Author Archives: Eddie Playfair

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About Eddie Playfair

I am a Senior Policy Manager at the Association of Colleges (AoC) having previously been a college principal for 16 years and a teacher before that. I live in East London and I blog in a personal capacity about education and culture. I also tweet at @eddieplayfair

Challenging Neurosexism

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

In her brilliant Royal Institution lecture last week, Professor Gina Rippon from Aston University comprehensively trashed ‘neurotrash’ and the harmful gender stereotypes which it perpetuates. The term ‘neurotrash’ refers to the inappropriate application of neuroscientific findings to everyday life. Gina … Continue reading →

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Reducing London’s disadvantage gap.

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

There is much talk of the educational performance gap between disadvantaged students, eligible for free school meals (FSM), and their peers. One measure of success for sixth form students is progression to university of students reaching the end of their … Continue reading →

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Education: what’s it all for?

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The House of Commons Education Select Committee has launched an inquiry into the purpose of education and is asking the following 3 questions: What is the purpose of education for children of all ages in England? What measures should be … Continue reading →

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Let’s celebrate vocational success!

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

I never cease to be surprised at how little most politicians and commentators know about vocational qualifications and their value. There is no shortage of people who will tell us that we need to ‘do something’ about vocational education in this country … Continue reading →

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New Year wishes for sixth form education in 2016

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

A year ago I posted 5 New Year wishes for post-16 education. I thought they were modest, realistic and realisable while also offering tangible benefits. My 5 wishes were: Recognise that innovation does not necessarily require the creation of new … Continue reading →

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Blogging as learning: review of 2015.

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

What went well… I’ve enjoyed my second full year of blogging and have continued to write about whatever interests me, resulting in a fairly eclectic collection of posts on a range of topics with education at the top of the … Continue reading →

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Grammaire de Gramsci et Dialectique de Dewey.

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

‘Dewey eyed optimism : the possibility of a democratic education’ – James Donald (1992) (Original post in English available here) Il y a plus de 20 ans que j’ai découvert cet essai dans l’édition de Mars / Avril 1992 de la … Continue reading →

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Sebald in Corsica: ‘Campo Santo’.

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Campo Santo is one of four short pieces with Corsican settings in W.G. Sebald’s collection given the same title. These were fragments for a book about Corsica which remained unfinished at his untimely death in a road accident in 2001. Campo Santo … Continue reading →

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The London Mayor’s Education Conference.

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority (GLA) have no statutory responsibilities for education, however they can use their convening power to bring people together, to advocate and call for action and to persuade. In many ways, the … Continue reading →

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Labour split or Labour unity?

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

This weekend, the case for a Labour split was given prominent coverage in the Observer newspaper. Party members were also able to read a rather more unifying message in an interview with the Labour leader in Labour Today, the party’s … Continue reading →

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Educating after the November 13th attacks.

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Philippe Meirieu on keeping the big questions open The French educationalist Philippe Meirieu reflects in Café Pedagogique on how the French education system should respond to the 13th November Paris massacre: “Our society’s response to terrorism must keep faith with … Continue reading →

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Hadrian, the enlightened pre-enlightenment leader?

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Marguerite Yourcenar’s wonderful novel Memoirs of Hadrian takes the form of a personal memoir written for the future Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius by the emperor Hadrian (76-138 CE) as he faces death. The book is a brilliant portrayal of a leader who … Continue reading →

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Is collaboration the solution or the problem?

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

‘Collaboration between schools is now seen as an important way to improve educational performance yet little is known definitively about what impact this has for improving pupil attainment’. An interesting point which may well be worth looking into and luckily … Continue reading →

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My NewVIc Story: Amritpal Gill.

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Learning is fun For me, studying is fun and the college supported me every step of the way in my two years at NewVIc. I didn’t learn by reading textbooks but mainly by speaking and listening. I learned most by … Continue reading →

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University progression for the NewVIc class of 2015

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Every year, when we analyse our students’ university destinations, we conclude that the current year is our best year ever. And every year it’s true. Our class of 2015 is another great cohort, full of ambitious and determined young people, … Continue reading →

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