Books by Melissa Benn

A bold proposal for new thinking on education: the formation of a National Education Service

'Caroline Benn made an immense contribution to public life through her work on educational politics and the comprehensive movement. She was a committed democrat, socialist and internationalist and this book of essays dedicated to her life and work was the idea of Professor Clyde Chitty, her friend and colleague over many years, as a labour of love and to recognise her achievements. The fact that so many people in her field have contributed chapters is evidence of the influence she had on those who knew her and worked with her.'Tony Benn, Foreword'This fine book will serve both as a fitting tribute to the life and work of Caroline Benn and as a means of furthering the educational causes she championed.' Richard Aldrich, Emeritus Professor of History of Education, Institute of Education, University of London

School Wars tells the story of the struggle for Britain's education system. Established during the 1960s and based on the progressive ideal of good schools for all, the comprehensive system has over the past decades come under sustained attack from successive governments.Now, with the growing inequalities of our current system, the damaging impact of spending cuts, the rise of ';free schools' and the growth of the private sector in education, the values embodied in the comprehensive ideal are under threat. The situation is expertly anatomized by journalist and educational campaigner Melissa Benn, who explores the dangerous example of US education reform, where privatization, punitive accountability and the rise of charter schools have intensified social, economic and ethnic divisions.The policies of successive British governments have been muddled and confused, but one thing is clear: that the relentless application of market principles signals a fundamental shift from the ideal of quality education as a public good, to education as market-controlled commodity. Benn ends by outlining some key principles for restoring strong educational values within a fair, non-selective public education system.

We have reached a tricky crossroads in modern women's lives and our collective daughters are bearing the brunt of some intolerable pressures. Although feminism has made great strides forward since our mothers' and grandmothers' day, many of the key issues - equality of pay, equality in the home, representation at senior level in the private, public and political sectors - remain to be tackled. Casual sexism in the media and in everyday life is still rife and our daughters face a host of new difficulties as they are bombarded by images of unrealistically skinny airbrushed supermodels, celebrity role-models who depend on their looks and partners for status, and by competitive social media. The likes of Natasha Walter and Katie Roiphe deal with feminism from an adult point of view, but our daughters need to be prepared for stresses that are coming into play now as early as pre-school. This is a manifesto for every mother who has ever had to comfort a daughter who doesn't feel 'pretty', for every young woman who out-performs her male peers professionally and wonders why she is still not taken seriously, and for anyone interested in the world we are making for the next generation.