Vicky Tuck, former head of Cheltenham Ladies’ College, could be feeling a great sense of relief in September this year as she takes up her new post as director-general of the International School in Geneva. According to interviews with the national press, Ms Tuck has felt “beaten up” by the constant need to defend her previous position running a fee-charging, single-sex school.

Ms Tuck told The Times last year that she felt she was made to feel “slightly immoral” for running the prestigious independent girls' school. She said: “I won't miss the problem of us having to defend ourselves.”

So, you need a new fridge or TV for your new home – who do you look to for advice? A Which? Report is often the first port of call when looking for independent reviews of consumer products. But, following the launch of David Cameron’s Public Services reform this week and his emphasis on ‘open data’ – it is possible that the champion of consumer choice will be given the opportunity to report on public services including schools, colleges and universities.

When making a major move, those with families know that the most stressful and crucial part of making a successful transition is finding the right education provision for the children involved. Most families make those decisions based on visits to schools and word of mouth but another major deciding factor is the facts and figures - league tables, OFSTED reports and attainment statistics.

Today in Westminster, an education committee will meet teachers and students from the recent Channel 4 series 'Jamie's Dream School'. In the same week Everton FC have announced their plans to throw the weight of their brand behind proposals for a new sports-focused community school, and writer, Toby Young is forging ahead with the opening of his new ‘parent-led’ free school this year in West London. It seems you cannot turn the pages of a newspaper these days without a well-known face popping up to express their desire to shake things up in education. And most interesting of all – the government appears to be listening.

The launch of a new private university this week by some of the world’s top academics has thrown some serious educational debates into the spotlight.

Professor AC Grayling launched the privately funded New College of Humanities (NCH) earlier this week in response to what he calls, "the economic reality" of cuts to public humanities funding. The college is promoting a philosophy of learning which some believe is dying out in our current education system; “Our students will be challenged to develop as skilled, informed and reflective thinkers, and will receive an education to match that aspiration”, says Professor Grayling. The college has also highlighted the urgent need to prepare students for the world of work outside the confines of the campus. But, while the media is alive with debate about learning styles, arguing about whether students are suitably ready to enter the workplace and the accessibility of such an elite institution, thousands of International Baccalaureate students have been quietly taking top-university places, the highest paid jobs and are being praised for their skills as just such critical thinkers.

Girls at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (EGA) School in North London will be feeling very special this week. During an inspiring visit to Oxford University yesterday they were addressed for the second time by the US President’s wife Michelle Obama. And, it seems the visit could not be more timely. According to a recent report, young women are crying out for inspiring role models in order to help them find a way out of traditional gender stereotypes.

Mrs Obama first visited the girls from EGA at their North London girls’ school, back in 2009 during the last state visit by Barack Obama, where she inspired them with stories of her own struggle to achieve academic success.

I can only hope that, with the national coverage that this story has achieved, it goes some way to addressing the recently documented lack of ambition of schoolgirls in the UK. The depressing evidence comes from the OFSTED report, ‘Girls’ career aspirations’, based on visits to primary and secondary schools in the UK. The report reveals that girls are receiving substandard careers education and are continuing to be channelled into roles which fall under traditional gender stereotypes such as - beauty therapy, childcare and hairdressing careers. A far cry from the White House.