Staying On?

 The Channel 4 Education Debate

6 – 8 pm followed by drinks   

4 February 2008

Ed Balls the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has described the Government’s commitment to raising the education leaving age to 18 as "the first big 21st-century policy the Government is introducing". 

Is this policy a vindication of the success of the Government’s reforms of the education over the past 10 years?  

Or does this new element of compulsion suggest a failure to develop a curriculum that sufficiently motivates and inspires students?  

Will ‘staying on’ to 18 raise education standards and improve the employability and promote social mobility as the Government believe?  

How does this policy address the basic causes of poor education before 16 at a time when less than 50 per cent of 16-year-olds achieve five GCSEs at good grades including English and Maths? 

‘Staying On? will offer you a chance to debate these issues with a distinguished panel and audience of teachers, parents and  policy makers. 

Shaun Bailey - co-founder of My Generation and Conservative Party candidate for Hammersmith 

Professor Tim Brighouse, Chair of the 21^st Century Learning Alliance 

Paul Kelley, Head Teacher, Monkseaton School and author of Making Minds: What’s Wrong with Education – and what should we do about it?  

Professor Alison Wolf, Professor of Public Sector Management, Kings College London and author of Does Education Matter?  

Peter Walker, from Ark Education and Principal Designate of Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton

Michael Jones, Member of Edge Learner Forum, currently living in, and working for CITIZEN, in Hackney