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

Careers guidance: failing to inspire

This month has seen the publication of new guidance to FE and sixth form colleges on careers. This aims to help us implement the requirement to provide independent careers guidance. There’s nothing in here which good colleges aren’t already doing. In … Continue reading

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Comparing like with like

There’s been a lot of hype about the A-level results of our neighbouring 16-18 free school and there’s no doubt that their students have achieved some very good outcomes. But their claim to have the “best ever results by a … Continue reading

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Finding Labour’s Education Mojo

Less than a year before the general election, has the Labour Party developed winning education policies? Tristram Hunt’s latest speech ‘The Choice in Education’ was a bit like a pre-tour band rehearsal. A range of material was tried out, some … Continue reading

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Trivium 21c by Martin Robinson

I am so glad to have finally got round to reading Trivium 21c. I was expecting a treat and I wasn’t disappointed. This is an important book which should be read by anyone interested in the purpose and practice of … Continue reading

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How to choose a sixth form

During year 11 you are free to apply to any sixth form you want, whether it’s a sixth form college, further education college or school sixth form. If your own school has a sixth form, there is absolutely no requirement … Continue reading

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Can we celebrate success without rewriting history?

The headteacher of the Newham-based 16-18 free school; London Academy of Excellence (LAE) in commenting on their A-level results to the Guardian last Thursday was quoted as saying: “In Newham, there were hundreds and thousands of young people who wanted … Continue reading

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Market madness #4 A good system can help schools improve

A series of short posts about the marketisation of public education: #4 A good system can help schools improve. Whenever I am asked to explain English secondary education to foreign visitors I usually start by saying that there is no … Continue reading

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Village wisdom: Corsican proverbs and sayings

Every Corsican comes from a village and Corsican wisdom is the wisdom of village life. Such village wisdom looks inwards for its universal insights into human frailty and mortality, luck and jealousy. Its laconic sayings find truth in food and … Continue reading

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Conrad in Corsica

“My task is…by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel – it is, above all, to make you see” Joseph Conrad     The writer Joseph Conrad visited Corsica with his wife Jessie … Continue reading

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Seneca in Corsica

 Seneca (Lucius Annaeus Seneca: 4 BCE – 65 C.E.) the Roman senator and philosopher, was exiled to Corsica from 41-49 AD by the emperor Claudius having been accused of adultery with Julia Livilla, one of the sisters of the … Continue reading

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Socrate et le numerique

Il y a 2,400 ans en Grèce antique quand le principal moyen de transmission culturelle et d’apprentissage était la langue parlée, le philosophe Socrate avait prevenu que la parole écrite posait de graves risques pour la société. Dans une culture … Continue reading

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What is learning? Philippe Meirieu

Philippe Meirieu is a French academic and Green party politician. His educational thinking starts from an ethical and egalitarian position and a commitment to emancipation through learning. He is actively involved in both educational and political debate and engages readily … Continue reading

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Post-16: education’s wild frontier

Sixth form education in England has become the wild frontier for selection and marketisation with a plethora of new providers, whether 11-18 academies or 16-18 free schools trying to outdo each other in setting ever more exclusive entry requirements and competing … Continue reading

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Labour’s vocational vision: two-nation thinking wrapped in one-nation talk?

The Labour party wants to position itself as the party of skills and vocational education. Party leader Ed Miliband and shadow minister Liam Byrne have both made recent major speeches on this issue. Clearly, any party standing on a ‘one … Continue reading

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Meeting the widening participation challenge

My contribution to the Westminster Higher Education Forum seminar on 1st July 2014. Thank you very much for inviting me and I’m going to keep it short. I think my take home message is probably the same as Les Ebdon’s … Continue reading

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