Tag Archives: young people

Education or training?

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

The Conservative manifesto includes a commitment to ‘continue to replace lower-level, classroom based Further Education courses with high-quality apprenticeships that combine training with experience of work and a wage.’ Given that we now have a Conservative-only government, we need to understand … Continue reading →

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Welcome back, minister

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Dear secretary of state, Congratulations on your reappointment. You have the advantage of being more familiar with your ministerial in-tray than most. This is only a very short addition to it. Among the urgent issues for your consideration are some … Continue reading →

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Young people and the election

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Are young people turned off politics? Will they vote? Do they care who wins the election? Are all parties the same? Are the candidates just hacks mindlessly parroting their parties’ approved slogans? This week’s general election hustings at Newham sixth … Continue reading →

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The case for sixth form colleges

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

From ‘What’s next for education?’ (New Visions Group, 2015) By any objective standard, England’s 93 sixth form colleges are among this country’s great educational success stories. They offer more opportunities, higher standards and a broader experience for students aged 16-19 … Continue reading →

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5 vocational myths to avoid

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

A checklist for politicians who want to talk about vocational education and apprenticeships during the election campaign: Myth 1. The vocational route is a practical alternative to university Many students on advanced vocational courses progress to university and these courses are … Continue reading →

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Bacc on the agenda

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

If England is to have a post-16 education system fit for an advanced modern democracy we need to move towards a single national baccalaureate capable of meeting the aspirations of all young people and founded on shared values and a … Continue reading →

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Your college interview

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

How should you approach your sixth form college interview and get the most from the experience? Following my previous posts How to choose a sixth form and How to make a strong college application, here is some advice about getting … Continue reading →

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Investing in 16-19 education

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Labour’s promise to maintain education spending from nursery to 19 year olds and increase it at least by inflation is very welcome. No such protection is on offer from the Conservatives who are promising ‘flat cash’ for pre-16’s and apparently … Continue reading →

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Re-imagining the university

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

A celebration of Birkbeck’s latest innovation in higher education in London. Anish Kapoor’s amazing Orbit here in East London’s Olympic quarter calls to mind previous sculptural structures built on a monumental scale. Together with Gustave Eiffel’s tower in Paris and … Continue reading →

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How to make a strong college application

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

How can students make sure that their sixth form application is as strong as possible and does justice to their achievements, interests and aspirations? If you are in Year 11, you need to be thinking about where you want to … Continue reading →

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Colleges and violent extremism

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

I work in a large inner city sixth form college with 2,600 students in London’s 3rd most socio-economically deprived borough where unemployment, poverty and homelessness are more common than average. Another way of describing the college is that it is also … Continue reading →

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Do qualifications create wealth?

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Does education make us richer? A ridiculous question perhaps, but the belief that educational achievement leads to economic growth is strongly held by many politicians despite all evidence to the contrary. The recent Department for Education press release claiming that … Continue reading →

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Exam success boosts the economy by £1.3 Billion?

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Simplex and Sapiens are discussing the latest press release from the Department for Education. Simplex: Have you seen the latest figures for GCSE results under this government? They’re truly amazing! Sapiens: You mean the proportion of 16 year olds achieving … Continue reading →

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Labour’s disappearing National Bacc

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Has Labour ditched its commitment to a National Baccalaureate for 14-19 year olds? According to the party’s Education and Children statement, Labour will ‘establish an overarching National Baccalaureate framework for all post-16 students which would include high quality academic and … Continue reading →

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Building the Bacc from below

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

I was delighted to attend the National Baccalaureate summit on 28th November held at Highbury Grove School and hosted by Tom Sherrington, the headteacher. This was an opportunity for a range of people to take stock of the various baccalaureate-like … Continue reading →

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