This is an opportunity for all who care about Education and Drama in Education in particular to contribute to the debate. The deadline for submissions is 25th January 2016.
NEW INQUIRY – PURPOSE AND QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN ENGLAND
CALL FOR WRITTEN EVIDENCE
The Education Committee is today (30th November 2015) announcing an inquiry into the purpose and quality of education in England.
Written evidence is invited addressing the following points:
· What the purpose of education for children of all ages in England should be
· What measures should be used to evaluate the quality of education against this purpose
· How well the current education system performs against these measures
The deadline for receipt of evidence is noon on Monday 25 January 2016.
Alongside the formal call for evidence, people are encouraged to submit their views on what the purpose of education should be on a new online forum on the Committee’s website and to tweet using #EduPurpose. A short video has also been produced to start the discussion.
Launching the inquiry, Chair of the Education Committee Neil Carmichael MP said:
“In this inquiry we want to ask the question, what is education for? What is the purpose of our educational system? Is it, for example, to prepare our young people for the world of work? Is it to ready our children for adulthood and provide them with the skills to lead fulfilling lives? Is it to provide them all with broad academic knowledge, based on a shared culture and values? We can expect to hear diverse answers to this question but it’s important we get an agreed sense of what education is so we can then ask the right questions about how we evaluate the quality of our education and how well it is performing against those measures.
As a society we all have a stake in whether our education system delivers for all children and we’re really keen to hear from parents and students, as well as from those who work in the education world or employ young people after they leave school. We hope people will engage with this inquiry and we look forward to hearing their views.
As a Committee, we want over this Parliament to explore the fundamentals of education in England. Approaching this basic question of the purpose of education will pave the way for the Committee to examine whether our curriculum, qualifications, assessment and accountability systems really are fit for purpose.”
How to get involved
An online forum is available on the Education Committee website for people to comment on the inquiry and formal evidence can be submitted via the web-portal (further details below). A short video has been produced for the inquiry’s launch.
You can also join the conversation, using #EduPurpose, follow the Committee on Twitter or visit the Committee’s website.
Please note:
As part of a scheme to encourage paperless working and maximise efficiency, the Committee uses a web portal for online submissions of written evidence. Written submissions for this inquiry should therefore be sent via the Education Committee website here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/purpose-quality-education-england-15-16/commons-written-submission-form/
Submissions should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference. As a guideline submissions should be no longer than 3,000 words.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee. Please bear in mind that Committees are not able to investigate individual cases.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or by making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence. Please proof-read your submission before sending it; Committee staff cannot undertake to correct typos or typesetting errors before publication.
For data protection purposes, individuals wishing to submit written evidence are asked for their contact details. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Committee Membership is as follows:
Neil Carmichael (Chair), Conservative, Stroud
Lucy Allan, Conservative, Telford
Ian Austin, Labour, Dudley North
Michelle Donelan, Conservative, Chippenham
Marion Fellows, Scottish National Party, Motherwell and Wishaw
Suella Fernandes, Conservative, Fareham
Lucy Frazer, Conservative, South East Cambridgeshire
Kate Hollern, Labour, Blackburn
Ian Mearns, Labour, Gateshead
Caroline Nokes, Conservative, Romsey and Southampton North
Kate Osamor, Labour, Edmonton
Committee Website: www.parliament.uk/education-committee
Watch committees and parliamentary debates online: www.parliamentlive.tv
Publications / Reports / Reference Material: Copies of all select committee reports are available from the Houses of Parliament Shop (12 Bridge St, Westminster, 020 7219 3890) or the Stationery Office (0845 7023474). Committee reports, press releases, evidence transcripts, Bills; research papers, a directory of MPs, plus Hansard (from 8am daily) and much more, can be found onwww.parliament.uk
Leave a Reply