Terry Edwards and Carl Parsons tell the story of the takeover of England’s schools by the super-efficient, modernising, academising machine, which, in collaboration with a dynamic, forward-looking government is recasting the educational landscape. England’s school system is turbo-charged into a new era and will be the envy of the world, led by Chief Executives of Multi Academy Trusts on bankers’ salaries, imposing a slim curriculum, the soundest of discipline regimes and ensuring that highest standards will be achieved even if at the expense of teacher morale, poor service to special needs, off-rolling of students and despite an absolute lack of evidence that this privatised system works.

The story of the takeover of England's schools by the super-efficient, modernising, academising machine.

Nigel Gann explains how English schools provided by local councils and embedded in communities were grabbed by an authoritarian government and handed to billionaire business owners. Administrators and academics with knowledge and understanding built up over decades were replaced by a new ‘educational establishment’ of hedge-fund investors and political cronies. Utilising the ‘seven deadly sins’ of corporatised schools, a new ‘blob’ turned a public good into a milch cow for privately-educated politicians and their mates. Then they abandoned Europe and exploited a world-wide killer disease to corner the market in government contracts. But Gann offers a way forward. "Nigel Gann's analysis should be read by anyone who is interested in the reality of how control of our schools has become much less democratic. The account of this experienced school governor and teacher makes compulsive reading." Warwick Mansell, writer/editor of the website Education Uncovered. “The book is an excellent read . . . I recommend it to all those involved in the school system in England – you will gain new and important insights.” Chris James, Emeritus Professor of Educational Leadership and Management, Department of Education, University of Bath “Nigel Gann offers an impassioned rejection of the celebrated gains of ‘academisation’ in the English education system and communicates a new vision of education, with public trust, transparency and localism at its core.” Dr Andrew Wilkins, Goldsmiths, University of London “A fascinating read into the world of education through the lens of the forced academisation of a rural primary school.” Raj Unsworth, chair of governors, special advisor to Headteachers Roundtable

This book offers provocations for what’s now and what’s next in educational leadership, simultaneously bringing the field both back to its basics—of equity, democracy, humanity, and education for all—and forward to productive, innovative, and necessary possibilities. Written during the pandemic reality of 2020, this collection shares the global voices and expertise of prominent and emerging leaders, scholars, and practitioners in education from the UK, the United States, South America, Canada, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. The authors engage with the complexities and uncertainties of leading in education. They examine research, reflections, and real stories from which school leaders, education system leaders, policymakers, and researchers in the field of educational leadership, can learn, and in which they will find honesty, authority, and inspiration to guide the future of the field. The new perspectives and hopeful alternatives presented in this outstanding book are essential to researchers, school leaders, and policymakers, and are key to advancing education into positive and democratic futures.

“Richard Race has long proven that multicultural education and multiculturalism in [British] education are key to understanding and fostering social and community cohesion. This important book builds on decades of work, adding fresh insights that reflect the complexity of social and political issues faced in the UK… What Race and colleagues have done is both courageous and coruscating.” Professor Paul W Miller, Director of the Institute for Educational & Social Equity, UK “This edited book is a powerful curation of narratives, which set out pertinent and relevant perspectives on evolving dialogues in multiculturalism and multicultural education… It is a timely, comprehensive and insightful tome, which will be a useful addition to any global anti-racist bookshelf.” Dr Susan Davis, Reader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Education, School of Education and Social Policy, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK Multicultural dialogues are as important now as ever. This volume explores narratives in education that have developed internationally in response to changing policies and the modern world. Its contributions reflect on the necessity of sustained dialogue within the wider social and political sciences alongside national and international politics, to enable more multicultural voices to be heard and to respond to the challenges of the modern world. Cultural diversity is a great societal strength and globalisation within education can increase our understanding of this. This edited volume: •Comprises work by researchers from across the globe •Draws on real-life case studies and empirical evidence •Consists of 20+ chapters covering a range of topics Building on case studies from England, Turkey, Italy and more, this text transcends national policy to ask what the core values of multicultural education truly are. From policy and pedagogy to the impact on curricula, it is essential reading for students and those working across the fields of education and sociology, particularly with an interest in social justice, inclusion and multiculturalism. Richard Race is Senior Lecturer in Education at Teesside University, UK and a Visiting Professor at Sapienza University, Italy. Richard is a member of the Executive Board of the Society of Educational Studies and Editorial Board Member of the British Journal of Educational Studies.

. Renewal of Life by Transmission. The most notable distinction between living and inanimate things is that the former maintain themselves by renewal. A stone when struck resists. If its resistance is greater than the force of the blow struck, it remains outwardly unchanged. Otherwise, it is shattered into smaller bits. Never does the stone attempt to react in such a way that it may maintain itself against the blow, much less so as to render the blow a contributing factor to its own continued action. While the living thing may easily be crushed by superior force, it none the less tries to turn the energies which act upon it into means of its own further existence. If it cannot do so, it does not just split into smaller pieces (at least in the higher forms of life), but loses its identity as a living thing. As long as it endures, it struggles to use surrounding energies in its own behalf. It uses light, air, moisture, and the material of soil. To say that it uses them is to say that it turns them into means of its own conservation. As long as it is growing, the energy it expends in thus turning the environment to account is more than compensated for by the return it gets: it grows. Understanding the word "control" in this sense, it may be said that a living being is one that subjugates and controls for its own continued activity the energies that would otherwise use it up. Life is a self-renewing process through action upon the environment.

With almost daily reports of failings in school management, what can be done to improve educational outcomes for everyone? Pat Thomson takes on England’s muddled education system, highlighting failings caused by the actions of ministers in successive governments. While corrupt actions are taken by some, it is predominantly the corruption of the system that is at fault. She exposes fraudulent and unethical practices, including the skewing of the curriculum and manipulation of results, and argues for an urgent review, leading to a revitalised education system that has the public good at its heart.