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Recent Posts
- Zola : a political reading. August 13, 2023
- Hotter than July? August 5, 2023
- Rethinking work July 30, 2023
- Educating for political literacy in an age of crisis. July 21, 2023
- Savoirs et valeurs : pratiquer et conjuguer July 21, 2023
- ‘Transformative Teaching and Learning in Further Education – Pedagogies of Hope and Social Justice’ July 18, 2023
- Dilemmas of Growth June 14, 2023
- A broader view of skills? June 7, 2023
- In praise of ‘low value’ subjects. February 27, 2023
- Frigga Haug and the mystery of learning December 6, 2022
- Debating Growth. November 29, 2022
- Code red for human survival November 8, 2022
- The politics of silence. September 4, 2022
- Posts on Corsican themes. August 10, 2022
- When Corsica welcomed thousands of Serb refugees (1916) August 9, 2022
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Author Archives: Eddie Playfair
Unlimited potential (part 1)
Unlimited potential (part 1) Part 1 of my chapter from The ins and outs of selective secondary schools (Civitas, March 2015) Summary: In this brief chapter I have tried to make a moral, philosophical, political and pragmatic case against educational … Continue reading
Market madness #7: What markets do to us
The creeping marketization of education has many aspects, each of which changes the way we see ourselves and the way we relate to others. Commodification: If education is seen as a commodity; something which can be consumed and traded, then schools, … Continue reading
Posted in Education policy
Tagged choice and diversity, commodity, competition, Education, inequality, marketisation, Social cohesion, Solidarity
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5 vocational myths to avoid
A checklist for politicians who want to talk about vocational education and apprenticeships during the election campaign: Myth 1. The vocational route is a practical alternative to university Many students on advanced vocational courses progress to university and these courses are … Continue reading
Bacc on the agenda
If England is to have a post-16 education system fit for an advanced modern democracy we need to move towards a single national baccalaureate capable of meeting the aspirations of all young people and founded on shared values and a … Continue reading
Paoli in London
He’s been called the Che Guevara of the 18th century. He was a freedom fighter, a democrat and an intellectual. He was celebrated by Voltaire and Rousseau for producing one of the first republican constitutions of the enlightenment era; one … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, History
Tagged constitution, Corsica, Democracy, Dorothy Carrington, George III, James Boswell, Jean Jacques Rousseau, London, Napoleon, Pasquale Paoli, Social contract
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Valuing student research
The continuing growth of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in England’s sixth forms is a sign that students, teachers, universities and employers value what it offers. However, less than 10% of advanced level sixth formers have the opportunity to achieve … Continue reading
Posted in Education, NewVIc, Teaching and learning
Tagged Colleges, Critical thinking, curriculum, Education, learning, liberal education, London, National baccalaureate, Newham Sixth Form College, NewVIc, Sixth form, Sixth form college, Tech Bacc, Universities, university progression
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Time for a new Great Education Reform Act
27 years ago, Kenneth Baker’s 1988 Education Reform Act changed the direction of travel of English education. It introduced an element of school choice and Local Management of Schools, established more autonomous City Technology Colleges and Grant Maintained Schools as … Continue reading
Your college interview
How should you approach your sixth form college interview and get the most from the experience? Following my previous posts How to choose a sixth form and How to make a strong college application, here is some advice about getting … Continue reading
Education 2020: market or system?
What will education in England be like in 2020? As the 2015 general election approaches, what are the possible futures for education in England? An election is a democratic moment where we are offered a choice of futures and we … Continue reading
Posted in Education policy, Politics
Tagged competition, Democracy, Education, elections, England, Equality, future, marketisation, National baccalaureate, selection, Social cohesion
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Resisting selection
Thanks to the prime minister, it seems that educational selection is back on the agenda again. The grammar school issue in Kent and elsewhere is one aspect of the debate but it’s worth remembering that the segregation of learners by ‘aptitude’, ‘potential’, test … Continue reading
Posted in Education policy, Politics
Tagged Clyde Chitty, comprehensive education, David Cameron, Education, Equality, grammar schools, Jane Addams, selection
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Investing in 16-19 education
Labour’s promise to maintain education spending from nursery to 19 year olds and increase it at least by inflation is very welcome. No such protection is on offer from the Conservatives who are promising ‘flat cash’ for pre-16’s and apparently … Continue reading
Posted in Education policy
Tagged 18 year olds, aspiration tax, Education, elections, England, Equality, Labour party, Post-16 funding, Sixth form, young people
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Re-imagining the university
A celebration of Birkbeck’s latest innovation in higher education in London. Anish Kapoor’s amazing Orbit here in East London’s Olympic quarter calls to mind previous sculptural structures built on a monumental scale. Together with Gustave Eiffel’s tower in Paris and … Continue reading
How to make a strong college application
How can students make sure that their sixth form application is as strong as possible and does justice to their achievements, interests and aspirations? If you are in Year 11, you need to be thinking about where you want to … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Learning resources, NewVIc, Parents, Students
Tagged Colleges, Education, information advice and guidance, Sixth form, Sixth form college, young people
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Russell Group university progression: dispelling the myths
Since the Russell group of universities started publishing their ‘Informed Choices’ guide and launched the concept of facilitating A-level subjects, their advice has often been misrepresented or misunderstood. ‘Informed choices’ is a helpful contribution to advising and guiding students about sensible subject choices … Continue reading
Demonstrating high achievement in comprehensive settings
Comprehensive schools and colleges can face a challenge when trying to show how well their highest achieving students do and how many of them there are. They can suffer from ‘bog standard’ syndrome and the assumption that all their students … Continue reading
Posted in Education, NewVIc
Tagged A levels, comprehensive education, Education, Newham Sixth Form College, NewVIc, selection
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Eddie Playfair 