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Recent Posts
- Zola : a political reading. August 13, 2023
- Hotter than July? August 5, 2023
- Rethinking work July 30, 2023
- Educating for political literacy in an age of crisis. July 21, 2023
- Savoirs et valeurs : pratiquer et conjuguer July 21, 2023
- ‘Transformative Teaching and Learning in Further Education – Pedagogies of Hope and Social Justice’ July 18, 2023
- Dilemmas of Growth June 14, 2023
- A broader view of skills? June 7, 2023
- In praise of ‘low value’ subjects. February 27, 2023
- Frigga Haug and the mystery of learning December 6, 2022
- Debating Growth. November 29, 2022
- Code red for human survival November 8, 2022
- The politics of silence. September 4, 2022
- Posts on Corsican themes. August 10, 2022
- When Corsica welcomed thousands of Serb refugees (1916) August 9, 2022
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Tag Archives: aspiration
Newham’s outstanding record of widening participation
Disadvantaged young people in Newham are more than twice as likely to progress to university than in England as a whole and their progression rate is the 4th highest of all local authorities in the country. The ‘disadvantage gap’ between … Continue reading
Going beyond.
Going beyond what is expected. What do we expect from the education of 16-19 year olds in England? Judging from the funding available, the qualifications on offer and the accountability measures which inevitably steer our work, our national aspirations for … Continue reading
NewVIc breaks all its university progression records.
Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) has always had high rates of university progression, both in terms of numbers and the proportion of leavers progressing. These have consistently been well above the national and London averages. We are also very proud … Continue reading
Posted in Education, NewVIc
Tagged aspiration, Education, Newham Sixth Form College, NewVIc, Russell group, Social mobility, university progression
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Sharing the secrets of success
This is what I say to all new students at Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) after welcoming them on their first day: Now you’ve enrolled and you’re about to start your first year as a sixth form student here, what … Continue reading
Posted in NewVIc, Parents, Students
Tagged aspiration, Education, learning, Newham Sixth Form College, NewVIc, Sixth form, Sixth form college, Student
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Enrolment: where aspiration meets reality
It’s a crazy way to start the year; enrolling all our students over a few days in late August before we can start teaching them. Enrolment is a major cross-college team effort which requires every member of staff to do something different … Continue reading
Russell group numbers soar in Newham
This year, more students than ever before are progressing from Newham Sixth Form College (NewVIc) to Russell group universities. Once again the college has the highest number of Russell group progressors of any Newham sixth form. 90 NewVIc students have … Continue reading
Education or training?
The Conservative manifesto includes a commitment to ‘continue to replace lower-level, classroom based Further Education courses with high-quality apprenticeships that combine training with experience of work and a wage.’ Given that we now have a Conservative-only government, we need to understand … Continue reading
Aspiration – what’s that all about?
Are you suffering from aspiration fatigue? In a week when Labour leadership contenders were falling over themselves to urge the party to do more to appeal to ‘aspirational’ voters it’s not surprising we’re already tiring of it, especially when it’s … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
Tagged aspiration, Brian May, Education, elections, Labour party, Solidarity
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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
Posted in Education, Education policy, NewVIc
Tagged Aim Higher, aspiration, Cambridge university, Colleges, Colleges and Universities, competition, Hannah Uzor, Les Ebdon, Newham Sixth Form College, Peter Claus, Queen Mary University of London, Russell group, Samina Khan, Universities, University and college union (UCU), university progression, widening participation
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College success with disadvantaged students
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
Targeted by the “aspiration tax”
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
Colleges are real engines of social mobility
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
Drop the aspiration tax
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
Eddie Playfair 