EDUCATION FOR THE GOOD SOCIETY - Support

ForewordSince last year’s election, education has takencentre stage as one of the most heated debatesin British politics. But while radical reformsare changing the landscape of state fundededucation, there is a distinct feeling of drift andfragmentation on the left.In Government New Labour transformedcrumbling, leaky buildings into shining, wellequippedcentres of learning in some of the mostdisadvantaged areas of the country. For somegroups of children, opportunities were opened upand lives transformed.But too often education equipped childrenfor the workforce, not for life, and teacherscomplained that their skills and judgment weresidelined by central diktat. Schools were pittedagainst one another in a quasi-market where onlyacademic results seemed to count and BobbyKennedy’s words echoed around the educationsystem: “it measures everything, in short, exceptthat which makes life worthwhile”.In the face of fundamental change sweepingacross the education system there is anurgent need for an alternative vision based oncollaboration, not competition. This is as mucha journey of rediscovery as it is redirection. AsJon Cruddas points out, education in its broadestsense – as the basis of a fulfilled life – was a richpart of the working-class socialist tradition; it’stime to reclaim it.Taken together the essays in this book setout a vision of an education system that lies atthe heart of a good society. It is a vision wherechildren get not just an academic but a socialeducation and where school becomes a place forsocial enlightenment, not social advantage. Atits centre is a commitment to lifelong learningand communities that are empowered to driveimprovements, where schools are democratisedand children’s well being and academic attainmentare not alternative but synonymous. It is a visionof a system where children are equipped forlife, not just the workforce and where what iscounted is wider than narrow academic results.But equally, and importantly, it is a vision whereacademic attainment really matters and wherebeing equal doesn’t just mean being the same.The book strays into important butuncomfortable territory by taking on questionsthat have gone unasked and assumptions takenfor granted for far too long. Does choice alwaysconflict with the common good, or are the twofundamentally tied together? Was raising theschool participation age an important protectionfor the poorest, or was it a missed opportunity toreshape the education system to meet the needs ofa more diverse range of young people? And doesachieving equality have to mean central control,or is there a way to empower communities andrespect teachers’ expertise without entrenchingdisadvantage?In Britain we have never had a trulycomprehensive education system and this posesa significant challenge. As Neal Lawson andKen Spours point out at the outset, educationhas never achieved the same golden status in thepublic mind as the NHS; it has never had its ‘1948moment’.But while the scale of the challenge is daunting,it is clear that there has been never been a moreimportant time to rise to it. The essays in thisbook are not without controversy and, I hope,will spark the sort of heated debate throughwhich a good education system and, ultimately, agood society are born.Lisa Nandy MPEducation for the good society | 5