Sunday thoughts: Is abandoning collective bargaining the way out of universities’ PR nightmare?Aug 13, 2023Aug 13, 2023
Sunday thoughts: What is in Sir Martyn Oliver’s in -tray at Ofsted?courtesy of https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/sir-martyn-oliver-who-ofsteds-next-chief-inspectorJul 23, 2023Jul 23, 2023
(Bonus) Thursday thoughts: who wins and who loses from today’s teacher pay settlement?Jul 13, 2023Jul 13, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Is this a Britain that “believes — truly believes — that the future will be…Look, the last time I did one of these, I speculated as to whether “Liz Truss could be the education Prime Minister”. So read the below on…Jul 9, 2023Jul 9, 2023
Sunday thoughts: When it comes to AI in education, are the facts of life traditional?The DfE this week has issued a consultation on AI in education — the opportunities and risks it presents. This goes hot on the heels of…Jun 18, 2023Jun 18, 2023
Sunday thoughts: The $500m Simons family — what can we learn from the culture of mega philanthropy…Never have I been so disappointed to scour the American branch of my family tree and discover it doesn’t flower that way.Jun 4, 2023Jun 4, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Is the MBacc revolutionary, or a shiny political gimmick?Andy Burnham has been making waves in the last couple of weeks with the announcement of his MBacc: the creation of “two equal routes — one…May 27, 2023May 27, 2023
Sunday (Monday) thoughts: Is this the way forward for Labour on student tuition fees?Last week, seemingly almost as a surprise to them, Labour confirmed one of the worst kept secrets in higher education policy when they…May 8, 20231May 8, 20231
Sunday thoughts: Do we need more political partisanship to tackle school absence?On Friday, I tweeted a stat I’d heard – that there was a huge spike in absence rates in schools that day. Parents had worked out that…Apr 30, 2023Apr 30, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Could apprenticeships be Labour’s big education offer?I was facilitating a focus group the other week, when I heard what Labour’s big education idea for the next manifesto could be.Apr 16, 2023Apr 16, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Is it time to take a look at Ofsted reform?I turn this week, slightly reluctantly, to Ofsted.Mar 26, 20231Mar 26, 20231
Sunday thoughts: Will Labour’s plan to replace Ofsted with a School Report Card work?Bridget Phillipson’s speech to ASCL conference this weekend was interesting for a number of reasons. It’s a shame we couldn’t contrast it…Mar 12, 2023Mar 12, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Should more secondary schools run admissions like Free Schools?This week, slightly unnoticed, a lengthy but important report on school admissions landed from Simon Burgess and colleagues from Bristol.Mar 5, 2023Mar 5, 2023
Sunday thoughts: What should DSIT and Michelle Donelan *not* do?John Gill’s editorial in this fortnight’s Times Higher sets out the challenges for the new Secretary of State for DSIT (apparently known in…Feb 19, 2023Feb 19, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Are we seeing a ‘technocratic’ family policy emerging? (and if so, good)This week, the Prime Minister visited one of the new Family Hubs set up around the country and announced an expansion of them to more LAs…Feb 12, 2023Feb 12, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Why haven’t the planned teacher strikes been resolved yet, and how does this end?The NEU is about to go on strike across 7 days next month and into March. NASUWT will not be following them (though they promise another…Jan 22, 2023Jan 22, 2023
Sunday thoughts: What can we expect in education in 2023?2023. New Year, new you. Though for the education sector, a little of the same old you might be preferable following the events of the…Jan 8, 2023Jan 8, 2023
Sunday thoughts: Shall we give some awards out, then?As we approach the end of 2022, which in many ways seems to have gone on for around a decade (the tiering system for Covid was at the…Dec 18, 2022Dec 18, 2022
Sunday thoughts: Why are MPs standing down, and should we care?Sajid Javid this week became the twelfth Conservative MP to say that he’d be standing down at the next election.Dec 4, 20221Dec 4, 20221
Sunday thoughts: What do you get when you send two British edu policy consultants to New Zealand?Myself and my colleague Jess Lister are currently midway through a project in New Zealand, where we are here for a couple of weeks to do…Nov 20, 2022Nov 20, 2022
