Check our some of the reviews/interviews and book related features of the past few weeks.
Andy Beckett in the Guardian:http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/01/school-wars-melissa-benn-review
Anthony Seldon in the Observer; http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/sep/04/school-wars-education-benn-review
Phil Beadle in the Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/school-wars-the-battle-for-britains-education-by-melissa-benn-2351229.html
Francis Beckett in The New Statesman: http://www.newstatesman.com/non-fiction/2011/09/education-benn-labour-children
Neil Fletcher in The Camden New Journal: http://www.camdennewjournal.com/reviews/books/2011/sep/books-review-school-wars-battle-britains-education-melissa-benn
Lucy Sherriff interview in Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/27/melissa-benn-free-schools-and-education_n_938872.html
Terry Wrigley in Socialist Review: http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=11793
Sadie Robinson interview in Socialist Worker: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=26186
Samira Shackle in The New Statesman: http://www.newstatesman.com/education/2011/10/school-wilshaw-mossbourne
Compass website, comment piece: http://www.compassonline.org.uk/news/item.asp?n=13796
Book related pieces in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/melissabenn
Coming up: interviews and features in: Marianne ( French magazine), Epigram ( Bristol University student newspaper), The Richmond magazine, Red Pepper, and Utdanning ( Norway’s chief educational journal) and The Lady magazine.
Much cleaner looking site Melissa – Is this Michael’s work? I think I need to come and take a new profile picture too. The one above has that “I hate having my photo taken” expression which doesn’t do justice to your youthful looks. (I’m going for the OBN Award in this week’s Private Eye 🙂
Just posting again to see if subsequent posts become unreadable like with the old set up. I’m done.
He did a really good job didn’t he. And such a nice guy. Thanks Tim. Now you can post all sorts on my site and everyone will be able to read it! MX
When you’ve finished with Michael I’ll need him for a day to sort out my disability advocacy site which hasn’t been updated for light years. Nice and clean upgrade he’s done on yours. If you want bells and whistles like monitoring whose looking and how they got there or putting in a link for others to see or sell your archives and books, then he knows how to do that too. He’s a very gentle man for someone who’s clearly a know all on these things. He’s also the rising star of British photography (try googling that and you’ll find him on page 1 – several times).
Here’s a further review for your information – will be part of a discussion at ‘Socialism 2011’ at ULU next weekend – and look forward to discussing further at the ‘Caught in the Act’ meeting too.
http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/10/school-wars-by-melissa-benn-review.html
Martin Powell-Davies
Thank you Martin! I will read this with interest, and get back to you in the week with any thoughts. Interested to hear that there is going to be a discussion of the themes next weekend. Please can you let me know what is said – or concluded – if any such thing should occur! M
Will do – hope to test out people’s views on issues like ‘what should be the admissions policy in a comprehenisve system?’ and ‘how can we turn the tide?’
Martin
Uplifting discusison – including Jarow marchers as well as older faces! Most useful for you might be a report confirming the regime at Mossbourne
Dear Melissa,
Just finished the book…a very engaging and passionate contribution to the current debates on schooling. I shall certainly be recommending it to my Education Studies students at Bath Spa University – some of those future teachers who should be ‘well read’ in educational, psychological and sociological issues.
Is there a further strand to add to your vision for the future of state education…the ‘all through school’. isn’t it time we questioned the very existence of a divide and discontinuity at 11 for most of our children?
I’d be interested in your thoughts
Alan