The Chair of The Times Education Commission, Rachel Sylvester, will set out her hopes for the future of the education system in a fascinating lecture at Worcester Cathedral later this month.
Rachel Sylvester
Rachel will be delivering the annual Worcester Lecture, a partnership between the University of Worcester and Worcester Cathedral, on Tuesday, October 25th at 6pm. The lecture is open to all and is free to attend.
The Times Education Commission was set up last year to examine the future of education in light of the pandemic, declining social mobility, new technology and the changing nature of work. Acclaimed journalist Rachel Sylvester was appointed as its Chair.
Following months of consultation with experts from across the education, political, business and wider community, the Commission delivered its report earlier this year, setting out a 12-point plan for reform.
The plan has received widespread support across the political spectrum, including former Prime Ministers John Major and Tony Blair, 10 former Secretaries of State for Education and many noted educationalists.
In this talk, Rachel, will discuss the findings of the commission, which is one of the broadest inquiries into education ever held in Britain and the first to look at the system from early years to lifelong learning.
Professor David Green CBE, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Worcester, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Rachel to deliver this annual Worcester Lecture this year, on such an important topic and at such a critical time.
“Only last month, the Times Educational Supplement revealed the news that the number of teacher trainees starting courses in September is well below government targets leading to fears of mass shortages in schools in the coming years. This was followed by the news last week that, following an arduous process by the Department for Education, many teacher training providers up and down England, some with long-standing, excellent reputations, have lost their accreditation to deliver Initial Teacher Education leading to Qualified Teacher Status.
“While I am pleased that at Worcester, we have been re-accredited, this loss of providers is clearly a very disappointing situation for the country’s children, parents and the future of our education system.
“I am therefore particularly grateful that Rachel has agreed to come and deliver this lecture, which will be insightful and inspiring as well as very well-timed.”
The Dean of Worcester Cathedral, the Very Revd Peter Atkinson, said: “Rachel Sylvester is a much-read and highly acclaimed journalist, and we are delighted that she will be giving this year’s Worcester Lecture in the Cathedral.”
For a free ticket to the lecture please email rsvp@worc.ac.uk