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Author: Harley Richardson

Education can save your life – the story of the Neck Verse
3 March 202117 January 2023

Education can save your life – the story of the Neck Verse

Articles by Harley Richardson1 comment

One testament to the power of education is that many people credit it with having ‘saved their life’. But whether that’s because knowledge and learning opened up a path to a rewarding career or because it helped someone escape difficult personal circumstances, ‘education saved my life’ is usually meant metaphorically. In medieval England, however, it was literal. Having an education […]

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What makes a ‘public school’ public?
30 December 20205 January 2023

What makes a ‘public school’ public?

Articles by Harley Richardson0 comments

During 2020 I’ve been researching and writing a couple of chapters for a forthcoming Routledge book on the history of education. My contributions look at the development of liberal education from Ancient Greece to the Industrial Revolution. I’m now in the final stages of editing, cutting the chapters down to fit the allotted word count. Here’s one section that got […]

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Head Hand Heart
21 December 202021 December 2020

Head Hand Heart

Books by Harley Richardson0 comments

Santa has brought us some unexpected history of education content this Christmas, hidden between the covers of David Goodhart’s latest book. Goodhart is a journalist, commentator and former director of the think tank Demos. His previous book, The Road to Somewhere: The Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics (2017), introduced the categories ‘Anywheres’ and ‘Somewheres’ to the political lexicon […]

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The bad-tempered backstory of ‘Town Versus Gown’
2 September 20206 March 2023

The bad-tempered backstory of ‘Town Versus Gown’

Articles by Harley Richardson4 comments

The concept of ‘town versus gown’ goes all the way back to the founding of medieval universities, and has played an integral, if not always noble, role in their development.

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21st century skills – so last century!
25 June 202025 June 2020

21st century skills – so last century!

Opinion by Harley Richardson4 comments

This call for an education revolution has a longer history than many realise.

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Frances Mary Buss, the first ‘Head Mistress’
8 June 20209 May 2023

Frances Mary Buss, the first ‘Head Mistress’

Essays by Harley Richardson5 comments

A tribute to a 19th century teacher and campaigner for women’s education, who deserves to be much better known.

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Curriculum of empire, curriculum of liberation
25 May 202025 May 2020

Curriculum of empire, curriculum of liberation

Commentary by Harley Richardson0 comments

Edith Hall, author of A People’s History of Classics, was a guest on Radio 4’s Start the Week this morning

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Alcuin of York
11 May 202011 May 2020

Alcuin of York

Articles by Harley Richardson1 comment

In my view, this little known media scholar is one of the most important figures in the history of education in England, and actually in Europe. To find out why, read my tribute in Teach Secondary magazine. If that piques your curiosity, you can find out more in an edition of Radio 4’s In Our Time dedicated to the man. […]

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100 learning theorists
6 May 202030 November 2023

100 learning theorists

Resources by Harley Richardson4 comments

Donald Clark is perhaps unusual amongst edtech entrepreneurs in that he knows his education theory very well. He has distilled this knowledge into a highly readable series of short articles about 100* key educational thinkers, ranging from ancient philosophers to modern-day pedagogists and innovators. Clark outlines their main contributions to education and assesses their legacy. It’s a hugely valuable resource […]

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Why is the history of education worth knowing?
6 May 202018 May 2020

Why is the history of education worth knowing?

Articles by Harley Richardson0 comments

Understanding how schools developed in the past can help us make good decisions about how they should look now and in the future. Are you curious about the past? Are you a keen reader? If the answer to both these questions is yes, you’re in luck. There are history books available about pretty much every aspect of human life over […]

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Recent Posts

  • May 21, 2024 The Seven Liberal Arts part 2: Three roads to knowledge
  • Mar 10, 2024 The Seven Liberal Arts part 1: tools for learning
  • Oct 07, 2023 Finally, a new book on the History of Education
  • May 13, 2023 The day passes profitably: Robert Raikes and the Sunday school movement
  • Feb 19, 2023 Learning Through the Ages comes to Substack

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