Why is Williamson fighting so hard to prevent schools breaking up early for Christmas?

The last week of term is scarcely critical. Is he trying to avoid letting Greenwich set a precedent – or just squaring off with the unions?

Public attitudes have become more relaxed about school reopenings. But the battle is not over for the Government.

Unions are pushing for more closures and a rota system. It’s imperative the Department of Education fights its corner.

Frank Young: Educational Long Covid. Why the collapse of schooling over lockdown will haunt the poor for years to come.

The second in our mini-series of pieces from the Centre for Social Justice on the virus – and helping those in deep poverty.

Mark Lehain: “The Government stands unequivocally against critical race theory.” The significance of Badenoch’s speech this week.

The Campaign for Common Sense has four simple, low-effort, suggestions as to how schools can be helped to get back on track.

Robert Halfon: We should be pro-private enterprise, anti-mega corporates – which plunder the taxpayer again and again

Plus: Let’s cut VAT on energy bill as soon as we leave transition – deal or no deal. And: first Ardern, then Biden?

Andy Street: Our experience in the West Midlands shows how skills drive economic success

The devolved Adult Education Budget ensures that every pound delivers more qualifications that employers actually want.

Robert Halfon: Johnson’s coming Party Conference needs to show voters that we’re on their side

Plus: by stealth, under the cover of Covid-19, Starmer is changing the Labour Party to one based on social democracy, rather than red-blooded socialism.

Williamson’s fight against grade inflation will be long and painful

He has seen the SNP hold out for a week before swallowing teachers’ impossibly rosy predicted grades in full – and clearly thinks he can do better.

Nick Gibb: Fair grades for A Levels and GCSEs, and congratulations to the students

We have worked with Ofqual to put in place the best possible system.

Julian Brazier: The time is now for university reform. Here’s how we fix Britain’s broken institutions.

One way in which we can achieve this is by formally splitting courses into three categories.

“If universities can’t defend free speech, the Government will”, said Williamson in February. He meant it.

The Education Secretary’s Higher Education Restructuring Regime is an important step towards fighting cancel culture.

Peter Lampl: To build social justice and get the economy working, schools must open fully in September

The Education Endowment Foundation estimates that ten years of progress in closing the attainment gap has been reversed by school closures.

Jeannette Towey: Let’s repurpose empty independent schools to support vulnerable children

A number of highly-equipped educational establishments will be out of use until the next academic year. We should use them.

Sooner or later, Conservative MPs will have to remaster the vanishing art of Just Saying No

An election that saw them returned to say yes to Brexit and boosterism leaves Johnson vulnerable to events and reality.

June 18. Decision time for undergraduates – and the fate of universities

This crisis, though we wish it could have been avoided – is a big wake-up call to these institutions that business cannot continue as normal.