So education is rarely a big deal in the budget but even by Conservative standards this was a bad one. … Continue reading Budget note: great ways to throw money down the drain

I want you to go back to primary school- anywhere between the ages of four and ten- and imagine a … Continue reading Why does the education man want to know why I’m dressed like my Mum?

Looking back at the Conservative government’s education reforms you tend to see a familiar pattern: the overstating of change and … Continue reading The education story: performance related pay

There have been more welcome sounds from government recently that improving QTS (entry level qualification of teaching) is a priority … Continue reading 5 ways to crack the 5th year ceiling

This well-structured conference was once again inspiring and thought-provoking but the event exposed the tension between disruption and collaboration that … Continue reading Teach First Impact Conference

In case you have been living under rock (and I don’t blame you if you have- its a grim old … Continue reading The brave new world of Progress 8

Pupil Premium funds are back in education news after the Chair of the Education Select Committee suggested that it should … Continue reading Pupil Premium and the dream world of perfect evidence-based decision making

Serious education chat at Conservative Party conference might be even rarer than at Labour Conference last weekend. This might be … Continue reading Conservative Party conference: anything to hope for?

  The big question for the Labour Party is whether or not it can develop a decent set of ideas … Continue reading Labour conference: will there be any new ideas?

  It is party conference season! Sadly, it is likely that any serious discussion of education is going to be … Continue reading A guide to education during party conference season