Tag Archives: Social mobility

College success with disadvantaged students

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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 →

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A tale of two boroughs

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

I want to start by telling the story of 16-18 education in two London boroughs; a story which illustrates some of the things I think we should be concerned about. Borough A was an economically disadvantaged area where most secondary schools … Continue reading →

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Post-16 funding: making the wrong choices

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

I agree with quite a lot of what Michael Gove says about the purpose of education and I like his championing of egalitarian aims. I welcome the fact that he has moved the Conservative party away from selection pre-16. I … Continue reading →

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London’s colleges promoting social mobility

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Inner London’s colleges are helping more disadvantaged students get to university than all its school sixth forms. In 2010, Inner London’s 19 colleges and 16-19 schools helped more disadvantaged students to progress to university than all 81 of the area’s … 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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Unashamedly egalitarian

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

If you had the choice before birth of the type of society to be born into but didn’t know your status in advance, what type of society would you choose? No doubt most of us would choose a more egalitarian … Continue reading →

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Colleges are real engines of social mobility

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

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 →

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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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