University of Buckingham
The Lucy Powell argument is that children from poorer backgrounds and with special needs have suffered as a result of the Gove reforms because many of them do badly at GCSE and end up unemployed. Where does the truth lie? Gove got rid of ‘vocational alternatives’ to GCSEs because of clear evidence that they were... Continue Reading →
Grades are stable because of Ofqual’s comparable outcomes approach to grading – they keep grade distributions similar to the pre-Covid distribution of 2019. Girls did better than boys. That’s because they are more mature and more likely to want to please the teacher. They work harder. There is a long tail of underperformance. Nearly a... Continue Reading →
March 2026 Dear James Now is the moment to write to Year 11 parents and tell them that it is important that their children revise right through the Easter holidays. There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that GCSEs start in May so there are few weeks left for Year 11... Continue Reading →
Last week Ofqual published research into the use of computers for learning and assessment. This is what they concluded: On-screen exams should not be permitted in most GCSE and A level subjects for the time being. Some research suggests handwriting can benefit learners in a way that is not replicated in typing because it may... Continue Reading →
Michael Gove was Secretary of State for Education 2010-2014, the first four years of the Coalition government. There are two fundamentally important things to say about his work in this job: The many reforms he introduced amounted to the most successful reforms made by any Minister in the period 2010-2024. Tory governments during this period... Continue Reading →
As a society we debate the impact of computers and smartphones on our children. There are three related but different issues: The significance of computer-use in schools The impact and control of smartphones in schools The impact and control of smartphones in the home Computers in schools If you ask parents what they would like... Continue Reading →
Every ten years, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducts its survey of adult skills, called the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The survey provides a unique opportunity to compare the literacy skills of adults with other participating OECD countries, as well as observe how these skills have evolved... Continue Reading →
More than a decade ago I was the head of Harrow, a good school but an unusual one being 100% boarding and 100% boys – and private. So when I retired I decided to do a few things which might inform me about state schools, the schools which teach the vast majority of children. What... Continue Reading →
Schools Governments can only do so much at any one time. Gove did schools but failed to deal with skills and FE. Filling the skills gap in the British economy should be the number one focus, concentrating on young people aged 16+ eg energy production, infrastructure development, AI and IT, hospital technicians, lab assistants. Review... Continue Reading →