When I read that a peer of the Realm had said school uniforms were ‘repressive’ and should be abolished so pupils can ‘find their own style’ I rolled my eyes. This canard comes around every so often, usually from the middle classes who can afford to buy their children the trendiest, most fashionable gear. The…
This old Chinese proverb holds true and spells out the importance of not solving just the immediate issue of food, clothing, and shelter by helping someone (which of course is important) but also thinking of the long-term possibilities that this person might have if only they could help themselves too. This is where education comes in.…
When Tony Blair came to power in 1997, he famously said that his government’s priority would be ‘education, education, education.’ But what kind of education did he mean? The answer was simple: a university education. His target was to send half the nation’s students to university – and it’s been achieved. But what did Tony…
The abandonment of GCSE and A-Levels this summer is unnecessary and will further degrade confidence in the system. The decision to cancel exams has been taken too early – it shows a lack of ambition and is a major disservice to the students. With the Covid vaccine being rolled out the exams could have been…
The longer children are not in school, the more they will suffer through their educational journey and beyond into the workplace. The government was correct to identify that children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 are being particularly hit by the school closures. Reception and Year 1 children are learning basic numeracy and literacy…