In 2004, my predecessor as HM Chief Inspector of Schools, Sir Mike Tomlinson, led an independent review that proposed comprehensive changes to the education system in England.
One key aim was to close the academic/vocational divide that had bedevilled education since the passing of the 1944 Education Act. But the failure of the Blair government to implement the Tomlinson Reforms will, in my view, go down as the greatest missed opportunity in English education since the end of the second world war.
While the government largely rejected Tomlinson’s proposals, they did introduce one aspect of the reforms: 14-19 diplomas. Despite much fanfare, diplomas were short-lived. Introduced in 2005, diplomas were wound down when the coalition government took power in 2011.
On 19 October 2023, Edge invited me to chair a panel discussion critically examining this brief foray into diplomas and what they could teach us as we look to the future of the education system in England.
