What We Can All Learn from Anarchists about Education
Author: Professor Ruth Kinna, University of Loughborough I’m not a diligent watcher of royal events, but I was excited to read about the Princess of Wales’s recent visit Reggio Emilia to learn more about the way early years learning has developed in the city. The BBC report calls its child-centred approach ‘distinctive’, perhaps not realising that education across the region of Emilia-Romagna has for years been shaped by antifascist initiatives and anarchist pedagogies. In a 2012 study of early childhood education and care, Arianna Lazzari notes that the quality of provision in Emilia-Romagna is explained by the ‘collective struggles of […]
Post-16 Results 2025: A-Level Politics bucks the trend with potential for growth overall
It was wonderful celebrating the success of our young people (and their teachers) over the last few weeks as the Scottish Highers, International Baccalaureate and A level results rolled in. It’s thrilling to see so many take up their long-desired places at university and start their higher education journeys. It was interesting to see that our friends at the British Academy have refreshed their SHAPE Observatory with a new School Indicators dashboard. This dashboard includes over twenty years’ of data on: GCSE and A level in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications in Scotland. Looking specifically at […]
A-Level Results Day – Thinking About Doing a Politics Degree?
Congratulations if you have now received your exam results. We hope you have achieved the grades you need to continue your studies at university! If you didn’t get the grades you hoped for (or indeed did better than expected), we encourage you to both contact your chosen universities to discuss your options, and to check out the wide range of courses available to you through the UCAS clearing system. And it won’t surprise you to learn that we hope you will consider opting to study Politics and International Relations at university, this year or in the future! Did you know… […]
Considering doing a degree? Why not choose Politics & IR?
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Michelle Doyle Wildman, PSA Chief Executive 11 August 2025 UCAS is now open for 2026 applications so I’ve set out some (hopefully helpful) pointers below on why choosing to do a Politics or International Relations degree may be right for you! What can you do with a Politics & IR Degree? Politics Degrees are relevant, enjoyable, and useful. Recent analysis by the British Academy – New report uncovers popularity of Politics and International Relations degrees, with graduates outearning national averages – found that this is a popular subject among prospective students, on its own or combined with other subjects. Politics & IR […]
New British Academy policy toolkit: Understanding SHAPE Graduates
The British Academy has recently launched a new data-rich policy resource, the Understanding SHAPE Graduates toolkit. The toolkit aims to shine a light on SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) graduates’ contributions to the UK economy and society and to help increase understanding of their career trajectories. It consists of an interactive data dashboard, a series of ‘key findings’ drawn from the data, and a policy briefing contextualising how graduate outcomes are understood and measured by policymakers. Why now? The Academy regularly makes the case for the positive impact SHAPE graduates make to the […]
Government’s Curriculum & Assessment Review – interim panel report and next steps
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You may remember that back in November 2024, the PSA responded to the call for evidence for a new review into curriculum and assessment for school pupils in England. The review panel has now produced this interim report (18 March 2025): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report I met with panel chair Professor Becky Francis and other members of the review panel last week at a session for learned societies organised by our friends at the Academy of Social Sciences and we were able to share our views and ask questions on the review’s interim findings. The headlines are: Although much of the system is […]