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August 21, 2025 18 mins

GCSE results day has brought a mixed picture; the pass rate has fallen, yet the regional gap has reduced and the gender gap is the narrowest it has ever been. Isabel Hardman and Sir Nick Gibb, former Conservative schools minister, join James Heale to discuss education policy, how changing cultural expectations may be helping the gender gap and why Labour seem determined to attack the Conservatives’ record on education. In Nick’s words, is Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson a ‘more political figure than education figure’?


Plus: how the recent High Court ruling over migrant hotels could spark a crisis for the government as more councils, including Labour-controlled ones, seek an end to the policy.


Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

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