Blogs

Has the election trail begun for Mr Gove?

Education secretary Michael Gove's appearance at the ASCL annual conference was notable for his lack of rhetoric and his eagerness to praise our schools. It looks like the election trail has begun, says SecEd editor Pete Henshaw.

What a fascinating appearance by the education secretary Michael Gove at the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). 

It was all very, well, pleasant. There were no speeches to be made as Mr Gove sat comfortably on stage and was instead gently probed by Times columnist David Aaronovitch.

It wasn’t a bad interview, but Mr Gove was certainly not looking for a fight. He was on charm offensive. He was praiseful of the profession – “we have a better cohort of people in the profession than we have ever had before” – and held back on the bullish rhetoric that he has a reputation for.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here