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Public Services for All > Published by Shamik Das, March 3rd 2010 at 2:58 pm

Gove ties himself up in knots over “free schools” policy

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Michael Gove came unstuck on the Daily Politics this lunchtime, skewered over his insistence on praising the underperforming Swedish schools system while doing down Britain’s higher-ranked schools.

Gove, in his haste to talk down Britain’s schools, even tried to brush aside the Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS) which ranked England in seventh place – eight places higher than Sweden.

The shadow schools secretary was also mocked over the Conservative party’s plans to prevent graduates with third-class degrees becoming teachers, people like Carol Vorderman – the Tories’ new maths adviser.

Watch it:

Earlier today, Left Foot Forward posed several questions for Gove, who will give a key-note speech at a Spectator conference tomorrow.

  • http://twitter.com/houseoftwits/status/9927290832 House Of Twits

    RT @leftfootfwd Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • http://twitter.com/sinnaluvva/status/9927363881 Malcolm Evison

    Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy | Left Foot Forward http://bit.ly/bwE1jd

  • http://twitter.com/jbevershed/status/9927544927 James Evershed

    You almost have to feel sorry for him! Almost. RT @leftfootfwd Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • http://twitter.com/thetismercurio/status/9927565753 Thetis

    read their questions too RT @HouseofTwits RT @leftfootfwd Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • http://twitter.com/anthonypainter/status/9927600656 Anthony Painter

    Michael Gove tying himself up in knots- priceless. Watch until he discusses Carol Vorderman… http://bit.ly/9vHumR via @leftfootfwd

  • http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/9927649075 Shamik Das

    Car crash TV —> RT @leftfootfwd: VIDEO: Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • http://twitter.com/clairee_french/status/9927684934 claire french

    RT @shamikdas: Car crash TV —> RT @leftfootfwd: VIDEO: Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • http://twitter.com/abelardinelli/status/9927743707 Alex Belardinelli

    RT @anthonypainter: Gove tying himself up in knots- priceless. Watch til he discusses Vorderman… http://bit.ly/9vHumR via @leftfootfwd

  • http://raincoatoptimism.wordpress.com Carl

    oh dear me, he does pickle himself something unfortunate there doesn’t he

  • topsy_top20k_en

    RT @leftfootfwd Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • http://twitter.com/adambienkov/status/9928026721 Adam Bienkov

    Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B (via @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/georgeallwell/status/9928075538 George Allwell

    RT @AdamBienkov: Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B (via @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/adambienkov/status/9928264043 Adam Bienkov

    Credit to Brillo where it's due. Top notch demolition job on Gove here: http://cli.gs/JPv6B Gove

  • http://twitter.com/fazman/status/9928471884 Faz Choudhury

    RT @AdamBienkov: Credit to Brillo where it's due. Top notch demolition job on Gove here: http://cli.gs/JPv6B Gove

  • http://twitter.com/northbriton45/status/9928664423 North Briton

    RT @AdamBienkov: Credit to Brillo where it's due. Top notch demolition job on Gove here: http://cli.gs/JPv6B Gove

  • http://twitter.com/andy_s_64/status/9928743138 Andy Sutherland

    RT @AdamBienkov: Credit to Brillo where it's due. Top notch demolition job on Gove here: http://cli.gs/JPv6B Gove

  • http://twitter.com/chickyog/status/9928774646 Justin McKeating

    RT @AdamBienkov: Credit to Brillo where it's due. Top notch demolition job on Gove here: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • http://twitter.com/chickyog/status/9928905952 Justin McKeating

    Have to Tweet this again – Tory education shadow Michael Gove shows himself to be a grade-a tool here: http://bit.ly/9vHumR

  • TinTin

    Tory Thurrock LEA(a small authority within Tory Essex) has 17 schools without any headteacher (out of 47 schools) now. Gove’s nonsense policies don’t even begin to address that sort of crisis.

  • http://twitter.com/jesus_john/status/9929066048 John West

    RT @AdamBienkov: Credit to Brillo where it's due. Top notch demolition job on Gove here: http://cli.gs/JPv6B Gove

  • http://twitter.com/myinfamy/status/9932100246 myinfamy

    Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B #torytombstone

  • http://twitter.com/uponnothing/status/9930828664 Kevin Arscott

    RT @AdamBienkov: Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B (via @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/jameswales/status/9930991530 James Herron

    RT @AdamBienkov: Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B (via @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/bravenewmalden/status/9931112793 Kevin Mills

    RT @uponnothing: RT @AdamBienkov: Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B (via @leftfootfwd)

  • Nick J Gold

    “Ah but she’s a lovely person…” Priceless.

  • http://twitter.com/the_don_/status/9932089428 Harry Harris

    RT @chickyog: Have to Tweet this again – Tory education shadow Michael Gove shows himself to be a grade-a tool here: http://bit.ly/9vHumR

  • http://twitter.com/myinfamy/status/9932381948 Daniel Pitt

    Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B #torytombstone

  • http://twitter.com/jamesgrime/status/9932406693 James Grime

    RT @AdamBienkov: Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B (via @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/fizzysister/status/9933752173 Emma Robinson

    RT: @uponnothing: RT @AdamBienkov: Conservative schools policy disintegrates on daytime TV http://cli.gs/JPv6B (via @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/alanmck/status/9938905233 Alan McKechan

    RT @leftfootfwd: Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy: http://cli.gs/JPv6B

  • B Dog

    I have been confused about why Tories are flogging this dead horse for so long now, and why no-one has noticed that there is little evidence that Academies fix anything (only the opposite if anything).
    And they have hidden original suggestions they made about letting parents take money from BSF to fund new schools if the parent didn’t find corporate sponsors.
    If you want to understand how muddled up Gove seems to have become read my article on the subject:http://www.labourhome.org/?p=9902

  • Mr. Sensible

    Tory education policy is all over the place, like everything else they touch.

    To summarize, these are the key points:
    1. Centralize the planning process for ‘free schools’, whilst at the same time preaching decentralization for our other public services. And base the idea on a failing system elsewhere.

    2. Make teaching elitist, despite one of his party’s advisers happening to fall outside of their proposed standards.

    3. Effectively privatize our education system by the back door. I don’t see why Labour is keeping the academies system going either, but the Tory idea is something else.

    4. Put a lot of faith in teaching staff not to cheat, by removing external examinations for Key stages 1 and 2. I think the government deserves some criticism there as well, pandering to the unions by scrapping the SATS test for science; one of our most important subjects for the development needed to get us out of recession.

    I would just like to ask Gove if I can have the spade back..Tory education policy is all over the place, like everything else they touch.

    To summarize, these are the key points:
    1. Centralize the planning process for ‘free schools’, whilst at the same time preaching decentralization for our other public services. And base the idea on a failing system elsewhere.

    2. Make teaching elitist, despite one of his party’s advisers happening to fall outside of their proposed standards.

    3. Effectively privatize our education system by the back door. I don’t see why Labour is keeping the academies system going either, but the Tory idea is something else.

    4. Put a lot of faith in teaching staff not to cheat, by removing external examinations for Key stages 1 and 2. I think the government deserves some criticism there as well, pandering to the unions by scrapping the SATS test for science; one of our most important subjects for the development needed to get us out of recession.

    I would just like to ask Gove if I can have the spade back….

  • http://twitter.com/amy_bentley/status/10041472832 Amy Bentley

    RT @leftfootfwd: Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy http://bit.ly/bwE1jd

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/03/resounding-endorsement-of-labours-record-on-education/ “Resounding endorsement” of Labour’s record on education | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Gove’s prohibition on teaching for graduates with third class degrees or lower – dubbed “The Carol Vorderman [...]

  • http://twitter.com/dossard49/status/13794388844 steve harper

    RT @leftfootfwd: Gove ties himself up in knots over "free schools" policy http://cli.gs/JPv6B – what an @rse