For many the history of education in Britain begins with the grim Victorian schools described by Charles Dickens or with the 1944 Butler Act which brought in secondary school education for all, but the philosophical, political and practical roots of our modern day system extend back much further than that. I think we can learn a lot from the people, events and ideas that made education what it is today.

Welcome to Learning Through the Ages.

I’ve been fascinated by the history of education for many years and blog on the subject at https://historyofeducation.net whenever time allows.

I wrote The Liberating Power of Education, a Letter on Liberty published by the Academy of Ideas, and have given illustrated talks about the history of schools and liberal education for researchED, Microsoft Education Group, the East London Science School, the Battle of Ideas festival, U3A Ealing, Derby University and others. I’m proud to have contributed a primer on pre-state education to Routledge’s History of Education for undergraduates (forthcoming).

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. Never miss an update.

Stay up-to-date

You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.

Join the crew

Be part of a community of people who share your interests.

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.