The British-Nigerian historian, author and BAFTA-winning filmmaker on why younger generations are facing a unique convergence of challenges, and why they need more support to build the future of society.
The government has decimated school support for kids with special educational needs - and now it's launched a crass attendance campaign that feels like a direct assault on the parenting skills of already struggling families.
Don't speak. Don't take your eyes off the teacher. Just nod - or else. Britain's schools are starting to feel like dystopian nano-states that cherish performative obedience and quantifiable grades above all else. How come? And why are private schools exempt from the hyper-disciplinarian approach richly meted out to working class kids?
Housing prices are pushing families out of London. Primary schools no longer have enough students to function and shut down. Secondary schools lose their local intake and follow suit. And local economies suffer. London is being hollowed out as a living city - at an ever-accelerating pace.
Creativity, curiosity, self-esteem and social skills are essential for our well-being - but because they are not quantifiable, they are being left behind.
We can't hope to compete with AI on speed and volume of technical tasks. But AI can never compete with us in the truly creative thinking - from music, to philosophy, to the kind of inspired science fiction that guides actual technological progress. As humans, this is our natural advantage, and it needs to be shored up.
I am Englishman, a Christian, a teacher, a patriot, an admiral of the fleet, a golfer, a hunter and a chartered accountant - and trust me: Rishi Sunak's inquiry into sex education doesn't go remotely far enough.
The ultra-disciplinarian headteacher stepped down from her Social Mobilities role, but will continue to fan the flames of culture wars in education. Pity the children.