The number and range of problems associated with academies and "free" schools is worrying and can be attributed to the lack of ability of central Government to oversee the increasingly fragmented education provision. In this article, the author looks at just a few of those problems which have been reported since she started to log them…

This article briefly overviews the likely future of education as planned after the 2015 Conservative election success. Although education was not a major item in election manifestos or in subsequent discussion, the Department for Education claims that it is rolling out one of the most ambitious education reform movements in the world. How the…

This article critically examines the Labour Party's policies for local school systems, focusing on its proposals for regional Directors of School Standards, for academies and free schools, and for local democracy, and offers an alternative approach.

A core part of 16 to 19 study programmes is the provision of work experience for all young people. It is increasingly recognised that young people need to develop their employability skills, alongside qualifications, in preparation for the world of work and securing a job. This top tips guide offers advice to schools and colleges wishing to…

Study Programmes were introduced in 2013 so that every post-16 provider could offer their learners coherent study programmes with breadth and depth, enabling learners to progress successfully to employment, apprenticeships, or higher education. Study programmes should include: at least one substantial qualification; English and mathematics for…

This article argues that one of the central paradoxes of neo-liberalism is currently being played out in the UK Coalition Government's education policy. Rhetoric that talks of freedoms to be enjoyed by schools and teachers is at variance with a centrally imposed, reductive view of the curriculum, continuing high-stakes scrutiny and the forcing of…

The unprecedented extent of privatisation of provision in the school system on a for-profit basis is clearly one of the most significant transformations accomplished by the Blair government. However, another aspect of private sector involvement has proved much more problematic: the direct involvement of employers in the formation of the future…