniences and our better…
Bridget Phillipson can’t be trusted to fix Britain’s schools
If relationships between Ofsted and schools are already frayed, then we may officially be about to reach the end of…
The sad decline of reading
At secondary school open days, English teachers are always asked the same questions by anxious parents of year six students:…
Bonnie Blue deserves to be cancelled
Dr Gail Dines, a professor of sociology and women’s studies, defines the ‘pornification of society’ as a culture where explicit…
