James Reed: V-levels are Labour’s best idea yet Opinion Middle-class prejudice towards vocational paths has held the UK back. I welcome Labour's V-level push, writes James Reed.
New digital V levels aim to bridge Britain’s AI skills gap Tech The government’s new digital V-level is meant to solve two problems at once: the confusion of England’s post-16 qualifications system, and the growing mismatch between what young people learn and what employers now need. From 2027, ‘digital’ will be one of the first three V-level subjects offered alongside education and early years, alongside finance and [...]
Pearson boss shrugs off investor AI fears after share jitters AI The boss of Pearson has shrugged off shareholder concerns that the company’s services could be usurped by the rising use of AI chatbots. Earlier in the year the education giant was one of a number of London-listed data and software-led stocks, including the likes of Sage and Relx, that suffered steep selloffs amid investor anxieties [...]
Don’t blame universities for the graduate crisis January 30, 2026 Blaming universities for the graduate crisis is convenient, but it isn't true, writes Eliza Filby. Here's what's actually gone wrong.
Make your lunch break count: free learning and culture in the City January 21, 2026 Setting a New Year’s resolution is one of those time-honoured traditions. Indeed, it’s a ritual that can be traced some 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonian times, with citizens celebrating the New Year during a 12-day festival called Akitu. One common New Year’s resolution was the return of borrowed farm equipment. While our goals may [...]
What could digital exams mean for British pupils? December 12, 2025 By the end of the decade, British pupils could be swapping pens for keyboards in GCSE and A Levels, marking the biggest change to exams in a generation. Ofqual has launched a 12-week consultation on regulating on-screen assessments, showing that digital exams are no longer a distant idea. Under the proposals, each exam board would [...]
Oxford University Press finds half of UK students fooled by AI October 15, 2025 Oxford University Press has warned that schools must do more to help students navigate the world of AI after a survey showed alarming gaps in students’ ability to judge AI content. A new OUP survey of 2,000 UK pupils found that only 47 per cent of students feel confident in identifying trustworthy AI-generated information. A [...]
Labour is gambling with Britain’s global competitiveness – ‘real-life Iron Man’ September 8, 2025 A British engineer and chief executive, known as the ‘real-life Iron Man’, has warned the Labour government is “gambling with Britain’s competitiveness on a global stage”. Richard Browning, a former Royal Marine who leads Gravity Industries, has written an open letter to education secretary Bridget Phillipson expressing concern over the “waning entrepreneurial spirit across our [...]
Want a better workforce? Help shape it then August 18, 2025 If employers want young people with future-facing skills, they must become more involved in education, writes Chris Hayward.
Good A-levels are no guarantee in Labour’s abysmal jobs market August 14, 2025 As teenagers open their A-Level results, Andrew Griffith laments a job market that is punishing today's young people.