Category Archives: Social Justice

Too early to reopen schools : look at Europe

Posted on April 30, 2020 by reclaimschools

Some European countries have started reopening schools as part of a relaxation of the Coronavirus lockdown. Not surprisingly, there are some calls to do the same here so maybe it’s worth making some comparisons. Firstly, Britain is one of the … Continue reading →

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Every learner matters and matters equally

Posted on December 2, 2019 by reclaimschools

by Mel Ainscow ‘Fixed-term exclusions in the most deprived areas of England have gone up by over 70% in the last four years.’ ‘Where did all the GCSE pupils go – and why has no one noticed?’ ‘Councils report rise … Continue reading →

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No joke – a brutal class war

Posted on December 1, 2019 by terrywrigley

The extreme social divisions in today’s Britain are not just a case of unfair distribution. They are the consequence of a brutal class war conducted by the superrich on the working class. The rhetoric since 2010 has been about Austerity … Continue reading →

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Child poverty – Conservative rule

Posted on December 1, 2019 by reclaimschools

  Britain is one of the richest countries in the world, but with scandalous levels of poverty. Child poverty has grown massively since the Conservative-led government took over in 2010, and is set to increase even more. According to the … Continue reading →

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Are SATs closing the poverty gap?

Posted on June 13, 2019 by reclaimschools

Based on an elaborate formula invented by his officials, schools minister Nick Gibb is “proud we’re closing the gap between rich and poor pupils.”  A more straightforward measure shows that nothing has changed. Last summer 54% of children eligible for free … Continue reading →

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Ofsted: notoriously unreliable

Posted on April 3, 2019 by reclaimschools

Ofsted judgments have never been trustworthy. There have been problems from the start. It should come as no surprise that none of the 46 schools wearing an Outstanding label which were inspected this January retained that label: 37 became Good, … Continue reading →

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Ofsted – a fairer future?

Posted on February 3, 2019 by reclaimschools

Rumours are circulating that schools in poor areas will stand a better chance of getting a good Ofsted grade, but where is this coming from? There are no such promises in the new draft Inspection Framework. In fact, page 11 shows … Continue reading →

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Grammar schools and “ordinary working families” again

Posted on January 23, 2019 by reclaimschools

In our last blog post, we looked into a new and deeply flawed ‘research report’ by former Department of Education official Iain Mansfield. It was written in support of the Prime Minister’s argument that expanding grammar schools across England would … Continue reading →

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Grammar schools helping “ordinary working families”?

Posted on January 11, 2019 by reclaimschools

On becoming prime minister Theresa May decided to expand grammar schools in order to benefit ‘ordinary working families’. There is no evidence that this is what grammar schools do. This week a former Department of Education official Iain Mansfield tried … Continue reading →

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Test scores and poverty 2: parents’ education

Posted on December 14, 2018 by reclaimschools

The mountains of data which overwhelm schools are next to useless, because the categories they use don’t measure up to reality. A major reason is that the categories ‘Free School Meals’ and ‘disadvantaged’ don’t reflect the serious burden of poverty … Continue reading →

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