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School Wars

The Battle for Britain's Education

Author: Melissa Benn

School Wars tells the story of the struggle for Britain's education system. Established during the 1960s and based on the progressive ideal of good schools for all, the... ...read more

ISBN-13: 9781844677368
ISBN-10: 1844677362
Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 22/08/2011
Format: Paperback
RRP: £12.99
Stock: This item is currently available in approximately 10 working days.
Price: £12.99  
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Product Description
School Wars tells the story of the struggle for Britain's education system. Established during the 1960s and based on the progressive ideal of good schools for all, the comprehensive system has over the past decades come under sustained attack from successive governments. From the poorest comprehensives to the most well-resourced independent schools, School Wars takes a forensic look at the inequalities of our current system, the damaging impact of spending cuts, the rise of "free schools" and the growth of the private sector in education. Melissa Benn explores, too, the dangerous example of US education reform, where privatization, punitive accountability and the rise of charter schools have intensified social, economic and ethnic divisions. The policies of successive British governments have been muddled and confused, but one thing is clear: that the relentless application of market principles signals a fundamental shift from the ideal f quality education as a public good, to education as market-controlled commodity. Benn ends by outlining some key principles for restoring strong educational values within a fair, non-selective public education system.
Author Information
Melissa Benn
MELISSA BENN is a writer, journalist and campaigner. She writes for, among others, the Guardian, the London Review of Books, Cosmopolitan and the New Statesman. A high-profile campaigner for comprehensive education, her writing on education includes Education and Democracy, coedited with Clyde Chitty and A Comprehensive Future: Quality and Equality for All Our Children. A Frequent broadcaster and regular speaker on educational issues, she is a founder member of the Local Schools Network, set up to support local schools and to counter media misinformation about their achievements and the challenges they face.
Product Reviews
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"Melissa Benn deserves - demands - to be read. This a passionate but well made argument for universal public education to promote every child's chances - not just for them, but for us." - Will Hutton, author of Them and Us: Changing Britain - Why We Need a Fair Society "A tremendous book. It is a passionate polemic about the most important policy divide of the day, schooling, the area changing more at the hands of the coalition government than any other." - Anthony Seldon, Observer "[A] partisan but surprisingly fair book ... is refreshing, in a debate usually full of denunciations. " - Andy Beckett , Guardian "A poetically eloquent ... [and] important watershed. It is a clear-sighted re-statement of why universal, comprehensive education is - obviously - the best option. It should, and hopefully will, be taken as a rallying call to the left." - Phil Beadle, Independent "A passionate defence of comprehensive schools." - Guardian "Superb, evidence-based history of the educational battleground during the second half of the last century." - Camden New Journal "Short, well written and passionate." - Francis Beckett, New Statesman.