This article reflects on the epistemological steamrolling that the 2021 Ofsted Curriculum Research Review (OCRR) accomplishes: in part, by the positioning of the problem and solution through highly selective cherry-picking (omitting key causal factors); in part, through the discursive move of acknowledging complexity before offering simple and…

England for the foreseeable future is stuck with a one-track government that knows only the crisis measures with which Margaret Thatcher responded to the 1970s crisis of capital accumulation. Deregulation of all public services with privatization of provision on the contracting-out state model is seen as the solution to every problem and is a part…

This article illustrates, through the story of one mainstream primary school, the tensions between the inclusion agenda and the standards agenda. The school is situated in an area of social deprivation and nearly half of the school population have been identified as having special educational needs. The story presented in this article illustrates…

This paper argues that the standards agenda works in opposition to the inclusion agenda despite government rhetoric, which suggests that both agendas are complementary. The paper emphasises the need to embrace a broader understanding of what constitutes "achievement" in order to enable all learners to experience success. In developing…

Last October Lord Browne of Madingley published the long-awaited report of his "Independent Review into Higher Education Funding and Student Finance" (Independent Review 2010). Browne and his colleagues recommended the removal of the "cap" on the tuition fees chargeable for first degrees by taxpayer-funded universities in…

This paper reflects on experiences of working with schools in urban contexts as they have attempted to improve the quality of learning. Set within the context of the English education system during a period of intense national pressure to "raise standards", these experiences have been focused around issues of performance and leadership…

This article uses the concept of emotional labour to understand some of the changes that are ongoing in the teaching profession. While research has explored the impact of the new performance culture upon teachers' work and identified a marginalisation of the caring and emotional aspects of teaching, the concept of emotional labour allows us to…

Critiques a paper that presented a study of accreditation for providers of teacher education in the United States and discusses what went wrong when the NCATE came to Brigham Young University. This response asserts that for English readers, the value of the original paper is in the way it helps illustrate the difficulties of establishing robust…

Changes in the British education system are discussed and the weaknesses of the British and American systems are seen to result from common causes. These causes are described as the hours spent watching television, children conditioned to expect entertainment, and educational experiments including open classrooms and "new math."…

The Principal of Rawlins Upper School and Community College in Leicestershire, England, documents the recent effects of retrenchment on his school and questions the government's claim that state funding cuts would not harm the academic program. (SJL)

To make European higher education systems compatible, several systems of certification are being considered, including the German model of final certification, the English model of accumulative certification, the American "add-on" model, and the French model, which extends the "add-on" model. The influence of business and…

Discusses how the National Curriculum in England affects teachers and students. Notes that while standards have risen, many teachers are concerned that teaching is being limited to ensuring students' performance in a narrow range of capabilities. Maintains that the focus should be on teaching children how to think. (KB)

This paper examines the work of the education inspectorates in England and Wales. It specifically addresses the inspectorates' articulation in the Labour Party's general policy shift toward standards-driven reform. The text states that the school inspectorates have been cast as uniquely powerful regulatory agencies within the public sector and are…

Responds to Doug Boughton's accompanying essay based on input from notable assessment practices in Europe and Australia. Addresses what is meant by criteria, objectives, and standards and what role they play in visual arts assessment. Offers a model for rethinking the structure of assessment with respect to these components. (DSK)

This paper discusses changes in England's teacher education, using data from interviews, literature, and observation. The research examined how teachers and teacher educators responded to sweeping changes imposed on schools and education following the Education Reform Act of 1988. Both the United States and England experience significant criticism…