Read the programme here.

Read more about the speakers.

This week we are delighted to present our latest instalment with FED Trustee, Patrick Wall. Patrick is the founder of edpol.net, a research project to support better and more enduring policy change. Patrick set up the first Oxford University access programme, Target Schools, in 1982 and first became a school governor in 1988. For the last ten years he has been chair of governors at Ark Academy in Wembley. Patrick is a long standing Sutton Trust Fellow. He has spent thirty five years in business, working in Europe, USA and China. He is founder, and ex-CEO, of a successful European tech company and NED for a tech business, building ethical and sustainable supply chains.

In this fascinating conversation, Patrick and Carl discuss a wide range of issues surrounding policy creation, concerns about the current system of policy creation in England, most notable, instability, constant change made upon schools and colleges and policy churn. They discuss possible causes to this short term thinking, including the revolving door of ministers at the top, the rotation of the civil service, institutional memory, before looking to some possible solutions to help move towards greater stability in the system, whilst looking at international examples.

This week we are delighted to present this timely instalment with David Gallagher, FED Council Member and CEO of NCFE, a leading educational charity, with business operations in Awarding, Assessment and Learning Technologies and Resources. 

David talks about his own experience of education and how these formative years drive him to ensure that education works for everybody. David talks about a range of issues including apprenticeships, privilege, and knowledge and skills, with a fantastic example of a doctor to help us see this topic more clearly. David is passionate about the role education has at all stages in someone’s life and that it is ‘never too late to make someone’s life the best it can be’. David also thinks back to the advice he wished he had received earlier in his education, not about ‘what he wanted to do, but who he wanted to be’. 

Download the programme here.

To locate each session with ease please find the timestamps below.

0:00 Music played by Shoreditch Park Academy 

1:29 Video ‘Future of Teaching – Celebrating teacher expertise’ – Chartered College of Teaching

12:10 Introduction by Professor Anne Bamford OBE, City of London Corporation

12:50 Alderman and Sheriff Nicholas Lyons, City of London Corporation

23:13 Welcome to the Celebration Event – Carl Ward, FED Chair 

26:15 Welcome from The Chartered College of Teaching and the launch of ‘ Future of Teaching – Celebrating teacher expertise’ – Professor Dame Alison Peacock

30:47 Hosts of the day: Mohamed Alam Begi and Claire Muhlawako Madzura co-chairs FED Learners Council.

Presentation 1: Winner of the ‘150 Years – 150 Words’ Competition – Post 16 Category 

Poem by Anica Tahsin 

Judged and presented by Bella Cox 

33:50 Sir Michael Barber in conversation with Dr Michelle Clement, King’s College London Launch of ‘1988-2021: How Seventeen Secretaries of State for Education, through Thirty Years of Constant Change, Enabled the System to Improve’ 

51:55 Presentation 2: Winner of the ‘150 Years – 150 Words’ Competition – Secondary Category 

Poem by Max Pitton 

Judged and presented by Zohab Zee Khan 

54:55 PANEL: CELEBRATING EDUCATION chaired by Carl Ward

• Professor Dame Alison Peacock Chartered College of Teaching
• Mohamed Alam Begi FED Ambassador and co-chair Fed Learners Council 

• Claire Muhlawako Madzura Co Chair Fed learners Council
• Aliyah Irabor York FED Ambassador 

1:11:10 Introduction by Carl Ward – Chair of the Foundation for Education Development Robin Walker MP Minister of State for School Standards

Thanked by Aliyah Irabor York FED Young Ambassador 

1:18:03 Presentation 3: Winner of the ‘150 Years – 150 Words’ Competition – Primary Category 

Poem by Henry Lister 

Judged and presented by Christian Foley 

1:24:40 Looking to the Future – the next 150 Years of Lifelong Learning – A call to Action Diana Osagie Founder The Academy of Women’s Leadership 

In this video, Alastair Falk (FED) asks Gregg Behr, Executive Director of The Grable Foundation, and co-chair of Remake Learning, a network of educators, scientists, artists, and makers he founded in 2007, to talk about what learning beyond the classroom means to him and what it is his experience. This thought-provoking and inspiring talk provides excellent insights and examples into how we can engage with the wider community and ignite passions in all our learners.

This week we are delighted to present this timely instalment with Sir Anthony Seldon, FED Ambassador, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Buckingham and a commissioner on the Times Education Commission, a commission that was initially proposed by Sir Anthony. 

In this important conversation, you will hear Sir Anthony talks about the work of the Times Education Commission, a year long project expected to inform government policy and to lead to radical change across schools, colleges and universities. Sir Anthony talks about the key areas of focus, the process of evidence gathering and his hopes and aspirations for the work of the commission. For Anthony talks about how he hopes the outcomes of the commission will inform the work of the Foundation for Education Development to help shape a long term vision and plan for education.

The 10 key areas of focus of the Times Education Commission are:

1. The purpose of education.
2. Social mobility (to include the attainment gap, early-years).
3. What children learn (the curriculum).
4. How children learn (teaching and pedagogy).
5. Assessment.
6. Education in the community (to include family, lifelong learning, classroom of the future, faith schools and the environment).
7. Mental health and wellbeing (to include character, brain development, food and fitness).
8. The role of AI and technology.
9. Exclusion, alternative provision and special educational needs.
10. Further education and higher education

The FED have worked to build just this coalition of views about the need for a long-term plan. As this short video shows, the launch of our National Education Consultation Report in April 2021 gained exactly this cross-party support.

This week we are delighted to present our latest instalment with the world-leading authority on the effectiveness of government, Sir Michael Barber. Michael is the founder and chairman of Delivery Associates, a global advisory firm focussed on working with governments and other public and social impact organisations to help them deliver improved outcomes for people around the world.

In this important conversation, Michael talks about the release of his new book titled ‘Accomplishment’. He delves into the way that accomplishing ambitious and challenging things is a process that can lend itself to Government, elite sport and of course the education system. Bringing together examples from his personal experience to support his ideas, including numerous stories from his time in education, he references an interview with Gareth Southgate after the 2018 Wold Cup on the process behind a successful penalty shoot out, a relevant anecdote to current circumstances. Michael argues that accomplishment is achievable for all through a deep belief that it is possible, but that it will never be easy – a core message to take away from his discussions.

You can purchase Michael’s newly released book here.

This week we are delighted to present our latest instalment with the ever-passionate David Harkin. David is a FED Council Member, an entrepreneur and the CEO of the award-winning education company 8billionideas which exists to give every student the skills and belief to change the world.

In this fascinating conversation, David talks about the need for a long-term vision and plan for education and references Winston Churchill who suggested that all decisions should be made with a 25 year lens and worked back from that end point. David reflects on the need for an evolution of the system, through accelerating incremental change and how there are great examples of innovation across the system. David reflects on some of the barriers to the evolution of the system and identifies three areas to help support this.

This week we are delighted to present our latest instalment with the incredible Lord John Bird MBE, a FED National Ambassador and Founder of the Big Issue, which is celebrating it’s 30th Birthday this year.

In this fascinating conversation you can hear Lord Bird talk passionately about his Wellbeing and Future Generations Bill, currently working its way through Parliament, that in his words ‘is a simple device that ensures that any legislation has to pass through the prism of ‘how will this affect future generations’’. Lord Bird also talks passionately about ‘turning everyone green’ through their environment, education and socialisation. Lord Bird highlights the damage caused by poverty and that this bill hopes to tackle the issues of poverty, education and the environment. Watch this fascinating conversation here.

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