EDSK released their ’20 years of muddling through – Why it is time to set a new course for the state school system in England’ report yesterday (29th January 2024). I’m sure it will strike a chord with many.
It is written by Tom Richmond, who is director of the EDSK think tank and has been at the heart of education policy for the last decade – as both an advisor to Nikki Morgan and a contributor to several think tanks – and Eleanor Regan, a researcher at EDSK.
In the report, they acknowledge all the challenges facing the system but argue that the priority for action should be to unify the system around one model for schools and reorganise it around three principles: coherence, collaboration, and transparency. The report offers the kind of strategic response the system needs rather than just another set of initiatives. There may be concern that the proposal to set up a body the Office for Capacity and Oversight could lead to less devolution despite the wish that it would work with local partners.
