@drdavidajames

I write about schools; Co-editor: 'The State of Independence' | The Critic | CapX | The Oldie | UnHerd | Spectator. 'Schools of Thought' (Bloomsbury) out now.

 London
drdavidajames.substack.com/
Joined July 2014
  • Tweets15.4K
  • Following1K
  • Followers4.2K
1.4KMedia
The daily inner buzz of Shakespeare drdavidajames.substack.com/p…
🤖 Made with AI
220
This is appalling by the @TheEconomist: it's saying to those woman and girls who have been sexually assaulted 'calm down, don't get hysterical, it's not an epidemic. It's all fine'.
The Economist
@TheEconomist21h
A hard look at Britain’s data suggests so. But it is hardly an epidemic economist.com/britain/2026/1…

Do immigrants from some countries commit more sex crimes?

A hard look at Britain’s data suggests so. But it is hardly an epidemic

economist.com
3
2
37
1,136
The New Statesman was becoming very sensible under its (relatively) new editor, but the recent open letter shows it hasn't really changed, and then you read statements like this which confirm it.
3
307
If true this would be a disaster
James Heale
@JAHealeOct 22
Exc: Peter Hyman expected to enter No. 10 to write Burnham's Ten Year Plan spectator.com/article/blair-…

Blair aide to write Burnham's Ten Year plan

Expectations are ramping up for John Healey’s statement next week. But with Treasury officials briefing that the Budget will be more of a process than an event, it may well not be the great crunch...

spectator.com
1
1
181
This is a terrible decision.
Michael Savage@michaelsavageOct 22
NEW: BBC will no longer have a dedicated education editor as part of proposal that will see 100 jobs go across BBC News. School leaders call the plan “deeply regrettable” and ask for a rethink. Education/Social affairs editor jobs being combined. theguardian.com/media/2026/o…

BBC News to axe education editor role in cost-cutting move

Fears over lack of scrutiny for key sectors as health editor position will also go in cuts aimed at saving £5.5m

theguardian.com
276
The comments...all deserved if you ask dumb questions like this. This is a government of triviality.
GOV.UK
@GOVUKOct 20
The clocks go back by one hour on 25 October at 2am, which means you’ll gain an hour ⏰ What will you do with the extra time? Let us know below 👇
178
Really excellent analysis here that goes beyond the headlines.
Bodil Isaksen
@BodilUKOct 21
I found the Children's Commissioner's Childhood Lottery a frustrating read. I have no doubt more children have difficult childhoods in Middlesbrough than Surrey. But excluding obvious confounding factors and selecting on dependent variables is not a good way to make that case.🧵
1
228
Flourishing is having a moment in education. I blame AI.
187
New, by me, on AI, Shakespeare, and the importance of memorisation. The daily inner buzz of Shakespeare drdavidajames.substack.com/p…
1
172
England, past and present.
1
189
Courtesy of @j_amesmarriott 's Substack. A lovely extract from John Carey's autobiography:
1
11
401
Plan to add speaking skills to GCSEs ‘risks grade inflation’ thetimes.com/article/c027b0e…
2
2
2
617
The idea that teaching facts turns children into robots is insulting to children and their teachers.
Carl Hendrick
@C_HendrickOct 14
Replying to @Larryferlazzo @alexanderrusso @ehanford
Well you mustn't be paying attention then. The idea that teaching facts and knowlege will turn kids into robotic thinkers is one of the oldest complaints against explicit instruction. This is the kind of nonsense we had to fight against in England 10 years ago.
13
677
GCSEs overhaul to put speaking on par with reading and writing thetimes.com/article/281f80d…
1
1
4
674
Interesting thread.
Jon Hutchinson@jon_hutchinson_Oct 11
I do think that we’re about to have a debate on education that will run along similar lines as in ~2013 (ie broadly trad v prog). And I think trads may lose this time for four reasons. >
2
1
576
You can use A.I. in your classroom as well as this. They're not mutually exclusive
172
The whole article is reductive but the line about state school kids being hilarious is ludicrous.
Private Education Policy Forum@PEPForumOct 8
"Sending your child to private school encourages them to believe that they are better than other children." @guardian's Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett writes of classism at UK universities and praises @93percentclub Do her experiences resonate with yours? theguardian.com/commentisfre…

To state school alumni starting university, I say this: be proud of your background | Rhiannon Lucy...

Accusations of classism chime with my experience 20 years ago. So all hail the Bristol graduate awarding state schools red plaques, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

theguardian.com
5
703
Excellent piece by @Louise_m_perry
Rob Henderson
@robkhendersonOct 6
"opposing immigration, illegal or otherwise, is a class signifier in Britain, and most middle-class people—including most politicians—aren’t prepared to support a political cause that would see them associated with the lower orders." wsj.com/opinion/free-express…

Opinion | TV Audiences Binge On an England That Doesn’t Exist

Shows like ‘Slow Horses’ and ‘The Gentleman’ nourish the fantasy of a society in which all social ills are subsumed into the broader category of class division.

wsj.com
2
237
Sebastian Faulks's latest, 'Farewell to Eden' is one of his best in my view, looking backwards it also sees today.
186
Completely agree with this, by Roger Alton in the @spectator
221
Load more