Tag Archives: Education

Is vocational education in England really ‘inadequate’?

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The case for the prosecution: “Educational provision for the many children who do not succeed at 16 or who would prefer an alternative to higher education, is inadequate at best and non-existent at worst.” Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector … Continue reading →

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Reducing London’s disadvantage gap.

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

There is much talk of the educational performance gap between disadvantaged students, eligible for free school meals (FSM), and their peers. One measure of success for sixth form students is progression to university of students reaching the end of their … Continue reading →

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Education: what’s it all for?

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

The House of Commons Education Select Committee has launched an inquiry into the purpose of education and is asking the following 3 questions: What is the purpose of education for children of all ages in England? What measures should be … Continue reading →

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Let’s celebrate vocational success!

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

I never cease to be surprised at how little most politicians and commentators know about vocational qualifications and their value. There is no shortage of people who will tell us that we need to ‘do something’ about vocational education in this country … Continue reading →

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New Year wishes for sixth form education in 2016

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Eddie Playfair

A year ago I posted 5 New Year wishes for post-16 education. I thought they were modest, realistic and realisable while also offering tangible benefits. My 5 wishes were: Recognise that innovation does not necessarily require the creation of new … Continue reading →

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Blogging as learning: review of 2015.

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

What went well… I’ve enjoyed my second full year of blogging and have continued to write about whatever interests me, resulting in a fairly eclectic collection of posts on a range of topics with education at the top of the … Continue reading →

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Grammaire de Gramsci et Dialectique de Dewey.

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

‘Dewey eyed optimism : the possibility of a democratic education’ – James Donald (1992) (Original post in English available here) Il y a plus de 20 ans que j’ai découvert cet essai dans l’édition de Mars / Avril 1992 de la … Continue reading →

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The London Mayor’s Education Conference.

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority (GLA) have no statutory responsibilities for education, however they can use their convening power to bring people together, to advocate and call for action and to persuade. In many ways, the … Continue reading →

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Educating after the November 13th attacks.

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Philippe Meirieu on keeping the big questions open The French educationalist Philippe Meirieu reflects in Café Pedagogique on how the French education system should respond to the 13th November Paris massacre: “Our society’s response to terrorism must keep faith with … 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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University progression for the NewVIc class of 2015

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Every year, when we analyse our students’ university destinations, we conclude that the current year is our best year ever. And every year it’s true. Our class of 2015 is another great cohort, full of ambitious and determined young people, … Continue reading →

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France: “teachers need to resist”

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Following the terrorist outrages of November 13th , French sociologist Francois Dubet reflected on the Café Pedagogique website on the impact of such atrocities on the work of schools and on the role of schools in the aftermath of the … Continue reading →

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Learning by walking about.

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

It was just a walk; teachers and students following a circular 20 mile route around central London. It was also a personal challenge for each of us; to keep going, to keep up, to map-read, to learn new things and … 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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Cracking Oxbridge

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Nationally, 93% of young people in England are educated in state-funded schools and colleges, but only 61% of Cambridge university undergraduates are drawn from the state sector, a figure which has recently fallen. At Oxford university the proportion is less than … Continue reading →

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