Mark Lehain: The Government must make a top priority of getting schools back this autumn
Any delay will be exploited by the Blob to try and roll back a decade of progress on testing, inspections, and accountability.
Mark Lehain: Two-thirds of adults are concerned about political correctness. That’s why I’ve started the Campaign for Common Sense.
Groupthink and blame culture have had a detrimental effect on our debates. It’s time we stopped walking on eggshells.
Mark Lehain: The rivalries and Corbynism that are driving the biggest education union’s extremist stance on school reopenings
I’m a former union rep myself – and am finding that schools, empowered by the Gove reforms, are quietly getting on with preparations,
Mark Lehain: Ending the union monopoly on workplace representation would be a positive change
Allowing alternative organisations at hearing would mean levelling up the quality of life for workers.
Mark Lehain: No, Ben – every child must be given the chance to share our common heritage
Sending pupils early into academic and vocational pathways would allow too many schools to lower their sights and expecations.
Future of Education 2) Mark Lehain: Now we need full academisation and reformed funding
The second writer in our mini-series says that creating more grammars is a distraction from change that matters.
Mark Lehain: Gove was right to support headteachers over excluded pupils
Halfon is wrong to attribute the rise in school exclusion rates to any disregard for those affected.
Yesterday’s results show that free schools are working. Now Conservatives must back them fully once again.
I was glad to see the Prime Minister and the Education Secretary doing so recently – particularly now that Rayner is clear she will scrap the programme.
Mark Lehain: Rayner says Labour will reject Gove’s school reforms – but what would they establish in their place?
Families and teachers deserve some details on what is being proposed in place of free schools and academies.
Mark Lehain: The times tables reform. Not a giant leap – but one of so many small steps for the better.
A fairer funding formula, better behaviour, fluency in numeracy and literacy, a richer National Curriculum, better exams: these appeal to voters’ innate common sense.
Mark Lehain: Cutting the Free School programme would be short-sighted, damaging to standards, and un-Conservative
Free schools are changing lives for the better, and have proved popular despite the early naysaying. Greening must shut down talk of scrapping the policy.
Mark Lehain: A promising start for free schools – so what next?
A week on from the publication of GCSE results we can see how this policy is starting to change lives, and where it needs to go next.