This edition of CASEnotes is primarily concerned with the approach to education that Labour is developing, given that it is now favourite to win the next election. Trevor Fisher has written a brief pamphlet outlining what ought to be the initial priorities of an incoming Labour government and would welcome feedback from CASE members. John Galloway gives a detailed account of current policy development while hoping that it may provide the basis for more radical changes to come. Our comment piece asks if the party will follow in the footsteps of previous Labour governments by restricting itself to improvements within the current structure. There are also articles by Warwick Mansell, who exposes the diverting of funds by the Conservatives away from established schools to the pet project of "free" schools, and Tom Mann, who is highly critical of the way in which the post-pandemic National Tutoring Programme (NTP) has failed to meet the needs of too many pupils.
This edition is largely devoted to OFSTED, which has become the subject of a national debate since the tragic death of Caversham Primary School's headteacher after her school was downgraded from "outstanding" to "inadequate". This edition also contains an account of a meeting between members of CASE NEC and Stephen Dillon, a senior researcher from Labour's "shadow" education team, together with some Maths advice for the Prime Minister.
In this edition, we look at the accelerating neglect of arts education in state schools, we review Professor Sally Tomlinson's new book, Ignorance, and we comment on Labour's "mission" for education. Readers interested in following up the debate on music education are encouraged to listen to "Rethinking Music" on BBC Radio 4. The episodes are available at
In this edition, schoolteacher and Southwark councillor Maggie Browning examines Labour's stance on academies. Michael Pyke reviews Peter Hitchens's A Revolution Betrayed: How Egalitarians Wrecked the British Education System, and offers some reflections on the ongoing public sector strikes. The issue concludes with a report on the Independent Commission on Assessment in Primary Education's (ICAPE) latest recommendations.
This issue begins by detailing CASE's latest Annual General Meeting, with special attention on a report CASE has commissioned from education journalist Warwick Mansell. Vice Chair and Treasurer Tom Mann provides a piece on the "cost-of-living crisis," and Michael Pyke details the proceedings at the Time's Up For The Test (TUFTT) event in London. Lastly, Derek Gillard contributes a touching dedication to the late Clyde Chitty, whom we grieve.