It will act as a source of advice for ministers, for which recent events have shown the need.
Phonics is not enough.
The government is getting too much of its advice from people with little or no practical experience of how schools work.
Nick Gibb remained calm and reasonable at a teachers union conference.
The Government has gone a step forward – but then half a step back.
The paperwork culture has grown up because people in positions of authority in education have found it to their advantage.
The views of parents matter – and they can serve as a bulwark against corruption.
Ofsted often indulge in unfair generalisations – reform of the inspection system is needed.
This education watchdog needs to judge schools on their teaching not their paperwork.
Educational standards are undermined by a network that is still powerful within Ofsted and teacher training colleges.
A prominent left-wing academic is on a mission to replace arithmetic with algebra as the foundation of school mathematics.
Phonics are the basis of learning to read in any language that uses an alphabet.
But teacher training courses still ignore the way the brain works.
The best and brightest are going to the schools where they are most needed.
Does Sir Michael really believe he can inspect, say, an A level physics lesson on the back of his history degree?