I was right to not want it to happen

School absence remains too high. More needs to be done to get it down. I would say what, but then you wouldn't need to read the Twitter thread...

Lots of stories about ‘success’ in school absence today, which is true on aggregate, but year-on-year the most serious cases of absence are still getting worse. Very worrying

It was a privilege to have the opportunity to talk to Nick Ferrari this morning about the absence crisis unfolding in our education system. Bridget Phillipson is making good progress, but 150,000 kids are still missing 50%+ of school. It's time for a much bolder approach.

Excellent thread, reminds me of this shocking stat from the The Centre for Social Justice data tracker: long-term worklessness in lone parent households is 29%, in couple parent households it’s 2.3%

Really important article from Daniel Dieppe. If you worry about the country being run by opportunistic politicians with a lack of principles who are interested in campaigning not service, you should be a staunch defender of the House of Lords

I think the UK Foreign Secretary should be allowed to take the Vice President fishing

👏The MBacc is a bold step – putting high-quality technical education on par with traditional ‘academic’ routes. Credit to Andy Burnham for the vision & leadership. A model other regions could follow. At @CSJthinktank we’ll be exploring the MBacc. Watch this space.

Nigel Farage is younger than Brad Pitt.

Getting your first proper job is one of the most exciting parts of growing up. It’s a tragedy that the pipeline from education into work is broken in this country for many.

In my latest for UnHerd , I dissect the use of the term "hub" in British statecraft. Before 2000, "hub" appeared in parliament 613 times in 200 years. Blair & Brown: 885 in 13 years Cameron: 2,067 in 6 years Starmer: 966 in 1 year unherd.com/2025/08/how-hu…

Dear oh dear. Very gracious correction from Hamish Falconer

📺THIS MONDAY: Watch LIVE as the CSJ launches a landmark report on school absence, Absent Ambition📚 We’re pleased to be joined by Early Education Minister Stephen Morgan MP as we provide a new perspective on the school absence crisis🔍 Watch below from 10:30am on Monday👇

Not many think tanks out there attending FIVE party conferences — first of many crucial discussions on how to help the young men falling the cracks in this country

🚨NEW: 170,000 kids miss more school than they attend. The number missing >10% of school days is 40%🔼 than pre-Covid. Absent Ambition cites 3 root causes: 🔴A breakdown in home-school trust 🔴Deteriorating ambition in schools 🔴A challenging parental landscape Full story👇

Labour’s Schools Bill ignored one of the biggest issues facing schools - absence. Parents have a duty to get their children to school & The Centre for Social Justice is right to highlight this crisis. Their proposal for speed awareness-style courses is spot on. Govt should pilot them nationwide.

The Browns held the Bengals to 7 net yards in the second half. And lost.

Two missed kicks and one Jeudy bobble away from a decisive win against a great team. I’m taking that as a promising start after last season. Defence, Flacco, Sampson all looked great

Walked home from work today, mainly due to tube strikes but partly so I can say "I walked a four hour round trip to work, you can get off your arse to go to school" if my hypothetical kids ever try skiving. And if you want to read more about why attendance matters, see below...

School isn’t optional, being kind to our children means raising them resilient. Me in The Critic