Notes on Contributors vii Introduction 1 Richard Smith 1 The Role of Policy in Philosophy of Education: An Argument and an Illustration 5 John White 2 Alluring Ideas: Cherry Picking Policy from Around the World 18 Carrie Winstanley 3 The Only Answer is Innovation ... : Europe, Policy and the Big Society 34 Naomi Hodgson 4 A New Dawn for Faith-Based Education? Opportunities for Religious Organisations in the UK s New School System 47 Michael Hand 5 A Monstrous Regimen of Synthetic Phonics: Fantasies of Research-Based Teaching Methods versus Real Teaching 60 Andrew Davis 6 The Future of Teacher Education 74 Alis Oancea and Janet Orchard 7 Two Concepts of Assessment 89 Gerard Lum 8 Vocational and Civic Education: Whither British Policy? 103 Christopher Winch 9 Education under the Heel of Caesar: Reading UK Higher Education Reform through Shakespeare s Antony and Cleopatra 118 Sophie Ward 10 Improving the Student Experience 129 Elizabeth Staddon and Paul Standish 11 University Futures 147 Richard Smith 12 What Lessons Can We Learn? 160 W. A. Hart Index 170