Freddie Whittaker
@fcdwhittaker.bsky.social
School Week’s deputy and political editor. Organiser of Hack Drinks. Education, politics, sad indie, the final frontier
Glad to hear it!
November 1, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Glad to hear it!
Go to Nadu on Stokes Croft!
October 31, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Go to Nadu on Stokes Croft!
It's difficult. Multi-year settlements are really needed to help schools with budgeting. But with inflation all over the place that's much harder
October 30, 2025 at 4:28 PM
It's difficult. Multi-year settlements are really needed to help schools with budgeting. But with inflation all over the place that's much harder
She makes the point that we ban other things that are harmful for children, like alcohol. Why don’t we do it for social media?
October 7, 2025 at 1:24 PM
She makes the point that we ban other things that are harmful for children, like alcohol. Why don’t we do it for social media?
‘We’ve made a mistake as a society,’ says Trott as she talks about the harms of social media. Says she wants full smartphone ban in schools and a social media ban for children outside school
October 7, 2025 at 1:23 PM
‘We’ve made a mistake as a society,’ says Trott as she talks about the harms of social media. Says she wants full smartphone ban in schools and a social media ban for children outside school
Trott says she’s already got govt to lift the cap on teacher pay. She’s determined to ban smartphones in schools
October 7, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Trott says she’s already got govt to lift the cap on teacher pay. She’s determined to ban smartphones in schools
Trott says ‘Britain needs Conservatives’ because they’re providing ‘proper policies’
Discussing the polls ‘is not helping a single person at home’
Discussing the polls ‘is not helping a single person at home’
October 7, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Trott says ‘Britain needs Conservatives’ because they’re providing ‘proper policies’
Discussing the polls ‘is not helping a single person at home’
Discussing the polls ‘is not helping a single person at home’
Gove asks Trott if Reform has an education spokesperson or any policies. Says he’s asked his journalists to find out and ‘they haven’t yet been able to’
October 7, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Gove asks Trott if Reform has an education spokesperson or any policies. Says he’s asked his journalists to find out and ‘they haven’t yet been able to’
Is Trott worried that policy making now in govt and other parties like Reform is ‘based more on vibe and meme than detail and evidence’? Gove asks. ‘Yes,’ says Trott, and says she’s worried Phillipson will copy ‘what’s happening in Wales’
October 7, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Is Trott worried that policy making now in govt and other parties like Reform is ‘based more on vibe and meme than detail and evidence’? Gove asks. ‘Yes,’ says Trott, and says she’s worried Phillipson will copy ‘what’s happening in Wales’
Why has Bridget Phillipson departed from ‘consensus’ over schools in the Labour and coalition years? Trott says she thinks ministers didn’t look at what was in the schools bill, e.g. cap on teacher pay in academies
October 7, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Why has Bridget Phillipson departed from ‘consensus’ over schools in the Labour and coalition years? Trott says she thinks ministers didn’t look at what was in the schools bill, e.g. cap on teacher pay in academies
Gove asks about the uniform cap. Trott says it’s ’absolutely classic…this is something that works as a headline but is actually very damaging’
Claims Labour is ‘basically banning PE kit in primary school’
Claims Labour is ‘basically banning PE kit in primary school’
October 7, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Gove asks about the uniform cap. Trott says it’s ’absolutely classic…this is something that works as a headline but is actually very damaging’
Claims Labour is ‘basically banning PE kit in primary school’
Claims Labour is ‘basically banning PE kit in primary school’
Trott says breakfast clubs are important, bur we need more teachers in the classroom
Has VAT on private schools raised money for new teachers, Gove asks
She claims there are actually 400 fewer teachers ‘as a result of this education tax’
Has VAT on private schools raised money for new teachers, Gove asks
She claims there are actually 400 fewer teachers ‘as a result of this education tax’
October 7, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Trott says breakfast clubs are important, bur we need more teachers in the classroom
Has VAT on private schools raised money for new teachers, Gove asks
She claims there are actually 400 fewer teachers ‘as a result of this education tax’
Has VAT on private schools raised money for new teachers, Gove asks
She claims there are actually 400 fewer teachers ‘as a result of this education tax’
Trott says Labour government has a ‘complete lack of understanding of how to improve schools…in fact they’re making everything worse’
October 7, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Trott says Labour government has a ‘complete lack of understanding of how to improve schools…in fact they’re making everything worse’
She says schools bill will hand councils 'sweeping new powers' not only to 'block good schools from growing', but to 'stop an outstanding school from keeping the same number of pupils'
October 7, 2025 at 10:46 AM
She says schools bill will hand councils 'sweeping new powers' not only to 'block good schools from growing', but to 'stop an outstanding school from keeping the same number of pupils'
'Labour's stated ambition in their so called reforms is to create more consistency in the education system, not excellence in practice. That means levelling down across the board'
October 7, 2025 at 10:45 AM
'Labour's stated ambition in their so called reforms is to create more consistency in the education system, not excellence in practice. That means levelling down across the board'
She moves on to the VAT on private schools policy, claims 'independent schools are closing at a record rate, pressure is being piled on the state sector in a way that teachers across the system warned about'
October 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
She moves on to the VAT on private schools policy, claims 'independent schools are closing at a record rate, pressure is being piled on the state sector in a way that teachers across the system warned about'
'I'm speaking directly to Bridget Phillipson now. For goodness sake, just get on and do it'
October 7, 2025 at 10:43 AM
'I'm speaking directly to Bridget Phillipson now. For goodness sake, just get on and do it'
Trott moves on to smartphones. She says Labour is ignoring her call for action, despite bans on smartphones in other countries
'The single biggest thing Labour could do right now to improve behaviour is to get smartphones out of the classroom'
'The single biggest thing Labour could do right now to improve behaviour is to get smartphones out of the classroom'
October 7, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Trott moves on to smartphones. She says Labour is ignoring her call for action, despite bans on smartphones in other countries
'The single biggest thing Labour could do right now to improve behaviour is to get smartphones out of the classroom'
'The single biggest thing Labour could do right now to improve behaviour is to get smartphones out of the classroom'
She calls for automatic fines when pupils do not turn up to their alternative provision
October 7, 2025 at 10:40 AM
She calls for automatic fines when pupils do not turn up to their alternative provision