Schoolchildren from the poorest families are failing to match the attainment levels of their more affluent counterparts, the education secretary admitted this week.
The CBI is warning the government that 'short termism' in its procurement practices is preventing external service providers from bidding for contracts and undermining provision, Public Finance has...
James Plaskitt, the new benefits minister, has given the strongest indication yet that the Child Support Agency could continue to operate in its current form, despite calls for it to be closed.
Sir Andrew Turnbull has warned senior civil servants to avoid implementing key IT projects at the same time, to improve the way that Whitehall handles major public service reforms.
Councils are targeting social services as prime areas to achieve Gershon efficiency gains. But can these 'Cinderella services' really live on less? Paul Gosling reports
The government is ploughing on with its city academy programme for inner-city schools, despite vociferous opposition and some embarrassing failures. Phil Revell finds out why
Budget-holders in education are concerned that procurement targets will oblige them to axe their trusted suppliers. However, both sides of the equation will be involved in solving the efficiency...
Real food is back on the political menu, after TV chef Jamie Oliver shamed the government over junk meals in schools. But despite all the noise, is there enough will and cash to give every school...
Nurses who withhold a comforting hand; schools that stop children playing outside; community hospitals that ban home-made cakes at a party. The risk-averse culture has gone far too far, argues Julia...
The catering workforce in schools needs to be massively expanded if schoolchildren are to be given healthy and nutritious meals, Unison said this week.
The chair of the Charity Commission turned down Rada for a career in social policy. But the theatre's loss has been the voluntary sector's gain, writes Vivienne Russell
The government is in a flap about 'respect', or the lack of it as personified by gangs of feral youths wearing 'hoodies'. Is this a real problem or just society having one of its moral panics and,...
One day soon, the British public are going to wake up and find that their prime minister has changed. But will they be able to tell the difference between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown? Tony Travers...
The body charged with overhauling the quality of school meals met for the first time this week to begin work on developing minimum nutritional standards.
NHS organisations must show they are tackling health inequalities or risk receiving a lower performance rating, the Healthcare Commission said this week.
Council leaders met ministers in the new government for the first time this week just one day after a far-reaching programme of legislation was laid out in the Queen's Speech.
Dissenting NHS voices claim the drive to improve access times to GPs has compromised other areas of patient choice. Seamus Ward asks if primary care can deliver flexibility as well as speed