Schools
Peter Oborne’s diary: My Pakistan cricket tour, and what the ‘no’ campaign needs
For the first time since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team six years ago, a Test match side…
Dear Mary: What to do when a dinner guest won’t turn and chat
Q. I felt uncomfortable during a dinner for 20 in a private house. The young man on my left had…
Did Radio 4 have to deal with the Germanwings disaster as it did?
‘You can hear pretty clearly the sound of one of the helicopters and you can see it in the darkness,’…
The Conservatives should be the party of immigrants — and here’s how they can be
For a long while, the Conservatives have been puzzled about their lack of popularity among immigrants. In theory, the Conservative…
A lesson in bias on private schools
What aid experts and academics don’t want to hear about private schools in developing countries
I’m working to make education fairer. But I’m still not sure what ‘fairer’ means
Civitas has just published an interesting book called The Ins and Outs of Selective Secondary Schools. Edited by Anastasia de…
James McAvoy is wrong – the arts are better off without subsidy
The season of cringe-making acceptance speeches at arts awards ceremonies is nearly over, thank heavens. But it hasn’t passed without…
The end of childhood - what we lost when we dropped the age of consent
When the state excuses underage sex, what chance do our children have?
The teachers who (quietly) miss Michael Gove
Meet the teachers who are (quietly) grateful to the former education secretary
Proof that the schools revolution isn’t over
For those who assumed that the removal of Michael Gove as Education Secretary marked the end of the Conservatives’ scholastic…
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
Children’s radio was once at the core of the BBC - now it’s all but disappeared
It was a bit of a surprise to hear Jarvis Cocker, the embodiment of cool and former frontman of Pulp,…
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…
Richard Madeley’s diary: Forgetting Tom Conti’s name, and other harrowing experiences
Oh God, it’s happened again. Another evening where I’m surrounded by people I know personally or have interviewed, and I…
Why there’s no such thing as an Etonian
Finally, just in the last few years I’d say, we’ve all begun to accept the role of nature in the…
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?
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 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…
Sugata Mitra interview: ‘A reduction in resources can cause something nice to happen’
Children can teach each other, believes Sugata Mitra — if you give them the internet, a big screen and a helpful granny on Skype
Knowing things isn’t ‘20th century’, Justin Webb. It’s the foundation of a successful life
It’s scarcely possible to open a newspaper or magazine these days without reading an article about how the latest technological…
Dear Mary: How can I escape the tyranny of teacher presents?
Q. It’s only April and yet I am being emailed by parents who have already taken charge and are drumming…
Why I won’t let my children learn French
Why I won’t let my children be taught French
