Warning: This post contains words I don\u2019t usually employ in my writing.<\/p>\n

It is part of my job to write about higher education. Other than being a governor I have no experience of working in schools and I have tended to lay off discussions about actual teaching in schools. By and large this is out of professional courtesy. On the other hand I have been vocal about the academisation of schools to a point where which a fellow parent on Facebook called me \u2018boring\u2019 or something to that effect. To me this is a justice issue-- others may regard an interest in school governance with about as much enthusiasm as I have about manhole covers, telegraph poles and Strictly Come Dancing.<\/p>\n

One person who has never had professional courtesy qualms is journalist Toby Young. Until last week Toby Young was little more a controversial sideshow as far as I was concerned. I do follow him on Twitter and have been irritated from time to time and was not impressed when he was appointed to the Board of the new Office for Students. However, I regarded it as nothing more than the usual cronyism that I\u2019ve come to expect, not just from the current administration but previous ones as well. However, some of things that Young has written over the years has come to my attention.<\/p>\n

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I am an academic, but also father of a mixed race child with autism. How can a man who thinks of my son in this way be the right person to run one school? Now he's got hold of the universities. #tobyyoung<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wVUwOOhvym<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John Canning (@johngcanning) January 1, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n