As of June 2015 there are over four thousand academies in England. Originally introduced by New Labour back in 2000 in order to support failing schools in socially deprived areas, academies have long since remained a controversial topic. Touted by governments as the miraculous magic answer to improving standards and loathed quite rightly by teaching […]
Posts Tagged ‘Michael Gove’
Labour’s timid education manifesto – and what it must include next time
Jul 13th, 2015 by Naomi Fearon.Our education eystem has undergone a severe and vicious ideological assault since 2010 with teacher morale at all-time lows, a rise in child mental health issues due to over testing and a teacher recruitment crisis to name but a few. Never was there such an education Secretary that provoked such vitriol and contempt than Michael […]
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The Gove legacy undermines exams
Oct 28th, 2014 by Trevor Fisher.There is a broad consensus on education policy across the main parties at Westminster, which has only cracked in two areas: (i) Labour is demanding qualified teacher status in state schools and it does so with solid parental support; (ii) less immediately controversial is a split over exam reform. Despite cross party support for exam […]
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Reshuffle: ‘Gove Out’ is a hollow victory for education campaigners
Jul 15th, 2014 by John Millington.For a man who has had an online game dedicated to slapping him millions of times, it is some what of an achievement that Michael Gove has lasted as long as he has. Derided by teachers and the butt of jokes over his condemnation of strike action despite his union past (he was a member […]
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Promoting “British values”
Jul 5th, 2014 by David Pavett.The recent affair of the alleged extremism of some Birmingham schools has revived debate about “British values”. Michael Gove has issued draft changes to the funding agreement for new schools that would require commitment to “the fundamental British values” of (1) democracy, (2) the rule of law, (3) individual liberty, (4) mutual respect and (5) […]
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Between frenemies: what are those British values anyway?
Jun 12th, 2014 by Jon Stubbings.As the fiasco over Birmingham’s schools continues, what’s really going on in Whitehall? As “overheard” by JON STUBBINGS Cameron: Now then Michael – what’s all the fuss about this school in Birmingham? I thought you hated Muslims. Gove: Yes David, of course I do – you know that I’ve turned down way more applications to […]
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Gove’s ‘reforms’ meet their Waterloo
Jun 11th, 2014 by Michael Meacher.One can be forgiven a degree of Schadenfreude that Gove’s ideological zealotry, which has thrown the UK educational system into deep disarray, has now at last turned to consume himself. The charge sheet against Gove is clear. His sensitive touch in dealing with alleged extremism was expressed with his characteristic restraint as “not waiting till […]
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When will Labour critique and respond to Gove’s revolution?
Mar 15th, 2014 by David Pavett.It is the age of the “gold standard”. The Labour party has circulated eight consultation documents which set out draft policy proposals for the 2015 manifesto. Education is dealt with in “Education and Children” and to a lesser extent in “Work and Business”. Apparently they should be read in conjunction with the recently-issued “One Nation […]
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Really, Tristram? The “totally convincing” case for performance related pay exposed
Oct 22nd, 2013 by David Pavett.Having giving his support to academies and “parent-led academies” (aka free schools), Labour’s new shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has now committed the party to another key right-wing goal for education: “performance-related pay” (PRP). He told the BBC Question Time audience: “I’m in favour of performance-related pay. We had a great report come out today […]
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Parents should be angry…. with Michael Gove
Oct 17th, 2013 by Grahame Morris.Today I am in Durham to address the People’s Assembly as teachers across the country are on strike over pay, pensions and conditions. Parents are right to be angry. No teacher wants to go on strike; they know the disruption it causes to families and most importantly the children. However, while Ministers are on TV, […]
