IOE launches policy-facing debates series

The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) launches its public engagement series of events this month, with the first taking place on Tuesday 31 October.

Titled 'What if…', the series aims to stimulate discussion around key issues relating to education. It will reflect on the status quo, celebrate progress but also consider how we might change things for the better to achieve commonly held goals for our education system.

With one debate each month, the series will bring together a range of commentators, politicians, leading educational researchers and practitioners to generate debate from a range of perspectives.

Professor Becky Francis, Director of the UCL Institute of Education (IOE), said: "We want to use our reputation and our scholarly excellence to help advance debate and understanding around education. To that end, we're creating a really stimulating outward-facing events programme that will bring these debates to the public, to education practitioners and policymakers, and to parents and students. We want to bring some fresh thinking to pivotal debates in the field."

The series is launched in association with the Tes. Ed Dorrell, Head of Content at the Tes, commented: "I am delighted that the Tes is involved with these events. The IOE has long been one of Britain's most influential homes for educational discussion - and so has the Tes. It's a natural fit.

"I fully expect both the series and the partnership to become firmly established on the education landscape."

The first debate, 'What if… we wanted to further social mobility through education?' explores the prominent contemporary debate around social mobility in the UK, what role education can play in boosting mobility, and how that might best be achieved.

Chaired by Professor Francis, the panel includes: Lord David Willetts, Executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation; James Croft, Founding Director of the Centre for Education Economics; Diane Reay, Professor of Education at Cambridge University; and Kate Pickett from the University of York.

The following debates look at how we could overcome the academic-vocational divide (28 November) and transform teaching as a career choice (5 December).

The events will be live streamed and available to watch on the IOE website shortly afterwards.

Media coverage

• Tes
  

Links

• IOE Public Debates series
• What if… we really wanted to further social mobility through education?
• What if…we really wanted to overcome the academic-vocational divide?
• What if…we wanted to transform teaching as a career choice?
• TES
• Professor Becky Francis Q&A