While it is common for people to lament teachers 'knocking off at 3.30' and 'getting six weeks in the summer', the very large number of state school teachers I know have very different lives. They work well after 3.30 each day, often into the early hours, and certainly every evening.

I guess it's a bad thing that in today's society 'The Future' is not seen as something positive or aspiring, but instead something you have to prepare for with a trillion exams and work experience.

There's something to be said for a single application process for all school leavers: UCAS has been gesturing in this direction for a while, with UCAS Progress, which was intended to incorporate all the options from 14 to 19, although so far hasn't included work-based options.

Private school fees have increased by significantly more than inflation over the past decade, making it difficult for people in many occupations to af...

On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Michael Gove was invited to discuss the twenty-four free schools opening this month. The free schools are a Conservative invention: centrally funded, outside of local authority control and run by anyone who wants to run one.

I'm aware that this is a controversial topic, there are papers like this which vehemently disagree with my own experience of male role models, although the authors do still conclude that there should be more men in early-years teaching.

It would be hard not to notice that GCSE results were released this morning, and the headlines could probably have been written weeks in advance - lots of As and A*s

Higher education (HE), especially here in England, seems to be experiencing unprecedented attention, scrutiny and debate at the moment.

In today's educational world, teachers are frequently the butt of criticism and accusations of systemic failure. They lack discipline, are unable to command respect and have poor qualifications.

The National Union of Teachers believes in an education system that provides the best for all our children and for all our communities - a good local school for every child. Joined up thinking and democratic accountability are crucial but, as we approach the new school year, this vision is under renewed threat.