Resist the ‘progressive’ attack on phonics 26th January 2022 I always feared that, when I stopped being a minister at the Department for Education, the proponents of “progressive” education would begin their counterattack... Articles
My advice to my successors at the Department for Education 19th September 2021 Just before the 2010 general election, I visited a school in north London to see children being taught to read. One nine year-old girl was unable to read a... Articles
The fight against Coronavirus 26th March 2020 Coronavirus is a threat to every one of us and presents our country with the biggest challenge since the end of the Second World War. Combatting the spread of... Articles
Forget Spotify: I want every child to leave primary school able to read music 11th January 2019 Musical styles ebb and flow: each generation will find a new sound, a beat, that defines it. The constant is that music is always there and has been ever since... Articles
Our reforms to primary education are beginning to work. Here’s the evidence. 21st November 2018 The Government’s education reforms have been steeped in controversy. We have had to fight all the way against resistance from the education establishment – the... Articles
The final step in Britain's reading revolution 28th September 2017 Not being able to read accurately and fluently is a crippling barrier to achievement, but one that need not exist. And too often, pupils from the poorest... Articles
Standards in education have been declining for years - that's why we had to make GCSEs harder 24th August 2017 Today is GCSE results day when 600,000 16-year-olds find out the results of two years or more of hard work and study. It is an important day for pupils, who... Articles
We have seen many LGBT milestones – but there's still a long way to go 1st August 2017 On Saturday 8 July, hundreds of thousands of people attended the London Pride Parade, one of the many celebrations throughout the summer and across the UK in... Articles
I will stamp out LGBT bullying in schools 22nd July 2017 On Thursday it will be 50 years since the passing of the Sexual Offences Act which partially decriminalised homosexuality in England and Wales. Before 1967... Articles