Category Archives: Education

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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Careers guidance: failing to inspire

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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?

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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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Socrate et le numerique

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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?

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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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The Oxbridge challenge

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Having successfully increased the number and proportion of our students progressing to the most selective universities, why is it that we have not seen a similar increase in the numbers progressing to Oxford and Cambridge? In a recent post I … Continue reading →

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College success with disadvantaged students

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) in East London sent more disadvantaged students to university than any other sixth form in the country in 2011. Overall, England’s 338 colleges sent more disadvantaged students to university than its 1,839 school sixth forms: … Continue reading →

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