Monthly Archives: February 2016

A sixth form profile for the ‘Local London’ area.

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

‘Local London‘ is one of London’s subregional local authority groupings. It consist of 8 boroughs and corresponds roughly to the East London sub-region for the post-16 area review. School sixth forms will not be part of the reviews but the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Education policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Carthage’ by Joyce Carol Oates.

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

Joyce Carol Oates’ brilliant novel ‘Carthage’ carries the reader along on a compelling looping, zig-zag narrative which starts and finishes in the heart of a sympathetic comfortably-off family in the small upstate New York town of Carthage. Along the way, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Skill shortage, training shortage or job shortage?

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

Unpicking the ‘skills gap’ narrative. “The number of job vacancies unfilled because employers cannot find candidates with the appropriate skills has risen by 130% in 4 years” (UK Commission for Employment and Skills UKCET report, January 2016) When employers or … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Education policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A level languages in London.

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

What is the condition of A-level language provision in London’s sixth forms? Data from the 2015 performance tables show that: Over 5,500 London sixth formers entered A-levels in 19 different languages last year. Over two thirds of these were entered … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Education policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Accessing the IB diploma

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is a well-established internationally recognised qualification which provides students with an excellent grounding across a broad and balanced curriculum. It is based on a core; theory of knowledge, creativity, activity, service and an extended essay … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

W.E.B. DuBois, black liberation and liberal education for all.

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The great African American academic, socialist, peace and civil rights activist William Edward Burghardt DuBois (1868-1963) wrote about philosophy, sociology, history, race equality and education as well as writing fiction. He is best remembered for his The Souls of Black … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A level minority report: Dance, Music, Philosophy.

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

I start from a belief that Dance, Music and Philosophy are wonderful A level subjects which should be accessible to sixth form students not too far from where they live as part of a broad educational offer. The published performance tables provide … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Education policy, music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More sixth formers doing research projects.

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The continuing growth of Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) entries in England’s sixth forms is a sign that student research is increasingly valued. However, still only 9% of advanced level sixth formers have the opportunity to achieve it and many are … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, NewVIc | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments