This article sketches one line of march for the counter-offensive to current education policy called for in the previous issue of "FORUM." It highlights three key areas where, in his drive to "revolutionise" the education service, the Education Secretary has over-extended himself and become vulnerable. It calls for sharp and…

Following his previous article in this journal on the centralisation of power in English education post the 1988 Education Reform Act ("The Era of Centralisation", "FORUM", 50[2], pp. 255-261), the author considers the apparent turn to school autonomy central to the Conservative Educational Revolution. He argues that the power shift to the centre…

Poor social mobility has become controversial, with the stranglehold of the independent schools over elite universities intensifying during the New Labour period. The author identifies the failure of New Labour's Mark 2 A level reforms to deal with the situation, particularly the introduction of the A star at A level, which has given the…

The author argues that the debate on declining social mobility has neglected the role of the examination and testing system. At all levels of education working class children are failing and middle class children achieving whatever ability levels are involved. The article focusses on the A-Level examination and the controversy over the way the…

In a "FORUM" article published in 2005 (Volume 47, Nos 2 & 3, see EJ736851) Terry Wrigley argued that "Another school is possible". The article prompted Trevor Fisher to respond explaining why, in his view, the centralising thrust of the 1988 Education Reform Act, the shift in power relationships, the politicisation of education over the past two…