Category Archives: Education

College sport matters: the legacy of an incredible summer

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

College sport does matter but there is no universal entitlement and the opportunities available to students often depend on where they happen to study. It’s time for the commitment shown by colleges to be matched by a joined-up strategy from … Continue reading →

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Targeted by the “aspiration tax”

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

The government’s proposed 17.5% cut to funding for 18 year olds in full-time education has caused outrage across the sixth form and college sector. In a previous post I describe this as an “aspiration tax” which will target those very … Continue reading →

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Colleges are real engines of social mobility

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Just 10 London colleges account for 10% of the most disadvantaged students who progress to university from the whole of England. These are among the greatest engines of social mobility for young people. National data on progression to higher education in 2010 show that … Continue reading →

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One nation education

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

“One nation under a groove … is what we’re funkin’ for” sang George Clinton’s Funkadelic in the late 1970’s. After I bought the single I had the tune in my head for weeks. It was funky and catchy and the lyrics … Continue reading →

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10 proposals to improve education

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Following my previous post: 10 principles to shape education, I would like to suggest 10 measures to start putting those principles into practice: 1. Aim for a comprehensive system: state funded schools, colleges and universities should have a single status … Continue reading →

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Socrates on e-learning

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

2,400 years ago in ancient Greece, when the main medium for cultural transmission and learning was the spoken word, the philosopher Socrates warned that “the written word poses serious risks for society”. In an oral culture, writing was a new … Continue reading →

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Drop the aspiration tax

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

The government has announced that funding for 18 year olds studying in colleges and sixth forms in England is to be cut by 17.5% per student next academic year. Among those affected will be a large number of students currently … Continue reading →

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Young people between hope and despair

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Eddie Playfair

Young people’s natural reserves of hope are running low in the current recession. As a result, much of Britain’s youth now seem strangely suspended between hope and despair. In the London borough of Newham, reasons for despair are not hard … Continue reading →

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Our common values, our common education

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Eddie Playfair

We humans are natural learners. We are born with an insatiable urge to question, understand and master our environment and to communicate with others. Thanks to memory, language, thought and eventually culture and technology we have been able to extend … Continue reading →

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Choose education not catastrophe

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Eddie Playfair

Choose education not catastrophe Welcome speech for People and Planet’s Shared Planet conference held at Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc), 2 November 2013. I am so pleased that People & Planet has chosen to have this year’s Shared Planet conference … Continue reading →

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10 principles to shape education

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Eddie Playfair

I’d like to suggest some basic principles for education in a good society: 1.    Equality: we should all be regarded as being of equal worth, in terms of our political and economic rights, our access to educational opportunities and the … Continue reading →

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