John Denham's decision to switch funding away from students taking second batchelors degrees is still taking flak. But the secretary of state for universities, innovation and skills is unrepentant.

At the climax of his classic work, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell condemns his fictional hero, Winston Smith, to a terrifying spell inside a cell with the object of his deepest fear. As heavy scenarios go, that doesn't sound too far removed from how critics of the University of Delaware described its diversity training educational programme (or 'the Class of 1984' as others were calling it).

Demonstrators protest outside the Oxford Union over Irving and Griffin's appearance. Photograph: Robert Judges/Rex

So the Oxford Union decided to ignore the protests of hundreds of students and anti-fascist campaigners and gave David Irving and Nick Griffin a platform to peddle their hateful rhetoric to its members on Monday night. I hope it was worth it.

According to Cambridge University, we should be doing more to protect children from the 'scholarisation' of childhood. We're creating a generation of school children who can't escape the clutches of education - their free time is being eaten into by preschool breakfast clubs, after-school homework sessions and earnest attempts by parents to get involved in their homework.

While no-one can question the importance of play for child development, the report misses a crucial point - the dividing line between learning and play has always been at best blurred, and technology is making things even more obscure, says Stephen Crowne, chief executive of Becta.

The government has just announced that the ethnic minority achievement grant (EMAG) is going to continue, a decision that will bring huge relief to schools and education authorities with large numbers of minority ethnic pupils.

However, fundamental questions about the future security and direction of the grant still need to be answered, says Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the NUT.

Mossbourne Community Academy, in Hackney, east London, is ahead of the fashion game. Photograph: Dan Chung

But it seems a retro revival is taking place, with more and more schools replacing shabby uniform sweatshirts with the smarter jackets.

No one is going to accuse the government of selling honours for cash this time. But its decision to accept £2m from Lord Rothermere in exchange for allowing him to create his very own Daily Mail academy just down the road from his HQ in London must rank as one of the most bizarre of the last decade.

Primary children get anxious about tests. But not half as anxious as the authors of the magisterial primary review being produced by Cambridge University.

Miracle cure? For politicians the scheme to eradicate illiteracy in a deprived authority in the west of Scotland has become an inspiration - and a handy stick with which to beat teachers in England.

The follow-up newspaper headlines were dramatic: "Axe for 17,000 bad teachers" and "Sack useless teachers call". The story was considered sufficiently important for the BBC's Today programme to lead with the item in its prestigious 8.10am slot.