Tag Archives: liberal education

Finding Labour’s Education Mojo

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Less than a year before the general election, has the Labour Party developed winning education policies? Tristram Hunt’s latest speech ‘The Choice in Education’ was a bit like a pre-tour band rehearsal. A range of material was tried out, some … Continue reading →

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Trivium 21c by Martin Robinson

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

I am so glad to have finally got round to reading Trivium 21c. I was expecting a treat and I wasn’t disappointed. This is an important book which should be read by anyone interested in the purpose and practice of … Continue reading →

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Labour’s vocational vision: two-nation thinking wrapped in one-nation talk?

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

The Labour party wants to position itself as the party of skills and vocational education. Party leader Ed Miliband and shadow minister Liam Byrne have both made recent major speeches on this issue. Clearly, any party standing on a ‘one … Continue reading →

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Sixth forms working together against the tide

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Opening speech to the Sharing Good Practice conference at St.Angela’s school, Stratford, 4th June 2014. We are all here today because we are committed to providing the best possible educational opportunities to young people aged 16-18 and because we think … Continue reading →

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Post-16 citizenship in tough times

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

The times we live in demand more than ever that we assume responsibility for ensuring that all young people are educated for global citizenship, in other words for survival. What might this look like post-16? The context The current context … Continue reading →

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Culture, tradition and values in education

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Eric Robinson, who died in 2011, was an outstanding and progressive college principal and polytechnic director. He was appointed deputy director of North East London Polytechnic (now the University of East London) in 1970, led Bradford College from 1973 to … Continue reading →

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The National Bacc: a “one nation” curriculum

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

The curriculum we offer young people aged 14-18 in England is a divided patchwork of qualifications which is increasingly seen in hierarchical terms: “facilitating” A levels worth the most, non “facilitating” A-levels worth less and vocational qualifications least valued of … Continue reading →

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The comprehensive college

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Why do we persist in describing our sixth form college as comprehensive when the term has been unfashionable for some time and there is no requirement to have an inclusive admissions policy? We’re proud to be comprehensive and, for us, … 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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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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