In the 6 November issue of TES, the man cited by schools minister Nick Gibb and former education secretary Michael Gove as a key influence on their education philosophy and the new English curriculum talks exclusively about what he really thinks about education. And what ED Hirsch had to say for himself will surprise many. Here are five of his most surprising quotes from the feature.

1. “I have never met Nick Gibb or Michael Gove before. I am blissfully ignorant of the details of what is going on here.”
2. “I am definitely not saying we should narrow the curriculum in secondary. You get wonderful drama and wonderful music and learn through that.”
3. “It would be astonishing to me if there are schools that are just pumping knowledge into kids by rote as if they were learning the Koran.”
4. “I have ended up being a poster boy for the Right and that is worrisome.”
5. “From the very first day, I was misinterpreted by both the proponents and the adversaries.”

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