Articles and Columns

You can see a selection of my recent articles and education stories here:

Grant Maintained schools Mark II

The coalition government's reform of the academies programme is a return to the grant maintained schools of the late 1980s.

04 Aug 2010 BBC News Online

ICT in schools - back to the 'dark age'?

Is the government's indifference to ICT in schools turning back the clock on the use of computers for learning?

06 Jul 2010 BBC News Online

IGCSEs - spelling the end of the national curriculum?

The decision to allow state schools to teach the IGCSE suggests the national curriculum no longer rules

20 Jun 2010 BBC News Online

What does academy status really mean?

The government wants many more schools to become academies - but what do the much-talked about "freedoms" really amount to?

05 Jun 2010 BBC News Online

Honesty needed on education fundinig

Politicians often misrepresent where the education money goes - here's analysis of the official statistics.

15 May 2010 BBC News Online

Are the politicians right about standards?

We constantly hear politicians bemoaning how many children leave primary school unable to read and write but how true are their claims?

24 Apr 2010 BBC News Online

The scandalous neglect of 'Gifted and Talented' Pupils

Government policy has badly let down 'gifted and talented' pupils as one initiative after another is abandoned.

17 Mar 2010 The Guardian

What do the HE cuts really mean?

Are universities crying wolf over government funding cuts?

07 Feb 2010 BBC News Online

Verdict on Labour's 12 years running education

Official statistics give an insight into the achievements of Labour's stewardship of education.

16 Dec 2009 BBC News Online

We need a better system of student finance

The fees review should go back to first principles

20 Nov 2009 The Guardian

University admissions - what is fair?

Should universities take account of applicants' school and home backgrounds when deciding admissions?

10 Nov 2009 BBC News Online

Uncertain future for universities

What's happened to the long-awaited 'new framework' for higher education and the fees review?

24 Oct 2009 BBC News Online

Don't neglect older learners

We should not forget older learners - it's time to adjust our priorities.

20 Oct 2009 The Guardian 22nd September

The Cambridge Primary Review - Analysis

There's a lot more to the Cambridge Review than just raising the starting age for the formal primary curriculum -- which dominated most media coverage.

18 Oct 2009 BBC News Online

Lessons from the History of Primary Schools

Why are we still shackled by the past when it comes to primary school reform?

30 Sep 2009 The Guardian

Who controls the curriculum?

As the new Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency takes over from the QCA - and as David Cameron proposes a bonfire of the quangos - who should decide what schools teach?

31 Jul 2009 The Guardian