Tag Archives: competition

In praise of ‘low value’ subjects.

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Eddie Playfair

The English education system is built on value judgements. Measures of provider quality, qualification currency and student achievement create a web of rankings which shape our view of the system, and the resulting hierarchies impact how everyone feels about where … Continue reading →

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What future for Sixth Form Colleges?

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

I was asked to give a personal view on the future of sixth form colleges at the 2016 FE Staff Governors Conference on 2nd December, organised by a group of education unions: UNISON, ATL/AMIE, UCU and NAS/UWT together with the … 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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Market autonomy or democratic autonomy?

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

With French presidential and parliamentary elections due in April , May and June next year, politicians on all sides agree that education should be a high priority and they are trying out a range of policies for education reform. These … Continue reading →

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A level minority report: Dance, Music, Philosophy.

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

I start from a belief that Dance, Music and Philosophy are wonderful A level subjects which should be accessible to sixth form students not too far from where they live as part of a broad educational offer. The published performance tables provide … Continue reading →

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Is collaboration the solution or the problem?

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

‘Collaboration between schools is now seen as an important way to improve educational performance yet little is known definitively about what impact this has for improving pupil attainment’. An interesting point which may well be worth looking into and luckily … Continue reading →

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Leadership for partnership

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Published in the TES on 20th November 2015 as Forget your inhibitions and get in bed with a competitor As leaders we are expected to champion the interests of our institutions. It’s part of our core purpose, it helps hold … Continue reading →

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Developing Labour’s vision for education

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The heady summer campaign is over and a new leader has been elected. It’s time for the party to turn its attention to policy development as well as effective opposition. Across the whole spectrum of public policy, the party needs … Continue reading →

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Starting to think about a National Education Service

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The hysterical reaction from some quarters to the election of a new Labour leader has been quite extraordinary. In his first week in post after an overwhelming victory, Jeremy Corbyn has been portrayed as ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ … Continue reading →

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No austerity of the imagination

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

What’s the mood in sixth form and further education 10 weeks after the election? Following the May general election there’s no question that post-16 education wherever it takes place faces greater austerity than any other phase of education. 16-18 year olds are funded … Continue reading →

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Market madness: condition critical

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Market madness: condition critical From Forum vol.57, no.2, 2015 The condition of English education is critical. It has been weakened by pathological marketization and is in desperate need of treatment to restore it to health. In this article, I try to … Continue reading →

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Snatching hope from the jaws of despair

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

What we say and do about post-16 education, like everything else, has to be seen in the context of the outcome of the recent general election. Elections are the great democratic moment when the people ‘speak’ and all our individual choices … Continue reading →

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Market madness #7: What markets do to us

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The creeping marketization of education has many aspects, each of which changes the way we see ourselves and the way we relate to others. Commodification: If education is seen as a commodity; something which can be consumed and traded, then schools, … Continue reading →

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Education 2020: market or system?

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

What will education in England be like in 2020? As the 2015 general election approaches, what are the possible futures for education in England? An election is a democratic moment where we are offered a choice of futures and we … Continue reading →

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5 New Year wishes for post-16 education

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Here are my 5 personal post-16 education wishes for 2015. I think they are modest, realistic and realisable and could probably be progressed at no net cost. I believe that, taken together, these 5 changes could start to yield tangible benefits for … Continue reading →

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