When questioned on Sunday AM yesterday on the subject of the report by Sir Derek Wanless , released last week by the King’s Fund, on how effectively the NHS had spent its money the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, referred to a recent study by the Commonwealth Fund: “There was a recent study by the Commonwealth… [Read More]
In honesty, Sir Derek Wanless’ ‘review of NHS funding and performance’, released on Tuesday by the King’s Fund, tells us little we didn’t know already: that while there may have been ‘some clear and notable improvements’, the NHS, overall, is not getting much bang for its buck. ‘The NHS has failed to generate the relatively… [Read More]
One of Gordon Brown’s first moves as Prime Minister was to stir that alphabet soup of government departments. The DfES* was split up, a few bits of the DTI** got mixed in and we ended up with the DCSF*** and DIUS****. One might imagine this was little more than an excuse to get some fresh… [Read More]
No society can flourish in the absence of its enjoying a considerable degree of cohesion among its members. In determining how much cohesion a society enjoys, few factors play a more decisive role than do the policies it adopts towards two decisive matters. These are immigration and education. continued on the Centre for Social Cohesion… [Read More]
Throughout the half-century that Britain has been debating further integration into Europe, our association with America has proved a crucial point of debate. With the history of this ‘special relationship’ spanning back decades and indeed predating even the earliest roots of the EU, many commentators have been reluctant to see closeness between British Prime Ministers… [Read More]
Can ‘first and fast’ phonics solve educational inequality? Weak reading lies at the heart of the educational apartheid between the advantaged and disadvantaged, and England’s low social mobility. The inability to read properly is the single greatest handicap to progress both in school and adult life. As of this week, all children in primary schools… [Read More]
There is a bizarre story in today’s Times. Apparently, Education Secretary Ed Balls will announce today that all secondary schools must include compulsory lessons in ‘happiness, well-being and good manners’. They are being introduced reportedly on the basis of the apparent improvement in behaviour and academic performance of primary pupils who had received such lessons… [Read More]
While Britain’s university lecturers and Vice Chancellors obdurately continue to refuse to offer any form of assistance in the fight against on-campus violent extremism, a trial currently underway in a Glasgow courtroom suggests that the problem towards which Britain’s academics seem willing to turn a complacent blind eye could well extend much further than the… [Read More]
As of September, schools will have the power to apply for parenting orders. This means that head teachers will be able to ask the courts to impose a requirement on parents to attend guidance sessions where they receive help and support in dealing with their children.
In the wake of the annual controversy sparked by inflated A-level results, real evidence has emerged that GCSEs are similarly suffering a crisis of quality – writes Thomas Woods. Writing in today’s Telegraph newspaper, a languages examiner has revealed the existence of a co-ordinated system of ‘teaching to the test’. In the French Oral section… [Read More]