Education
Female bishops are very, very old news
Female bishops The Reverend Libby Lane was ordained as Bishop of Stockport, the Church of England’s first female bishop. —…
The Tories have one real success in government – and they’re scared to talk about it
Schools are the one area where this government has made a real, positive difference – but it’s scared stiff of saying so
Come on, Tristram Hunt, if you think you’re hard enough
For a brief moment earlier this week, I thought education might become an issue in the general election campaign. The…
Why tomorrow’s parents won’t want their children to go to university
Why being a graduate is about to lose its prestige
How the Romans taught Latin (N.M. Gwynne would not approve)
Barely a week passes without someone complaining about the teaching of English or foreign languages, usually because it involves too…
Nicky Morgan vs Socrates
After the Philae space-lab’s triumph, one can see why Education Secretary Nicky Morgan should have hymned the ‘Stem’ subjects (science, technology, engineering…
If you want an argument against state-school-only Oxbridge colleges, just look at me
I read with some interest the proposal for Oxford and Cambridge to set up state-school-only colleges in the Guardian this…
The reopened V&A Cast Courts are a fabulous spectacle of Victorian theft and reverence
The great municipal museums are products of the 19th-century imagination, evidence of lofty ambitions and cringe-making limitations. They are exact…
Letters: In defence of Italy, and the rise and fall of the military moustache
Italy’s to-do list Sir: You would expect a long letter of rebuttal by a piqued senior diplomat in response to…
Russell Brand and Nigel Farage remind me of myself five years ago
I’m often asked by other free school proposers what lessons I’ve learnt over the past five years. Any pearls of…
The wonder of learning to fly
Nothing beats taking to the air when it’s you piloting the plane
My amazing dad has found the secret of a happy life
This week I wanted to tell you about my amazing dad. He hasn’t died or anything. I just thought I’d…
Not all knowledge is equal
I first locked horns with Michael Rosen, the former children’s laureate, on Sky News about four years ago. We were…
I believe in animal research. But it’s time to draw a line
I believe in animal research. But is there really a justification for using animals in biology lessons?
Want a fun job? You just have to pick the right parents
The old paths to the top for working-class children – sport, music, acting, writing – are now closed by nepotism
Gove, gone
‘There’s no shame in a cabinet to win the next election,’ declared an exasperated senior No. 10 figure on Tuesday…
Cameron was right to move Gove
I tried to reach Michael Gove on Tuesday shortly after the news broke that he’d been moved to the Whips’…
How Wales was betrayed by its (Labour) government.
Devolution has left my country with catastrophic misgovernment
Let's face it – Ray Honeyford got it right on Islam and education
The Bradford head teacher was dismissed for emphasising nationality over religion. He should have been applauded
The bits of Magna Carta that David Cameron won’t want taught in schools
The not-so-great charter David Cameron wants every child to be taught about Magna Carta. Some bits he might want to…
The Birmingham ‘Trojan Horse plot’ is — like WMD — a neocon fantasy
I can remember where I was when Colin Powell presented to the United Nations his evidence for the existence of…
Now it's Gove vs May - will Tory wars ever stop?
Modern Conservatives seem to be allergic to success. Every time things are going right, the party spasms. Sir John Major’s…
Spectator letters: Ken Loach defended, and the music of Pepys
We need religion Sir: Roger Scruton (‘Sacred hunger’, 31 May) describes a reason, dare I say a ‘purpose’, for religion in…
The publicist who's doing her best to keep me off TV
I went to a meeting at Penguin earlier this week to discuss ‘publicity opportunities’ for my forthcoming book. Chance would…
Spectator letters: How schools fail boys, Jonathan Croall answers Keith Baxter, and why atheists should love the C of E
Why girls do better Sir: Isabel Hardman notes that girls now outperform boys at every level in education (‘The descent…
