Growing up in a working-class household in Kent I could never have envisaged that one day I’d be advising ministers on the education of our children. My mother was a cleaner who left school at 12 and my father was a railway guard. Neither were educated but both encouraged me to do the very best…
It’s been a difficult time for some parents and teachers of year 6 children who have been the first to feel the effect of tougher SATs. But I would urge them all to not be disheartened – more rigorous testing will put each child on the path to a successful secondary school education. My biggest…
As a working-class boy whose academic success led me to where I am now, I’m truly saddened that thousands of this generation’s brightest children could be missing out. Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has now raised his head above the parapet and said we are letting down the nation’s bright children – particularly those from…
On Tuesday the news bulletins were filled with scenes of happy children stomping through woods and playing among nature. But this wasn’t because the bank holiday had been extended – no, these children should have been at school. It was the first ‘kids strike’ when thousands of parents deliberately kept their children away from school…
In Response to ‘Grammar schools and the opportunity gap: 10 questions for Nicky Morgan’, an article that appeared in the Guardian stating the views of a particular parent about the choices in Kent secondary schools. The recent decision of the government to allow grammar schools that were oversubscribed to open annexes has sparked off some…