Whose schools are they, anyway? A review essay
FORUM - ISSN 0963-8253
Volume 63 Number 3 (2021)
Whose schools are they, anyway? A review essay
Terry Wrigley, Gawain Little pages 46-57
DOI: 10.3898/forum.2021.63.3.06
Abstract
This review essay brings together reflections on four recent books about the current state of England's school system, how this was brought about and what might be a road to recovery. The books have some overlapping themes such as the academy system, testing, accountability and central political control, but interesting differences of approach; however, all of them raise fundamental questions about system change and the quality of young people's education. The conclusion consolidates and extends the theories from the four books with the aim of enhancing a clear understanding for education campaigners and finding ways forward. Both authors have been actively involved in building Reclaiming Schools, a research network established to underpin the work of the NEU, parents and other activists through reliable knowledge (see reclaimingschools.org). The Reclaiming Schools website has regularly drawn on the work of several of these books' authors. Full publication details for each book addressed in the review essay can be found at the end.
To cite this article
Terry Wrigley, Gawain Little (2021) Whose schools are they, anyway? A review essay, FORUM, 63(3), 46-57. https://doi.org/10.3898/forum.2021.63.3.06