Meena Wood on curriculum reform, learning from other countries and flying the flag for FE

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In the week that the general election was called, I bring you a timely conversation about some of the questions an incoming government needs to grapple with.

Meena Kumari Wood is a former HMI and leader of FE colleges who now works across the British and International Education sectors. She held senior leadership positions in English schools and Further education colleges, including as Principal of a secondary academy and Principal of an Adult College.

As a former adviser to the DfE and currently as an International Education Consultant, Meena emphasises the importance of placing learners’ aspirations and needs at the heart of curriculum. Meena has authored two books - Assessment of Prior Learning & Bilingual Learners (1995) and Secondary Curriculum Transformed: Enabling All to Achieve (2020). Secondary Curriculum Transformed argues for an equitable and diverse knowledge and skills based English curriculum, preparing young people for the changing global landscape of society and employment. She was recently appointed to the advisory board of the Chartered College of Teaching.

This is a fascinating conversation in which we discuss curriculum reform, the incredible journey Meena and her family made to mode to this country in the 1960s, the way in which English education is very insular and would benefit from a little learning from other countries, and flying the flag for FE - Further Education - something we don’t talk about enough.

It’s a slightly shorter episode than normal, but we pack a lot into just over an hour!

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The Rethinking Education podcast is hosted and produced by Dr James Mannion. You can contact him at rethinking-ed.org/contact, or via a social platform of your choosing: