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EDU-10078 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

EDU-10078 - Education Past and Present
Coordinator: John Howlett Tel: +44 1782 7 34151
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module will introduce you to the history of education and how it has developed since Victorian times. Not only will you explore important policies and the impact they had in shaping our education system, but you will also see how many of the debates we have around education today have their origins in the past. By exploring the educational experiences of people from different periods of time, including undertaking an interview with someone from a different generation, you will be able to see how we can learn from the past to potentially solve the issues of today as well as reflecting on your own experiences of schooling.

Aims
To assist students in gaining an understanding of education in the past through key pieces of legislation, Acts of Parliament and transformations in state schooling.
To enable students to understand the relationship between the history of schooling and wider social change.
To critically analyse the ways in which education in the past has been portrayed in a range of different media including books, films, and magazines.
To explore and critically consider the ‘lived educational experiences’ of people from different generations.
To consider the ways in which history and ‘the past’ can be used as a means to rectify and change problems of the present.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate a critical understanding of key developments related to the history of schooling in Britain in the period 1870-present day.: 1,2
Read and analyse texts in the form of policy documents, speeches, reports and novels for the purpose of communicating ideas about the history of schooling.: 2
Articulate the varied ‘lived experiences’ of people from different historical timeframes and generations and explain why these experiences are different to their own.: 1
Relate contemporary education policy to wider global processes of economic, social, and cultural change.: 1,2
Define, describe, and critically engage with key concepts such as equality of opportunity, class, gender, marketisation, and social exclusion.: 1,2

Study hours

22 hours interactive lectures
22 hours seminars
8 hours field trip
64 hours interview assessment preparation, scheduling and conducting of interview, transcriptions and writing up
90 hours directed study tasks, preparation for interactive lectures, individual consultation with module lead and reading
94 hours of essay preparation

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 50%
Life History Report - 1500 words
The purpose of this assessment is to describe and analyse the educational experiences of a person from a different generation focusing on key aspects discussed on the module. You will use the individual’s narratives to write an essay on at least one aspect or theme using their life history to illustrate key points. These aspects could be things such as school discipline, types of pedagogy within the classroom, types of diversity or SEN provision. The written essay should include a brief introduction of the person’s life and education, followed by identification of influential events and other factors that contributed to the shaping of their life chances. Events should be analysed in relation to the ideas/topics covered in the module and related to literature. Your analysis should show evidence of understanding concepts and theories as well as supplementary reading.

2: Essay weighted 50%
An essay of 1500 words on module themes
One essay chosen from a choice of questions provided by the module leader.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025