It's easy to look at the world of education and see a succession of worrying trends. But is that right? And why does it keep happening?

The Main Enterprise of the World - part 1

I wrote a few weeks ago about the zero sum vision of Chinese education.

Neil Postman, Naomi Alderman and Sander Van Der Linden

Neil Postman, Naomi Alderman and Sander Van Der Linden

Thoughts on 'The Highest Exam' by Ruixie Jia and Hongbin Li with Claire Cousineau

A new year and what I want from it.

A new year and what I want from it.

A bit of a ramble through some recent reading

A bit of a ramble through some recent reading

A new year and what I want from it.

A new year and what I want from it.

A third abuse victim resigns from the survivors panel.

YouTube video by Twinkl Educational Publishing

I’ve read a few things lately about the connection between educational levels and income, and they made me think of the argument I made about in Exam Nation.

I’m not at school. It’s exciting. I’m at my desk, with a clean notebook, a list of jobs, and a three year timeline in front of me.

The paperback of Exam Nation is out on 7th August, so I thought I’d do a little series of short extracts, starting with the very beginning.

School should equip children for adulthood. In reality, it means one thing: exams. Exam Nation sets out a better way – and, crucially, shows us how we might get there. Educationalist and Head of Scho...

School should equip children for adulthood. In reality, it means one thing: exams. Exam Nation sets out a better way – and, crucially, shows us how we might get there. Educationalist and Head of Scho...

This is a conversation I had three years ago with 16 year old Clark from Warrington. I don't post it to draw a particular conclusion. I just find it desperately sad.

As we go into the summer holidays, here's an interview with a parent from Exam Nation. Home is pretty hard, sometimes.

Immigration speech was criticised for echoing Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ rhetoric

GCSEs are finally done, and around the country, we're gearing up for Prom season. Some people find it uncomfortable -but I think it's kind of amazing.

GCSEs are finally done, and around the country, we're gearing up for Prom season. Some people find it uncomfortable -but I think it's kind of amazing.

Are we prepared to stop pretending we can weigh the pig into plumpness?

GCSEs are finally done, and around the country, we're gearing up for Prom season. Some people find it uncomfortable -but I think it's kind of amazing.

Research and writing on schools, children, disadvantage and English teaching

Research and writing on schools, children, disadvantage and English teaching

Every year, as the exams end, I feel excited for so many of our year 11s, but desperately sad for some, and really aware of how little what I've taught them has landed.

This is an article I wrote for Tank Magazine a year ago using some of the research I did for my book, Exam Nation

This is something a bit different. It's a short story I wrote in 2013, and that was the thing which finally tipped me over into actually getting somewhere with writing fiction.

What’s the point?