The Department for Education yesterday published the findings of Charlie Taylor's review into improving educational position for poorly behaved children. Taylor - the government's Expert Adviser on Behaviour - was asked to look into what Michael Gove has called the "educational underclass" - pupils who fail to achieve academically and grow up without the skills they need to become successful adults.
Taylor makes a direct link in his findings between children struggling in schools the riots last summer, warning that a failure to give them a "first-class education" will mean the country pays "a heavy price". He also nots that the majority of the 14,000 children in pupil referral units come from deprived backgrounds - homes where "problems such as drinking, drug-taking, mental health issues, domestic violence and family breakdown are common".
What is most interesting about the Taylor Review is that it is one of the clearest manifest examples of the government's attempts to transform society and change the way people view responsibility. We have heard a lot from David Cameron about people needing to take responsibility for themselves. It is has been one of the pillars of Tory policy in Coalition, but has also struggled to really get going.
Most aspects of the reform agenda put into motion by the government has at its heart Cameron's idea of a more responsible society. The current furore over the welfare reforms is a prime example, with ministers calling on people to take more responsibility and not simply live off the state. The proposed £26,000 benefits cap - bizarrely opposed by Labour - makes sense for many.
But lots of these reforms are stuck in political quagmire, being subjected to endless debates, changes, amendments and challenges. The departure of the prime minister's chief guru Steve Hilton is being put down to, by many, the slow pace of reform and the countless hurdles needed to jump over to get anything done. Cameron himself hinted at this at the Liaison Committee earlier this week, saying he found the pace of change "frustrating".
Education is the one area of government where the reforms and changes are being pushed forward with vigour and with determination, by the Education Secretary and his Department. The Taylor Review is bound to be criticised by some, and is by no means perfect. It will also not transform education overnight, and will not completely eradicate the UK of "problem families". But what it does show is the, at the DfE at least, there is an appetite for reform and a real sense of urgency.
The educational underclass speech quoted at the start of the Taylor Review took place in September last year, and seven months later there has been a detailed review, with Michael Gove asking for the recommendations to be implemented "swiftly".
There are, it must be noted, reasons why other reforms are taking longer than some would like. The political system at Westminster can be extremely slow, and it is easy to see why some ministers feel frustrated.
But the government can take heart from the pace of reform in education, and should use what is happening at the DfE as an incentive to push forward in other areas. Following the example of Michael Gove and his team would take the government a long way towards their target of reforming Britain.