Helen Dent

Chief Executive, Family Action

Are children who don't attend school really troubled as the government would have us believe? Or is there more going on behind closed doors which impacts on their ability to do well in school?

Alex Dyer

Director of Tutor House, a private tutoring company in Fulham, London, where he works full time. He is still tutoring and gives university and gap year advice

A spokesman from the Department for Education said, "It's right that minimum expectations of schools should continue to rise." In addition Michael Gove, the Education Secretary has said in the past that he wants to abolish GCSE's and introduce 'explicitly harder' O-Levels.

Adnan Al-Daini

Blogger who abhors injustice, hypocrisy and double standards

Having trashed teaching qualification (QTS) by telling academies that they could appoint teachers without QTS qualifications, Michael Gove is at it again, this time telling teachers how to teach mathematics. Whatever next? Andrew Lansley telling doctors how to treat patients?

Jim Cowan

Strategy Consultant

As the London Olympics close no one is doubting they have been a huge success. Team GB have finished an unprecedented third in the medals table, fantastic crowds have turned up to watch, huge television viewing figures have been attracted and people young and old have been inspired to somehow get involved.

Adnan Al-Daini

Blogger who abhors injustice, hypocrisy and double standards

The decision by Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, that Academies can appoint teachers without formal teaching qualification (QTS), was characterized by the Department of Education as no big deal, and that most teachers will continue to have QTS qualification.

Bansi Kara

A Head of English in Hackney who believes in the possibility of change in education

Devaluing QTS at this time will only serve to hammer home what many people have thought for a long time - anyone can do it, and so they do. Anyone who remembers the government call for parents to fill in for teachers on strike will understand just how ridiculous the notion is.

Sophia Moseley

Freelance copywriter, feature article writer and author

When someone recently told me a local secondary school used a dildo to demonstrate how to put on a condom during their PSHE (personal, social and health education) class, my jaw hit the floor with incredulity.

Bansi Kara

A Head of English in Hackney who believes in the possibility of change in education

Having just been at the national opening ceremony of the Teach First Summer Institute 2012, I have been considering the fate of all 997 of those smiling, fresh-faced new teachers. They are about to embark on one of the hardest journeys a young professional can experience; they are about to start teaching in tough, inner-city schools.

Dr. James Lane

Director of Education for Pora Ora, an online 3D world for children designed to make learning fun. Find out more www.poraora.com/kickstarter

One of the most detrimental periods in a child's life is the summer holiday. It is soon to be an issue that will impact many children in Britain, as schools will soon break up for summer; and learning will slip a dramatically. The summer learning loss is one that currently has negative consequences in later life, and must be dealt with immediately.

Jeremy Cliffe

Commentator

Britain is experiencing the Age of the Amateur. Qualified experts, specialists, practitioners operating within established, well-regulated trades; these professionals have had their day. True integrity and nous belong to the volunteer, the have-a-go hero. At least, this seems to be the accepted wisdom of the Cameroons. And the result is a crisis of professionalism that threatens to undermine Britain's public and private sectors.

Liam Burns

NUS President

This is not a good time to be a student in college or university. Stories about soaring youth unemployment and scarce opportunities for graduates pepper the news bulletins. Ours is a generation with less of an idea of how our lives will pan out than any before us. No wonder we feel cheated.

Robert Downes

Press officer at the Forum of Private Business

Let's be frank, most businesses aren't looking for new starters who have an A* GCSE in 'global citizenship'. They need work ready employees who can write a properly punctuated sentence, free from spelling mistakes, and one who's mentally able to work out a simple maths problem.

Bansi Kara

A Head of English in Hackney who believes in the possibility of change in education

Deciding to block out the existence of mobile phones is like censoring all conversations about sex - the more we avoid something, the more appealing it becomes. We create the taboo and expect children to not be curious. It's a fairly Victorian concept.

Jason Reed

Political blogger, writer, musician

There's an inherent danger in any sector of education: if the teachings fail to measure up to the truth, then we'll be paving the way for a deep distrust and a greater apathy. With this in mind, it is of tremendous enthusiasm that we welcome Professor Nutt's book: Drugs - Without the Hot Air: Minimising the Harms of Legal and Illegal Drugs.

Jackson Kavanagh

Director of Programmes, As Creatives

Because it wasn't so long ago that I bumped into a young man (let's call him Peter) - we'd worked with him when he was in Year 9 and on the very edge of permanent exclusion. Peter couldn't sit still for more than a few minutes, hated being told what to do and saw resources only as ammunition to throw at his classmates.

Nikki Harper

Author, astrologer, spiritualist and home educating Mum

I object to my family facing discrimination and bias. I object to my child's privacy being invaded on a regular basis for no good reason. I object that unnecessary demands on my family take away resources from children who do need help. I object to being branded a criminal. Wouldn't you?