Powerful Knowledge

Rediscovering the value of education, in its own terms

By Alex Crossman

· Launched a year ago

Would Reducing Selection Increase Opportunity? A Response to Sam Freedman

The blogger and education policy specialist has made a timely intervention in the discussion about schools' role in addressing inequality. Could any of…
Jun 16 • Alex Crossman

Memory Politics at Heart of Reform UK calls for "Patriotic" School History Curriculum

Reform UK's education policy centres on a schools history curriculum that would be fundamentally ahistorical.
May 14 • Alex Crossman

The mixed legacy of Michael Gove

Michael Gove's education reforms shaped British schooling for over a decade. Policies being introduced by the current Education Secretary will throw…
Mar 12 • Alex Crossman

Specialism and Support, Not Selection, Drives Student Success

It is high time to dispell the fog of confusion around what drives student success in the later stages of secondary education.
Feb 9 • Alex Crossman

It's Time To Take The Risks Of AI Seriously

The benefits of AI in education may be profound, but the risks are existential. Educators need to take them seriously.
Jan 23 • Alex Crossman

University Admissions and The Matthew Effect

Or, why it really does matter who gets to attend the most competitive universities.
Jan 19 • Alex Crossman

The Francis Review. 'Starmerism' as school improvement strategy?

The Currriculum and Assessment Review suggests many ways in which school can work better for young people. Does it go far enough?
Nov 10, 2025 • Alex Crossman

English schools and the working classes

A series of posts on the education crisis in White working class communities. Here arranged in a (hopefully) logical reading order rather than in the…
Nov 5, 2025