Educational inequality — Pondering the problems of attainment
Education is invariably a sensitive issue. It brings to the fore ideological positions: beliefs about personal agency and meritocracy, preferences relating to social equality, and philosophical considerations about what knowledge is and what education...
The illusion of progress in school sport and physical education policy
You could be forgiven for thinking that policy changes gradually lead to an improvement in the status quo over time. Considering the recent history of policy in school sport and physical education, this would...
Poster on experiences of exercise at age 10 in the BCS70
UPDATE 21/11/2012:
The image is now updated with the correct numbers from the analysis.
I am presenting this poster at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies conference at IOE tomorrow (20/11/2012). It shows some results from a...
In agreement with the Young Foundation
The Young Foundation has just released a report into how to make young people more active. They essentially come to similar conclusions as I did in my opinion pieces in this post and this...
Measuring educational performance
I was recently forwarded a link to an essay by Lord Adonis on his ideas for education if and when a new Labour government is in power. In it, he summarises some of his...
Private schools, academies and hasty generalisations
I was listening to the Today programme this morning on Radio 4, and there was an interview with Lord Adonis and Prof William Richardson (starting at 2:38:20 in the recording here). Adonis, who was...
Employee ownership
A project I worked on at Matrix Evidence in 2010 has been referenced by a recent piece of work led by Graeme Nuttall for BIS: Sharing Success: The Nuttall Review of Employee Ownership. This...
Letter to the Prime Minister
This is an edited version of a letter I was asked to write for the Evening Standard
Dear Mr Cameron,
I doubt any of us would disagree that the London Olympics has been an awe-inspiring spectacle...
The problem with ‘sport’ and the Olympic legacy
Yes, I know, provocative title, especially seeing as we have all been so absorbed by the dramatic trials and tribulations of Team GB (or your own country's team) in the superb London 2012 Olympic...
The politics of school sport
There is a long history of political intervention in the UK to encourage sports participation. In 1960, the Wolfenden report, Sport and the Community led by Sir John Wolfenden, was released. One of its...