There is usually radio silence over at the Pearson-owned FT whenever Pearson-owned Edexcel are in the news, so Guido was surprised to see the paper wade into the debate on exam boards this morning. They argue: “Mr Gove’s plan to approve just one exam board for each subject…is a welcome step forward. Abolishing competition need not lead to falling standards if the government sets the bar high enough.” According to FT education correspondent Chris Cook, this was a rare sign of editorial independence:

https://twitter.com/xtophercook/status/216070100023902208

However, he added one crucial caveat:

https://twitter.com/xtophercook/status/216071461335597056

Cook went on to admit that the move “might not be as bad for Edexcel as many people suspect“. Guido can’t imagine why he would back abolishing the competition…