Tag Archives: Equality

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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What is powerful knowledge?

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

In Knowledge and the Future School (2014) the sociologist of education Michael Young proposes a ‘return to knowledge’ following what he regards as the ‘turn away from knowledge’ taken by some progressives including Young himself in his earlier work. This … Continue reading →

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‘Not for Profit’ by Martha Nussbaum

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

In Not for Profit (2010), the U.S. philosopher and academic Martha Nussbaum argues that we are in the midst of a global crisis in education. Why? Because we are too willing to neglect the skills we need to keep democracy … Continue reading →

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For a National Education Service

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Jeremy Corbyn, who is standing for the Labour leadership, is the first leading politician to advocate a National Education Service as far as I know. His speech on this can be read here. So what might an N.E.S look like? … Continue reading →

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London: a global learning city

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Next May, London will elect a new mayor and Greater London Authority (GLA). The mayor has no statutory education powers but the fact that they are directly elected by the people of London gives them a legitimacy and convening power … Continue reading →

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For a pragmatic idealism

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

We all have a range of perspectives on education arising from our various roles: professional, personal and political. In those roles, whether as teachers, learners, parents, governors or trade unionists we need to find ways of dealing with the world … 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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Education for solidarity

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

We should work with each other for the common good. Education should develop and support our understanding and consideration of others and our ability to exercise and challenge power collectively.1 Solidarity is a powerful idea but a widely misunderstood word … Continue reading →

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Educational inequality in France

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

With a far more cohesive national education system than ours, it is tempting to assume that France is more successful in challenging social inequalities through schooling. In fact, French educators share many of our concerns about the limits of their … Continue reading →

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A better future for London?

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The political parties are currently in the process of choosing their candidates for the 2016 London mayoral and Greater London Assembly elections. For Labour, this means that members in London are pondering who is best placed to help win back the … Continue reading →

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Education: the universal human right

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

We should understand our common humanity in order to put our differences in perspective. Values and rights need to apply to all to be effective. Education should be a global human right, provided on the same basis to all.1 Universalism … Continue reading →

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Is social mobility enough?

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Analysing the data in the recently published Sutton Trust Social Mobility Index* has made me reflect a bit on ‘social mobility’ as a goal of public policy. My conclusion: it’s a worthy but inadequate response to the many injustices and … Continue reading →

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Roberto Unger on school as the ‘voice of the future’

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

In his excellent book ‘The Left Alternative’ the Brazilian philosopher and politician Roberto Unger proposes a new way for progressives to think about the future and start creating the good society. Unger suggests we should not give up on the central promise … Continue reading →

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