New writing is a risk but it’s one theatres must take

Diversity is key to ensuring a new generation shape theatre’s future. But endless development isn’t enough – new plays must be put in front of audiences

Clive James: ‘The English language is under siege from tone-deaf activists’

Anybody who says ‘IMHO’ is no more humble than Saddam Hussein and Imelda Marcos dancing the tango

Grimm & Co’s magical approach to helping children write stories

A scheme in Rotherham aims to boost Sats results and improve lives by harnessing children’s creativity

Is Rushdie right about rote learning? Is Rushdie right about rote learning?

Salman Rushdie thinks schoolchildren should learn poems by heart, and some experts think that, far from making kids hate poetry, the practice could be ‘life-enhancing’

Exam board rules on punctuation are wrong, wrong, and wrong

Linguistics expert David Crystal tells Hay festival that school advisers are ‘not aware of complexity of decisions they are asking kids to make’

Boys who live with books ‘earn more as adults’

Italian economists find access to books can materially affect earnings compared with those who grew up with few or none

Portland schools ditch textbooks that question climate change

City’s education board will now insist on teaching that ‘the climate crisis is created by human beings’

Michael Armstrong obituary

Educationist who championed progressive teaching methods

Illustrator Chris Riddell attacks school tests with ‘Sats beasties’ drawings

Children’s laureate and political cartoonist draws series of ‘grammar monsters’ in response to warnings that current system is bad for children

Aarathi Prasad: ‘Indians hedge their bets’

Aarathi Prasad describes a push to integrate the modern ‘western’ approach with traditional systems in India such as ayurveda and yoga. But is this truly desirable?

Anyone with a problem they can’t solve heads for my library

In a world where services and spaces are privatised, with Citizens Advice and police stations facing cuts, what libraries offer seems too good to be true

A girl’s guide to growing up: how does Laura Bates’ advice play out in the real world?

From social media to sex education, today’s girls have a more complicated path to adulthood than ever before. Laura Bates hopes her new book will help them on their way – so what does student Ellie Olcott make of it?

No one would listen to Stephen Fry if he was poor

The actor sneers at child sex abuse victims and says free speech is being stifled. But he is part of the 1% who enjoy a platform – it’s ordinary people who struggle to be heard