Coffee House The Spectator Blog
What Gove should know about Singapore schools
Excelliarmus! Why do East Asian children feel they can relate to Harry Potter? Because he wears glasses, like so many of them do. The fascination with British wizarding students extends… Continue reading
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The report the Department for Education does NOT want you to read
One of the better policies of this government is its offering massive databases up for public scrutiny. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, argues David Cameron, and outsiders can scrutinise what… Continue reading
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Skills are the problem. But does anyone have a solution?
For years, words ‘skills’ and ‘crisis’ have been joined in British political discourse. It’s a problem that no one seems able to crack and on May 2nd, The Spectator is… Continue reading
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Tory MPs hunt new Labour education shadow
The other interesting thing about Ed Miliband’s personnel ‘lurch to the left’ last week was that he appointed Tristram Hunt to Labour’s shadow education team to replace Karen Buck. If… Continue reading
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Michael Gove’s planned national curriculum is designed to renew teaching as a vocation
Michael Gove’s planned national curriculum, heavily influenced by American reformer E.D. Hirsch, came under strong attack over the weekend. Critics claim that it will de-professionalise teachers. NUT activists and their… Continue reading
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Matt Hancock vows to fight low pay, but fails to emphasise the importance of low inflation
Matt Hancock, the business and skills minister, addressed the Resolution Foundation’s low pay debate this morning, an indication of how seriously the Tories are taking the rising cost of living.… Continue reading
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Tories who say that Cameron is making ‘no difference’ underline the coalition’s communications failure
You should take note when Benedict Brogan, an influential and widely sourced journalist who has been very close to the Cameron and Osborne operation over the years, writes of the fire-sale… Continue reading
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Our brightest children are falling behind their peers in other countries
Today’s jobs market is highly competitive and globalised. It is no longer enough simply to see if we are doing better than we did last year, or the year before,… Continue reading
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Yes, Gove has lost a battle. But he’s winning the education war
Michael Gove’s enemies will have savoured his defeat yesterday, and enjoyed every second of his Commons speech admitting that his pet project, the EBacc, was ‘a bridge too far’. Gove… Continue reading
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Michael Gove: My debt to Jade Goody and the future of school reform
In shaping education policy I have been influenced by many people… But two particular individuals have influenced me more than any others. The Italian Marxist thinker – and father of… Continue reading
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Why meddling with A-levels won’t work
Conservatives will, no doubt, welcome the government’s announcement about A-levels today. Modules will be abolished. We will return to one tough exam at the end of the two years of… Continue reading
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Schools can teach good character and the 3 Rs
Education debates are riddled with false choices, as Michael Barber notes in his recently published essay Oceans of Innovation. It’s academic or vocational; it’s best practice or innovation; it’s the… Continue reading
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Tim Loughton vs the Department for Education, round 2
The battle between Tim Loughton and the Education department rumbles on, with new foot soldiers joining the fray. The latest shot fired in the war comes from Labour’s Stephen Twigg,… Continue reading
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Tim Loughton vs the Department for Education
In a week where the inner workings of Whitehall have rarely been out of the news, Tim Loughton’s evidence to the Education Select Committee has made a particular splash. As… Continue reading
9 Comments Children and families ‘not a priority’ for Michael Gove, former children’s minister argues
Of all the sackings in September’s reshuffle, two of the most surprising came from the Education department. So it was fascinating to hear those two victims of the purge, Tim… Continue reading
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Exclusive: John Nash is the new schools minister
The new schools minister is John Nash. He succeeds Lord Hill who has gone off to replace Tom Strathclyde as leader of the House of Lords. Nash, a venture capitalist,… Continue reading
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Michael Gove’s plans for profit-making schools
Coffee House readers won’t be surprised by the Independent’s report that Michael Gove has been telling friends he has no objections to profit-making schools: he explained his position on the… Continue reading
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Teachers are demoralised, but parents are protesting
The school holidays are nearly over, so here’s a cheery tale for those returning to the classroom next week. Teachers are demoralised, says a poll [PDF] for the NUT which… Continue reading
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Swedish study: free schools improve everyone’s results
What will free schools mean for the quality of education — in the new schools, and in the old ones they compete with? In Sweden, they don’t have to guess.… Continue reading
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MPs push for more children to be taken into care
As the number of inquiries into allegations of child abuse in institutions from the BBC to the NHS grows, a cross-party committee of MPs has today recommended that more children… Continue reading
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