Almost exactly a year ago, EDSK released an episode of this podcast about what the Department for Education should put into their upcoming Schools White Paper – which would set out the government’s plans to reform the state school system in England. 

The White Paper was then published in March 2022, and in May some of the plans in the White Paper were converted into the Schools Bill – which was essentially the new legislation required to implement a number of the government’s reforms. 

Just seven months later in December, the Schools Bill was dead, having encountered fierce opposition from representatives of both main political parties. 

So where did it go wrong for the Schools Bill? Did the critics of the government’s plans have a point, or was the government on the right track all along? And what could and should happen next after the Bill’s demise?  

Our guests today are Leora Cruddas, the Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts (or CST), and Joe Hallgarten, the Chief Executive of the Centre for Education and Youth.

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