History of Education

The struggle to establish school science in England

• Edgar Jenkins

Science for All is a thoroughly researched account of the long battle to establish school science in England, from its introduction to the classroom in the mid-nineteenth century to the launch of the National Curriculum in 1989. It addresses the underlying question of what school science is for and reveals when, how and why the answer has changed.

The life and achievements of Harry Rée, 1914–1991

• Jonathan M. Daube

This is the extraordinary story of Harry Rée, ‘the pre-eminent educationalist of the post-War years’. The youngest of eight children, he went to Cambridge and then into teaching, and after ten years as headmaster of Watford Boys’ Grammar School he became a fervent advocate for comprehensives. The first professor appointed at the University of York, he argued for innumerable causes: community education, comprehensives, curricular reform, voluntary suicide, and much else. His life and thought explored such questions as: What can you do if you truly believe in the power of education? What does it mean to live a life committed to public service? Is one person’s compromise another’s sell-out? And what does it mean to be a visionary?

The forgotten story of chemistry at British independent girls’ schools, 1820s–1930s

• Marelene Rayner-Canham
• Geoff Rayner-Canham

In this groundbreaking work the authors reveal that from the 1820s to the 1930s chemistry teaching flourished in girls’ independent schools in Britain. The fruit of years of research in the archives of dozens of schools, this rich and multifaceted account reveals the hidden history of a landmark achievement in the education of women.

A history

• Simon Gibbons

Traces the birth and development of the London Association for the Teaching of English. Founders of LATE, such as James Britton, Harold Rosen, and Nancy Martin, were critical in the development of an English-teaching pedagogy that still influences the work of teachers across many parts of the world today.

A journey through social histories, biography and politics

• Jane Martin

This lecture revisits nineteenth and twentieth century education policy and politics in the light of the experiences and struggles of educator activist Mary Bridges Adams (1855-1939).

A festschrift presented to Richard Aldrich

• David Crook
• Gary McCulloch

This wide-ranging volume of ten essays focuses on demonstrating how an understanding of the historical past may help us to set in context current educational issues. The essays examine such diverse themes as motherhood, gender, race, the teaching of reading, university politics and national security.

Essays to honour Denis Lawton

• David Halpin
• Paddy Walsh

Introduced by an overview of Denis Lawton’s work and concluding with an interview with the subject himself, this collection of essays pays tribute to his multi-faceted scholarly work.

The legacy of Brian Simon

• Gary McCulloch

Gary McCulloch examines the legacy of Brian Simon, who was the leading and best known historian of education in the United Kingdom. He discusses the significance of Simon’s own relationship with the Institute of Education and outlines ways of building on Simon’s legacy to the history of education in the changing society of the twenty-first century.

Thomas More on Utopianism and William Hazlitt on plain speaking

• David Halpin

Reflecting on the disadvantaged ‘London lives’ of many of the capital’s children, Halpin commends aspects of the writings of two eminent Londoners: Thomas More and William Hazlitt, and illustrates how we should re-engage with these as we consider the scope, nature and potential of school reform, not just in London, but generally.

A centenary history

• Richard Aldrich

This centenary history provides the first comprehensive study of the Institute of Education, University of London, the United Kingdom’s premier institution for the study of education.