Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is an area of public policy that is eye-wateringly expensive for local government. It is also, like adult and children’s services, failing to deliver on a spectacular scale. We are racking up an £11 billion bill, without getting the quality of service required, and without driving improvements in outcomes […]
In the past few weeks, the school inspectorate, Ofsted, announced a significant change in how schools are regulated. These reforms were announced by Ofsted’s new Chief Inspector, Martyn Oliver, against a backdrop of controversy following a Berkshire headteacher taking her own life after her school was downgraded from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’. The problem the schools […]
Now that the new Government has settled in, its intention to deliver fundamental changes to the education system is clear. However, it is crucial to distinguish between change and progress. In reality, some of Labour’s proposed reforms risk harming educational standards and diminishing opportunities for working-class children. The proposed reforms fall broadly into three categories: […]
As members of Aslef embark on more strike action over pay disputes, it’s worth reminding ourselves that it is still possible to reform and improve British trade unionism. In 2016, David Cameron’s government passed the Trade Union Act, which regulated the ability of the unions to engage in industrial action. The legislation was aimed at […]
When the word ‘academy’ is uttered, many on the left shudder as visions of unaccountability and the marketisation of education spring to the fore of their mind. However, the reality is profoundly duller than those who demonise the system would like to admit. Academies were the brainchild of New Labour adviser and later peer, Andrew […]
Reflecting on the 2010-15 coalition-era education reforms, it is easy to denigrate the work of Gove, Laws and Gibb from the left. However, a look at the data shows that their approach, although controversial at the time, has been almost entirely vindicated. From phonics to the pupil premium, it is fair to say that the […]
The Liberal Democrats have often been called a Nimby party – not least on the pages of CapX – yet they have just backed the most ambitious housing target in history, thanks to my friends in the youth wing and the pro-coalition Liberal Reform. The original plan was to move to a more localised model […]
