Call for Papers:  Taking stock of Labour’s education policy: past, present, future

Posted on 29/07/2026

FORUM: for promoting 3 to 19 comprehensive education 69.1  Spring 2027

Call for Papers:  Taking stock of Labour’s education policy: past, present, future

Contributions are invited for the Spring 2027 number of Forum (69.1) for which the copy date is Monday 16 November 2026.

In the introduction to New Labour and Secondary Education: 1994-2010, Clyde Chitty argued that the education policies of Margaret Thatcher’s governments were not overturned by their successors but largely extended, including by Labour administrations. In doing so, Labour was said to have broken with key elements of its own educational values, producing what Chitty described as “blatant continuities” with Conservative ideology, policies and priorities.

How should Labour’s education record now be assessed? What balance sheet can be drawn up? What lessons have been learned, and what directions should now be pursued?

Labour’s achievements in education might be deemed significant. The party implemented the 1944 Education Act, securing free secondary education for all and raising the school leaving age to 15. It advanced comprehensive education through Circular 10/65 and the 1976 Education Act; founded the Open University; established Sure Start; invested in school rebuilding; introduced the Education Maintenance Allowance; reshaped primary teaching through the Literacy and Numeracy Hours; and, more recently, removed VAT exemptions on private school fees, replaced Ofsted’s single-word judgements, and increased teacher recruitment.

At the same time, Labour governments have faced sustained criticism. The City Academies programme helped launch academisation and the subsequent fragmentation of the school system. Tuition fees were introduced, faith schools expanded, selective schooling remained in parts of England, and private education continued. Meanwhile, teacher recruitment and retention remain pressing concerns; schools face accountability pressures to meet attendance targets at the possible expense of pupil welfare; SEND provision is widely regarded – both by schools and by parents/carers – as inadequate; and the high-stakes testing regime and its pervasive impacts on teaching and learning remains firmly embedded, with further assessment proposals continuing to emerge.

We invite articles that critically examine Labour’s education policy, whether historically, in relation to the current government, or with regard to future possibilities. Contributions might address Labour’s overall record or focus on particular policies, phases, sectors, subjects, or themes. We especially welcome submissions that assess achievements and shortcomings, explore tensions and continuities, and consider the prospects for a more equitable and democratic education system.

Forum welcomes writing which is heart-felt as well as thought-through. There’s no set length for a Forum article. Although many weigh in at about 4000 words, many are shorter. Nor is there a set way of writing an article. We certainly welcome academic papers, but personal reflections, critically-alert consideration of issues and experiences, and informed commentary and discursive writing are welcome too, as are texts written by more than one person.

To discuss the possibility of contributing, and for further details of submission guidelines, please get in touch.

Patrick Yarker
Editor-in-chief, Forum: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education
patyarker@aol.com