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

‘Hindering’ subjects and ‘bad’ universities

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

The way we talk about subjects and universities has changed dramatically over the last few years, and not for the better. The English Bacc with its favoured GCSE subjects has led to a secondary school subject hierarchy which appears to … Continue reading →

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Paradigm shift. Science in Society 4

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Paradigm shift: the Earth moves away from the centre In Europe 500 years ago, the established paradigm of 2,000 years was built on common sense ideas about the Earth and its place in the universe. This paradigm was summed up by … Continue reading →

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Reading the education manifestos

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

What is the point of manifestos, whether for education or any other policy area? Are they even worth the paper they’re written on given that we are fairly desensitised to parties straying from their election pledges in the name of … Continue reading →

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My NewVIc story: Joseph Toonga

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

My NewVIc story: Dancer and choreographer Joseph Toonga, NewVIc class of 2008. I attended Newham sixth form college (NewVIc) from 2005 – 2008.  In my time at NewVIc I set up my dance company called Just Us Dance Theatre with Ricardo … Continue reading →

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My NewVIc story: Rumana Ali

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Rumana Ali, NewVIc class of 2014 and former Plashet school student. Achieved A-level grades A*A*A in History, English literature, Government and politics and an A in AS Economics and has progressed to study for a BA in History at St … Continue reading →

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How we do science. Science in Society 3

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Readings Developing and testing scientific explanations When we make observations we may propose a theory which accounts for them. We judge theories on the basis of the match between their predictions and what we observe. An observation is often explained … Continue reading →

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Grosse Fugue by Ian Phillips (Alliance Publishing Press, 2012)

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

This is a story whose outlines are familiar but which we need to hear again and again. The story of Reuben Mendel is a twentieth century biography, a story of both world wars, the holocaust and its aftermath. It is … Continue reading →

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How can we reduce educational inequality?

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Meeting organised by “working towards a national campaign for education” at the Mechanics Institute, Manchester on 23rd September 2014 during the Labour Party conference. Many thanks to Sarah Williams for her work in organising and promoting this meeting. Speakers: David … Continue reading →

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The forgotten 50% need a one nation education system.

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

A dialogue between Simplex and Sapiens, two education policy commentators: Simplex: You don’t need to be a historian to know the value of education. Sapiens: And history shows that we cannot achieve ‘one nation’ goals with ‘two nation’ policies. Sim: No … Continue reading →

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Science and Poetry. Science in Society 2

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Readings Peter Atkins ‘Although poets may aspire to understanding, their talents are more akin to entertaining self-deception. They may be able to emphasise delights in the world, but they are deluded if they and their admirers believe that their identification … Continue reading →

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AS Science in Society: course outline and link to resources

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

AS Science in Society (AQA) Why study AS Science in Society? Science in Society is a distinctive post-16 course. Its main intention is to develop the knowledge and skills that you need in order to grapple with issues related to … Continue reading →

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Is doubt the origin of wisdom? Science in Society 1

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Science as a ‘doubt factory’ “Doubt is the first step towards knowledge” Aristotle “Doubt is the key to knowledge” Persian proverb “By doubting we come to inquiry; by inquiry we perceive the truth” Peter Abelard “Dubitum sapientiae initium” (“Doubt is … Continue reading →

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Market madness #6 Students as commodities: premium, discount and remaindered

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Enrolment is always a challenge. We come back from our holidays to an empty college. Like someone organising an open house, we’ve stocked up on a range of snacks and drinks for our guests but we can’t really be sure … Continue reading →

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London loses out in Headteacher Board elections

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

There was a national election before the summer to “improve the education of pupils across England” and “shape the future of the education system”. Missed it? You might be forgiven for this because only academy headteachers had a vote. Also, … Continue reading →

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Promoting a sixth form student research culture

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Good news: Extended Project qualification (EPQ) entries were up again this year. The qualification which is equivalent in value to an AS level accredits a substantial piece of research on a topic of a students’ choice, usually culminating in a … Continue reading →

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