Much of the current spotlight on the UK Parliament is focussed on the Scottish devolution proposals, which were debated fiercely in the Commons, yesterday. This has spearheaded a much needed public discussion about devolution and I welcome these new opportunities. However, as well as being an important issue for Scotland, these debates are equally vital for…
This last week I have spent away from the Lords in the USA, first at a global education conference at Stanford University and then in Tennessee seeing how education innovation is rolling out on the ground. It was an inspiring week that reinforced my view that English education is in real danger of being left…
The biggest moment of the week for me in the Lords this week was the Schools White Paper statement. On these occasions it falls on the Lords minister to read out verbatim the words of the Commons minister. So the likeable Lord Hill read out the words of Michael Gove. They didn’t sound right coming…
The Education Maintenance Allowance came up yesterday. The contracting company has been having difficulty delivering at an acceptable standard so it deserves some Parliamentary scrutiny. The EMA however has been remarkably helpful to many youngsters keeping them in eduction. This is particularly important at a time when unemployment is rising. Skills and educational level do…
