forums & salons
Education Forum
The Academy of Ideas Education Forum was established in 2004. Through encouraging open and informal debate the Education Forum has created something unique, a true conversation between teachers and education professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. We have done this by offering all participants ample opportunity to examine an important issue through the free flow of argument.
The original aim of the forum was to bring together professionals who work in the area of education who seriously wanted to understand what is happening to education in our schools and further education colleges. We have achieved more than we expected and now have hundreds of people on our mailing list.
The Education Forum is an exciting enterprise that we hope will make a positive contribution towards creating a real debate about education in the UK.
To keep up with our events and other news, register for our mailing list using the form below. For any enquiries, please contact the forum administrator, Gareth Sturdy, via email at garethsturdy@academyofideas.org.uk, giving your contact details and brief information about your professional role and interests in education.
Archive
You can listen to a selection of recent discussions via our Soundcloud playlist.
FORUM CONTENT
EMAIL CONTACTA list of the Education Forum’s committee and their contact details can be found here.
events archive
Time to scrap GCSEs?
7:00pm, Friday 9 October
After toppling statues: is it time to rewrite the curriculum?
7:00pm, Monday 6 July
Back to school: safety versus public service?
7:00pm, Tuesday 26 May
Is it time to reopen our schools?
7:00pm, Tuesday 5 May
Pedagogy and the corona classroom
7:00pm, Wednesday 15 April
Should school children be forced to have the MMR vaccine?
7:00pm, Tuesday 11 February
In conversation: Martin Robinson on ‘Curriculum: Athena versus The Machine’
7:00pm, Thursday 5 December 2019
The Education Culture Wars: what should be the role of schools today?
7:00pm, Monday 18 November 2019
Is teaching my life or just a job?
7:00pm, Monday 16 September 2019
Pupil protests: is something wrong with climate change teaching?
7:00pm, Wednesday 26 June 2019
Should we be worried about sex and relationships education?
7:00pm, Monday 25 March 2019
Genetics, education and intelligence
7:00pm, Tuesday 12 February 2019
Excluded from school - next stop jail?
7:30pm, Monday 12 November 2018
Education Forum at the Battle of Ideas 2018
10:00am, Sunday 14 October 2018
AoI Education Forum at ResearchED 2018
9:00am, Saturday 8 September 2018
Muscular liberalism: hijabs and schools
7:00pm, Monday 11 June 2018
Schools through the ages: an illustrated history
11:00am, Saturday 2 June 2018
Creativity and schools: what is creativity anyway?
7:00pm, Monday 21 May 2018
The rise of the scripted teacher: liberation or disaster?
7:00pm, Monday 23 April 2018
What is a knowledge-led school anyway?
7:00pm, Monday 5 March 2018
What are the rights and wrongs of school dress codes?
7:00pm, Thursday 25 January 2018
Who has made the most important impact on education?
7:00pm, Monday 11 December 2017
Brexit hate crime in schools: shocking truth or over-hyped?
7:00pm, Monday 13 November 2017
Education Forum at the Battle of Ideas 2017
10:00am, Sunday 29 October 2017
Never mind growth mindset - should kids be allowed to fail?
7:00pm, Monday 18 September 2017
Education Forum at ResearchED 2017
9:00am, Saturday 9 September 2017
The History and Meaning of Liberal Education
2:00pm, Saturday 10 June 2017
Nothing to lose? Putting teacher judgement to the test
7:00pm, Monday 8 May 2017
Teacher recruitment crisis: why do great teachers quit?
7:00pm, Monday 20 March 2017
Boy trouble: is gender important in education?
7:00pm, Monday 30 January 2017
‘No excuses’ discipline: does ‘sparing the rod’ spoil the classroom?
7:00pm, Monday 21 November 2016
Education Forum debates at researchED National Conference
10:00am, Saturday 10 September 2016
Are textbooks the answer? And if so, what is the question?
7:00pm, Monday 11 July 2016
The Unsafe Space debates
10:00am, Friday 24 June 2016
The Idea and Impact of ED Hirsch’s ‘Cultural Literacy’
2:00pm, Sunday 19 June 2016
Do teachers need a College of Teaching?
7:00pm, Monday 16 May 2016
What is Religious Studies for in an increasingly secular age?
7:00pm, Monday 18 April 2016
What is education for?
7:15pm, Tuesday 8 March 2016
The Modern Trivium: triumph of tradition or trivial gimmick?
7:00pm, Monday 9 November 2015
How should educators respond to the election?
7:00pm, Thursday 16 April 2015
How useful is evidence in education?
7:00pm, Monday 9 February 2015
Critical reflections on Dewey’s Democracy and Education
7:00pm, Monday 16 June 2014
Where now for Ofsted?
7:00pm, Monday 19 May 2014
Should teachers embrace performativity?
7:00pm, Monday 28 April 2014
Is knowledge under attack?
7:00pm, Monday 18 November 2013
What makes a good teacher today?
7:00pm, Monday 16 September 2013
Education or Emile?
7:00pm, Monday 17 June 2013
Knowledge versus emotion in education: a false dichotomy?
7:00pm, Monday 20 May 2013
Why so many interventions in education?
7:00pm, Monday 22 April 2013
The End of EBacc - a victory for the arts?
7:00pm, Monday 18 March 2013
Is it mentor be? - exploring education’s role model fixation
7:00pm, Monday 11 February 2013
What makes a good school?
7:00pm, Monday 17 September 2012
The truths about neuroscience
7:00pm, Monday 14 May 2012
Who really runs the classroom today?
7:00pm, Monday 23 April 2012
Tony Sewell ‘On Education’
7:00pm, Monday 12 March 2012
A framework for the national curriculum
7:00pm, Monday 6 February 2012
A framework for the national curriculum - the Education Forum response
7:00pm, Monday 16 January 2012
Why a Science Free School?
7:00pm, Monday 14 November 2011
What is education for in the 21st century?
7:00pm, Monday 19 September 2011
Does every child need a classical education?
7:00pm, Monday 18 July 2011
Do we need a ‘nappy curriculum’ for our youngest learners?
7:00pm, Monday 13 June 2011
Is teacher training a turning point?
7:00pm, Monday 16 May 2011
Can the Wolf Report save vocational education?
7:00pm, Monday 11 April 2011
The English Baccalaureate: one step forward, two steps back?
7:00pm, Monday 21 March 2011
Citizenship is dead. Long live history?
7:00pm, Monday 14 February 2011
All Quiet on the Phonics Front?
7:00pm, Monday 17 January 2011
Is education educating yet?
7:00pm, Monday 13 December 2010
Can we still make the case for subjects?
7:00pm, Monday 15 November 2010
Free schools: do parents or teachers know best?
7:00pm, Monday 4 October 2010
Who needs teacher training?
7:00pm, Monday 20 September 2010
‘Please sir, can we have some more schools’
7:00pm, Monday 21 June 2010
We Must Do Better!
7:00pm, Monday 19 April 2010
Chavs into haves - should private schools be banned?
7:00pm, Monday 22 February 2010
Education Election Debate
7:00pm, Monday 25 January 2010
Stephen Ball in conversation with Dennis Hayes
7:00pm, Monday 14 December 2009
Should we defend home schooling?
7:00pm, Tuesday 24 November 2009
The Myth of Racist Kids
7:00pm, Monday 21 September 2009
Why a ‘Physics Factory’?
7:00pm, Monday 22 June 2009
Pseudo-Science and Education
7:00pm, Thursday 18 June 2009
The Confidence to Teach
7:00pm, Monday 18 May 2009
Book Launch of Reclaiming Childhood
7:00pm, Monday 20 April 2009
Are we over-protecting children?
7:00pm, Tuesday 24 March 2009
Teaching the subject of Music
7:00pm, Monday 23 March 2009
Teachers as Role Models
7:00pm, Monday 23 February 2009
Playing with education: After the Rose Report does education have any meaning?
7:00pm, Monday 26 January 2009
Teaching the Unteachable?
7:00pm, Monday 24 November 2008
Environmental Educators’ underhand tactics
7:00pm, Monday 20 October 2008
The Therapeutic Turn in Education: replies to our critics
7:00pm, Monday 22 September 2008
Stab Schools?
7:00pm, Monday 16 June 2008
Should we uphold the Ten Commandments of ‘pedagogy’?
7:00pm, Monday 19 May 2008
Cultural education
7:00pm, Monday 14 April 2008
The paradox of family learning
7:00pm, Monday 18 February 2008
Helping children to be happy: can the Children’s Plan succeed?
7:00pm, Monday 21 January 2008
Early-years education - held jointly with the IoI Parents Forum
7:00pm, Monday 19 November 2007
Subjects or Skills?
7:00pm, Monday 24 September 2007
What Training Do Teachers Need?
7:00pm, Monday 9 July 2007
School Leadership
7:00pm, Monday 14 May 2007
14-19 Education: The New Qualifications
7:00pm, Monday 26 March 2007
14-19 Education: ROSLA to 18 and Social Inclusion
7:00pm, Monday 26 February 2007
What is personalised Learning?
7:00pm, Monday 22 January 2007
Selection in State Schools
7:00pm, Monday 27 November 2006
The Nationalisation of Childhood
7:00pm, Wednesday 18 October 2006
Understanding Inclusion
7:00pm, Monday 25 September 2006
An ‘In Conversation’ Event
7:00pm, Monday 17 July 2006
Why bother to teach modern foreign languages?
7:00pm, Monday 19 June 2006
Raking over old bones: Darwinism on trial
7:00pm, Wednesday 10 May 2006
‘Professor Stephen Rowland in conversation with Dr Dennis Hayes
7:30pm, Monday 24 April 2006
Special Event:Global Ethics and Citizenship Education
7:00pm, Friday 21 April 2006
Reflections on the art of teaching
7:00pm, Monday 20 March 2006
Standing up to the bullying panic
7:00pm, Monday 20 February 2006
The Phonics Controversy
7:00pm, Monday 23 January 2006
Professor Richard Pring in conversation with Dr. Shirley Lawes
7:00pm, Monday 12 December 2005
Youth, Apathy and Activity
7:30pm, Monday 14 November 2005
Examinations do you good
7:00pm, Monday 19 September 2005
Multiculturalism and the promotion of faith schools – steps backwards in education?
7:00pm, Monday 4 July 2005
Why the fuss about ‘vocationalism’?
7:00pm, Monday 6 June 2005
Sick of school dinners?
7:00pm, Monday 9 May 2005
Literacies or Literacy?
7:00pm, Monday 4 April 2005
Too Scared to Teach?
7:00pm, Monday 14 March 2005
What is a subject?
7:00pm, Monday 7 February 2005
Learning Styles: snake oil, sacred cow or holy grail?
7:00pm, Monday 17 January 2005