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

‘Pick your own’ performance measure.

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

England’s school and college performance tables are full of fascinating information. This information gives a profile of different providers and the idea is that this can help us make judgements and comparisons. Any tables based on data, assuming they are … Continue reading →

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Your dogma, my principles.

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

Simplex and Sapiens are discussing the government’s plan to open more selective schools. Simplex: Our mission is to build a country that works for everyone. Sapiens: Sounds like a good starting point. Sim: Yes, it’s a vision of a truly … Continue reading →

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My NewVIc story: Raymond Fernandez.

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

I attended Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) for 2 years from 2013-2015. In my time at NewVIc I studied on Entry level 2 Skills for Independence and Work. I feel that being at NewVIc enabled me to grow and learn … Continue reading →

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University for all

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

This August I was asked to contribute a short piece for our local newspaper, the Newham Recorder, as part of a debate about the benefits of a university education. I did my best to summarise the case in 220 words … Continue reading →

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Theodore Zeldin on ‘what is worth knowing?’

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

What is worth knowing? It’s a good question, given how much there is to know and the impossibility of knowing more than a tiny fraction of the total. Theodore Zeldin’s latest collection of essays, ‘The hidden pleasures of life’ (Quercus, 2015) … Continue reading →

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Arguments against selection

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

It looks like the ‘grammar school debate’ is about to be revived within government, so it seems a good time to dust down the case against selection. Here are links to 4 of my posts on this from last year, … Continue reading →

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Jean Jaurès: ‘what is courage?’

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

Jean Jaurès (1859-1914), member of the French National Assembly, leader of the Parti Socialiste Français and peace campaigner was an eloquent and compelling public speaker. One of his most famous speeches was his 1903 address to young people at the … Continue reading →

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Instinct, heart and reason – Daniel Pennac on the refugee crisis.

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The popular French writer and teacher Daniel Pennac, author of Chagrin d’école (translated as School Blues) and Les droits du lecteur (The Rights of the Reader) amongst others, has written a powerful essay on the refugee crisis for a book … Continue reading →

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Giving peace a voice.

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

In 2016 so far, we have witnessed the horrific murder of a British M.P., the Orlando massacre, brutal attacks in Nice, Munich and elsewhere. Shocking terrorist atrocities in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and many other places account for nearly 10,000 … Continue reading →

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Jane Addams and John Dewey

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The Toynbee papers #2 An imagined conversation. Toynbee Hall, Commercial street, Whitechapel, 1921. Jane Addams of Chicago is greeting her old friend John Dewey who has just arrived. John, my dear friend – welcome to Toynbee Hall. I trust you … Continue reading →

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What is Social Capital?

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The Economy of Ideas #5 What is social capital? “Connections among individuals; social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them.” Robert Putnam (b. 1941) Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community (2001) The American … Continue reading →

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Capital as metaphor

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The economy of ideas #4 We talk about social capital, cultural capital, creative capital, even ‘emotional capital’. It seems that capital can stand in for almost every human capacity. Why is this? Given its role as a real currency, it’s … Continue reading →

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London’s sixth forms.

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

There are around 165,000 students studying in London’s publicly funded sixth forms. These students are enrolled across 380 different institutions of many types and sizes which can be grouped into 4 broad categories: School sixth forms (as part of a … Continue reading →

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The global economy of care.

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The economy of ideas #3. Is there a limit to how much we can care about others? Is it natural that we should care more about those who are closest to us? Is it in our nature to ‘look after … Continue reading →

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From ‘Recovery’ by Rabindranath Tagore

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

from Recovery – poem no.10 from arogya by Rabindranath Tagore (1941) Lazily afloat on time’s stream, My mind turns to the sky. As I cross its empty expanses Shadowy pictures form in my eyes Of the many ages of the long past … Continue reading →

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