Michael Gove: the best Education Secretary in half a century

While some members of this Government have been plodders and others less than inspirational, a few have really shone. One is Eric Pickles, another is Iain Duncan Smith and finally Michael Gove.

He is a controversial figure, and took a big misstep in his first few months when he announced the schools which would not receive money in the schools building fund. Since then, though, he has been mightily impressive. I find the ideas of free schools inspirational, the vastly increasing numbers of academies a great idea and Kenneth Bakers University Technical College's and fantastic solution to vocational courses.

The most impressive aspect of Michael Gove's secretaryship is his absolute adherence to rigour, standards, discipline and the sense that failure is not acceptable. After years of fashionable educationalists and liberal thought driving our schools, we have had declining literacy, numeracy and behavioural standards whilst our exams have led to hugely inflated results. Standards have dropped, exams are not as difficult as they once were and, without denigrating the achievements of our bright young pupils, I don't believe our children are vastly more clever than they were thirty years ago.

I don't think going back to the 11 plus is a great idea, but streaming at an early age with the facility to move between the streams is good. A new set of exams, whether they are called O-levels or something else, is fine to replace the now discredited GCSEs, as long as rigour is re-introduced. There are already different levels of exams, for instance Maths had three sets of exams (P, Q & R) when I took the second year of the exams with the brighter pupils taking two (P & Q) and other pupils taking the other two (Q & R). I think there are foundation exams too now.

All power to Mr Gove. He is interested in what works, what prepares our young for work and isn't fussed if it shows our young passing less exams (making the Government look bad). An inspiration.

Squiffy.