Latest thinking

Every child should have an education in arts and culture

Blog

23 Sep 2014

Joe Hallgarten

Guest Blog Column: Vikki Heywood, chair of the RSA, argues that a strong cultural education is vital for the UK's social and economic future. This article was originally published on the Royal Opera House website.

Education and social mobility: how the government is getting it wrong

Blog

15 Sep 2014

Roisin Ellison

Amongst the flurry of free schools, test tinkering and curriculum changes, there was at least one overarching purpose to Michael Gove’s constant battle against ‘the blob’; to turn schools into ‘engines of social mobility’, thus enabling  talented young people to rise above their social background. The logic here was that raising standards in education would send a much-needed ripple effect through the stagnant waters of social mobility. This has been the government’s adopted approach in response to a society where the wealth gap between rich and poor continues to increase and parental income is intimately linked to their child’s future educational attainment. However, new research into the effect of Gove’s changes, particularly his fervent acadamisation of schools, urgently points to this approach as ‘seriously flawed’.

If you love Academies, set them free

Blog

04 Sep 2014

Alison Critchley

It is the first week of the new school year and Academy chains are already back in the news.  Last week Ofsted wrote to AET (Academies Enterprise Trust) expressing concern that too many pupils were not receiving a good enough education, and yesterday the House of Commons Education Committee continued their scrutiny of Academies and Free Schools with an evidence session involving representatives of Academy sponsors and local authorities.

State or private – it’s the wrong question

Blog

22 Jul 2014

Alison Critchley

A recent twitter spat about which of the new set of DFE Ministers are privately educated has got me thinking about whether and how far it matters where the DFE Ministers went to school. My conclusion: state or private is the wrong question.

Admissions and segregation: an unfinished conversation at the Education Reform Summit?

Blog

09 Jul 2014

While thousands of teachers strike this week, the three main parties’ Education ministers will be joined by their European counterparts to speak at the Education Reform Summit in London. The summit, running today and tomorrow in the spirit of ‘ambition’ and ‘inspiration’, will ‘celebrate England’s success in leading the world in education reform’. Members of NUT protesting around the country – and others - may well question the premise that this celebration is based on. It’s hard to argue, for instance, that England is leading in education reform where others follow; some of our structural reforms have trailed Sweden’s, a worrying omen given their recent fall from grace. It’s harder still to argue that England is a leading global player in standards, when in 2013, the country did not make the top 20 in the PISA tables for Reading, Maths, or Science.

An "outstanding" week for RSA Academies.....

Blog

16 May 2014

Alison Critchley

The sun has been shining on the RSA Family of Academies again this week, both literally and metaphorically!

UK “lacks coherent plan for teacher research and development”, finds report

Press release

16 May 2014

The government has no coherent strategy for the development of teachers’ professional capabilities once they enter the classroom, according to an 18 month joint inquiry by BERA and the RSA into the use of research in the teaching profession.

Revealed! Secrets of school collaboration

Blog

18 Mar 2014

Alison Critchley

Last week I attended an excellent Westminster Education Forum Seminar on school-to-school improvement partnerships, which managed to squeeze 17 speakers into a single morning.  In the same spirit of brevity I am sharing my top tips from the morning in tweet-sized chunks.  They are:

Pupils to ‘defend their A’: How behavioural insights can help teachers motivate their class

Press release

14 Mar 2014

With the fear of the cane or other punishments now rightly a thing of the past - how can teachers best motivate and encourage their students to do well? A study from the RSA on motivation in the classroom has recommended some surprising yet simple low-cost measures that could be introduced by any school to boost young people’s expectations, resilience and enjoyment.