Sean Martin

Sky news has just revealed that a few Labour backbenchers have asked for nomination papers for a possible leadership election. Brown may have less time than we thought after all…

The think-tank Reform has just wired us a copy of their maths challenge – a set of 10 questions designed not only to test the grey-matter, but also to promote a rigorous maths curriculum.  The challenge will be distributed at the party conferences – to see how the politicos fare – but we’ve reproduced it

One of the major educational challenges facing us today is ensuring talented pupils receive the same opportunity to excel. Today’s publication of a Warwick University study shows that low teacher expectations have meant Black Caribbean pupils are less likely to be entered for higher tier testing, apparently highlighting the “institutional racism” in schooling. This attitude

The Northwest Passage has been a focal point for both environmentalists and shipping companies for years. The sea route along the North American coast has been blocked for hundreds of years by a pack of Arctic ice. But through climate change the pack is melting away and the waters may soon be available for maritime

Since 1997, faith schools have been peddled as a way to deliver high quality education – first by Blair, and now by Cameron and Gove. Sure, they may get impressive results. But to judge them on that basis alone ignores the gross unfairness, elitism and favouritism that lie at their heart.   As a state funded

A study has shown that 1/3 of graduates receive no financial benefit from having a degree. And there’s been a 12% rise since 1992 in the number of graduates in non – graduate positions five years after leaving university. The worst performers were converted polytechnics and new universities spearheaded by the Labour government. These findings

Well done George Osborne. Just before Labour launch their economic recovery plan he has demanded corporation tax cuts from Darling. This is a great political move that puts the Chancellor in a difficult position. By proposing these tax cuts Osborne has heightened expectations before Darling’s unveiling. If he fails to promise them then the much

Laura Richards, a former head of the Met Police homicide prevention unit has claimed stop and search makes gangs stronger not weaker. The method has been used by the Met in stabbing “hotspots” to catch knife carriers. Richards feels the indiscriminate searches are marginalising young men, and suggests that – as 90 percent of knife

With the MDC still refusing to sign the unacceptable power sharing deal, Zimbabwe’s future hangs in the balance. The discussions are as farcical as we expected – a fact demonstrated by Mandy Russow’s piece in the South African Mail and Guardian today. In it, she interviews both George Charamba and Tendai Biti, from Zanu PF

The Beijing Olympics was a chance for China to shine. But despite the brilliance of much of the games, the hosts keep reinforcing the criticism that all isn’t what it seems. At the opening ceremony we had the 9 year old miming because the real singer wasn’t pretty enough. And now we have a gold

Standing in a stuffy tube train is unpleasant enough without Bob Crow making your life even harder. Almost 3 million people have been hassled again this week with another bout of RMT strikes. Not only are these pay strikes an immense inconvenience, they are also unfair and risky in the current climate. In the current

English is not the first language of one in eight schoolchildren according to a new government survey. As of January 2007, 85,000 children spoke Urdu and 70,000 Bengali as their preferred tongue. These numbers show that Britain is changing. Our society is becoming more diverse in both face and tongue. However, because English will always

The QCA has at long last pulled the plug on ETS over the SATS marking debacle with the company being forced to pay back the remaining four years of its contract payment. It is good news that the taxpayers won’t have to pay ETS £19.5 million over the next four years but it can’t hide

As the crucial negotiations in Zimbabwe drag on, Morgan Tsvangirai must hold strong and not accept any deal that leaves Mugabe in charge of the military. The offer of Prime Minster tabled to him this week is neither fair nor what Zimbabwe needs. First, Tsvangirai polled over 180,000 more votes than Mugabe in the first

Western policymakers may be increasingly concerned about the situation in Pakistan, but the International Cricket Council still want to hold the Champions Trophy there in September. Today the ICC task force ruled that there are sufficient security measures in place. But Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa still have massive worries, and are thinking