Only a year ago Ed Balls threatened 638 failing secondary schools with closure. Now that the time is fast approaching when their results will show they are still failing, he has issued a revised threat. They will have to merge with more successful schools unless they improve.

The rich irony is that in making this new statement, he exemplifies the weakness and incompetence that has always been the hallmark of this "rump" of an administration. Of course he isn't making this new threat because he thinks it will work and somehow, magically,  over 600 schools will suddenly be getting 30% of their pupils through 5 GCSEs instead of 18% or worse. He's making it because, like the weak teacher who issues a spontaneous warning to a misbehaving child or class, without giving a second thought to whether or not he can back it up, he has no other choice. He has backed himself into this silly, weak, totally unsustainable  position.

And just as when I was a teacher, I had absolutely no sympathy for any colleague who behaved in such a patently weak and damaging manner, I have not a scrap of sympathy for Mr Balls.