Michael Gove - Conservative Shadow Schools and Families Minister - live on Mumsnet this Thursday 29th, 1-2pm

[JustineMumsnet]

Michael Gove is the shadow secretary of state for children, schools and families and a key part of David Cameron's Shadow Cabinet team, responsible for Conservative policy on education and child protection. He is the Tory candidate in Surrey Heath.One of the centrepiece's of the Conservatives election manifesto is allowing parents and other providers to set up schools with state funding, about which there's been lots of discussion on Mumsnet. Other pledges include 10,000 extra university places, allowing state schools to offer the International Baccalaureate and a moratorium on the closure of special schools.Born in Edinburgh in 1967 and brought up in Aberdeen. Before He's married to Times' writer Sarah Vine and they have a son and a daughter, both of primary school age.Please post advance questions for Michael here (and do please read our webchat guidelines if you're not already aware of them).Many thanks.

We are allowed one Question and a follow up response after the firs question has been answered.

Thanks for coming in Mr Gove - it's been entertaining and enlightening (and I never thought I'd say that).

Would be interested in an answer to my second question re Ofsted inspections if you ever return.

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Thank you for coming and I hope you will return.

thanks Michael,
feel free to take my question from yesterday with you and send your response to my private email. (Justine Mumsnet has it. )

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I think MG came across as quite humorous.

And I like the traditional curriculum idea. Many people do. Otherwise there wouldn't be the stampede for grammar schools.

thank you for coming, please do come back after the election (when we will give you a much harder time because then everything we don't like in schools will officially be Your Fault )

oh i missed this, vaguely knew Gove through uni stuff and can confirm he is very, very, very bright and funny and properly stands up when he thinks people are being ill-treated (practically a communist when leading strikes at aberdeen press and journal iirc ).

it's such a shame he's a true blue.

My laptop had a wobbly at about 1.10. I've had a look but can't work out if he answered re MFL or not?

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Sorry gramercy. was that me? I asked one question, and then I did do the follow-up Gladwell q. Didn't mean to be smart arsey at all. Was genuinely interested - and then Oracle's confusion was funny. Sorry.

tbh I think if everyone strictly limited themselves to 1 q and 1 follow-up and no comments it would be a lot less fun.
Hope my comments weren't annoying anyone though.

Aitch - that's interesting.
My dh heard him speak at a maths conference the other week and came back practically swooning because he was so much better than everyone else there.

he's a brainbox, fo sho.

See, now Michael Gove the perfect reason for a coalition or cabinet of all the talents. I'd love to be able to pick and choose ministers from across the parties, Gove, in (on the basis of one joke and SS's dh's reccomendation ) Osbourne, out, Cable, in, Milliband at energy in, Clegg, in etc etc

Aw... c'mon- I asked the 3rd question, and didn't get answered at all... unl,ess the reason for more faith schools is "me and Dave like them"

so true, 100x. who would you have as PM, though? did you hear cleggie with eddie mair last night?

agree 100x.
and Gove clearly likes Clegg.... (his 'bad crowd' comment - doesn't that make it 2 jokes?)

Yes. It was bad wasn't it? But it was the questions! I was shouting at the radio - I don't want to know when you last cried, I don't care whether you believe in God! Shuddup. I had sympathy with his slightly freaked-out laughter and fluffing it, tbh.

CaptainNancy (love your name btw) - he said something about faith schools at 13.06 - wasn't 'Slug and others' meant to include you? He just said something like 'parents like them' which is not much detail I grant but not just him 'n' Dave.

he didn't answer me on selection but fair dos, I was the only one asking it.

i thought the questions hilarious, eddie mair tres drole imo. it was like he was being interviewed by Black Type from Smash Hits circa 1988.

MG didn't have time to type this answer, so we're posting in on his behalf:

MichaelGove: Dear Tambajam and others who ask about exclusion.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences - it's because of stories like yours that restoring discipline is such a priority of mine.

The problem with appeals panels sending children back to schools from which they've been excluded is that it completely undermines the authority of the headteacher. There have been incidents where children expelled for carrying knives have been sent back, which is unacceptable.

I understand your concerns about children's rights, which is why we'd issue clear statutory guidance to schools on exclusions (making clear, for example, that if children have special needs that needs to be taken into account). The Governors of the school would also have to approve the exclusion and would be legally responsible for ensuring the guidance was followed.