What if… we really wanted to support schools facing the greatest challenge?
06 February 2018, 5:45 pm–7:00 pm

Some schools have made a name for themselves in performing 'against the odds', their pupils chalking up impressive achievements in national tests and exams. But still there remains a link between schools' circumstances and their performance, and some glaring geographical disparities.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Organiser
-
Kate Thomas
Location
-
Jeffrey HallUCL Institute of Education20 Bedford WayLondonWC1H 0ALUnited Kingdom
Breaking that link has been a focal point for education policy and many high profile organisations in education over the past two decades. There are occasional signs of progress, but they have often been modest and faltering. How far can we get with school-based interventions, and are there any such interventions, existing or hypothetical, that we should pursue with greater vigour?
Come and debate sector leaders' views on which policies and interventions we should prioritise in order to cut through this problem once and for all, and what wider reforms would best help more schools in challenging circumstances.
Watch or listen to the debate again
Speakers
- Sir David Carter, National Schools Commissioner, Department for Education
- Vic Goddard, Headteacher of Passmores Academy, Harlow
- Lucy Heller, Chief Executive, Ark
- Sam Freedman, Executive Director of Participant Impact and Delivery, Teach First
- Chair: Becky Francis, Director, UCL Institute of Education
The IOE Public Debates: What if… series
Through this series we'll be bringing together a range of commentators - academics, politicians, practitioners, policy wonks - and pushing them to bring some radical new thinking to some of the apparently intractable issues within education, not least the English education system.
Join the conversation on Twitter at #IOEDebates.
Links
- TES: Vic Goddard on school accountability
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- The IOE Public Debates series
