In this series of 10 short blogs – which will issue in rapid succession – I will consider in turn the top themes that have emerged from 60 interviews with teachers, leaders, policy-makers, academics and others from across and beyond the English FE system. Each blog will end with a question which I hope will generate debate on LinkedIn, where the blogs are signposted.
The core question considered has been “what might be the features of a self-improving FE system?” Interviewees have also considered the key features of the FE system as it stands, and what is holding it back from being self-improving.
A theme which came through early in my interviews, faded, and then had a resurgence in the later interviews was that of bringing together research and practice. It was a theme that was most popular with those closest to the student interface, but also cropped up occasionally in the thinking of both academics and officials. It was largely missing from the narratives of senior leaders in the field, which is perhaps an interesting and notable absence.
