Melissa Benn – Life Lessons

Blackwell’s Broad Street Oxford is delighted to welcome to the bookshop Melissa Benn who will be discussing her new book ‘Life Lessons’, a bold proposal for new thinking on education: the formation of a National Education Service.

Melissa Benn is one of the most clear sighted and vocal campaigners for improving our schools. ‘Life Lessons’ sets out a radical agenda for how we make education for all, and make it relevant to the demands of 21st century. This requires a deep-rooted, long-term vision of the role of learning in our society, one that is ready to take on the challenges of a new century and be part of a wider shift towards greater equality.

Selina Todd, Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford and author of ‘The People: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class’, will be interviewing Melissa on the subject of her fascinating publication.

Melissa Benn is a journalist, novelist and campaigner. She has written for the Guardian, the New Statesman, Public Finance, Cosmopolitan and the London Review of Books, among many others. Her writing on education includes ‘Education and Democracy’, co-edited with Clyde Chitty, ‘A Comprehensive Future: Quality and Equality for All Our Children’, written with Fiona Millar, ‘School Wars:The Battle for Britain’s Education’ and ‘The Truth About Our Schools: Exploding the Myths, Exploring the Evidence’. A regular broadcaster and speaker, she is a founder member of the Local Schools Network, set up to support local schools and to counter media misinformation about their achievements and the challenges they face. As an active campaigner for comprehensive education, Melissa is a Vice President of the Socialist Education Association and is current chair of Comprehensive Future, an all-party group committed to the phasing out of selection at 11 and the implementation of fair school admissions. She is also on the board of Forum, the academic journal promoting 3-19 comprehensive education. In 2012, she won the Fred and Anne Jarvis award for her tireless work in support of non-selective schooling.

Tickets cost £5. Doors will open at 6:45pm, where there will be a bar selling a range of drinks until 7pm. For all enquiries please email [email protected] or call our Customer Service Department on 01865 333623.