Alan Smithers

Prof Alan George Smithers (born 20 May 1938) is an English educationalist.

Early life

Smithers was born in the East End of London, the son of a Billingsgate fish porter.Rafferty, R. (22 January 1999). 'Leaders of the pack', ''Times Educational Supplement''. His mother worked in a sweet factory, and he claims he lived on fish and Turkish delight during the war. He was educated at Barking Abbey Grammar School then King's College London, gaining a first class honours degree BSc and then a PhD in Plant Physiology in 1966.''Who's Who 2013'', London: A&C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. From the University of Bradford he gained a degree in the psychology and sociology of education MSc and a PhD in education in 1974. All professors at the University of Manchester are required to be graduates of the university and in 1981 a master of education MEd was conferred. He became a Chartered Psychologist in 1988.

Career

Plant Physiology

He was originally a research scientist in plant physiology. From 1962 to 1964 he lectured in biology at the College of St Mark and St John in Chelsea, then botany at Birkbeck College from 1964 to 1967.

Education

He became involved in education as a subject when in 1960s the University of London, where he lectured, began introducing modular degrees.Hulme, A. (18 May 1990). 'Smithers sites them again', The Friday Profile, ''Manchester Evening News''. This led to a secondment at the newly elevated University of Bradford. There he re-qualified as a psychologist before becoming Senior Lecturer in Education in 1969. He became a professor at the University of Manchester at the age of 37. He has successively occupied four chairs: Professor of Education at the University of Manchester (1976–96); Professor of Policy Research at Brunel University (1996-8); Sydney Jones Professor of Education at the University of Liverpool (1998–2004); and currently as Director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham (2004 to present).Baker, K ''et al'' (2013). ''14-18 A New Vision for Secondary Education'', London Bloomsbury Publishing. Notes on Contributors, Alan Smithers, p xiii. He was elected as one of the first three fellows of the Society for Research in Higher Education in 1986.The Independent (13 January 1987) Court and Social, page 23; ''Times Higher Education Supplement'' (2 January 1987) 'Cheers for four firsts'. He was seconded to BP from September 1991 to August 1992 to help it think more systematically about the value of its education programmes.Brown, M. (Autumn 1992). 'Equal partners', ''Shield: The international magazine of the BP Group''.

Educational research

Areas with which Smithers has been associated include choice and selection in education, social variation between schools, qualifications and assessment, physics education, international comparisons of educational achievement, headship, teacher training, recruitment and retention, technical and further education, the independent/state divide, single-sex and coeducation, and higher education.http://www.alansmithers.com and http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/research/ceer

Publications

Selected publications, in addition to ''The Good Teacher Training Guide'' which has been published annually since 1998 include:
* ''GCSEs 2019: Trends and Prospects'' (2019)
* ''A-Levels 2019: Trends and Forecast'' (2019)
* ''Where Next for Apprenticeships 2016'' (2016)
* ''Social Disadvantage and Widening Access to Universities'' (2015)
* ''HEFCEs Blunder'' (2015)
* ''The Science and Mathematics Teaching Workforce'' (2014)
* ''Confusion in the Ranks'' (2013)
* ''14-18 A New Vision for Secondary Education'' (2013)
* ''Educating the Highly Able'' (2012)
* ''Choice and Selection in Education: the experience of other countries'' (2010)
* ''Worlds Apart: social variation among schools'' (2010)
* ''Physics Participation and Policies: lessons from abroad'' (2009)
* ''Specialist Science Schools'' (2009)
* ''The Diploma: a disaster waiting to happen?'' (2008)
* ''Blair's Education: an international perspective'' (2007)
* ''Physics in Schools and Colleges'' (2007)
* ''School Headship'' (2007)
* ''The Paradox of Single Sex and Coeducational Schooling'' (2006)
* ''England’s Education'' (2004)
* ''Attracting Teachers'' (2000)
* ''Further Education Reformed'' (2000)
* ''The Impact of Double Science'' (1994)
* ''General Studies'' (1993)
* ''Graduates in the Police Service'' (1990)
* ''Increasing Participation in Higher Education'' (1989)
* ''The Growth of Mixed A-Levels'' (1988)
* ''The Progress of Mature Students'' (1986)
* ''Sandwich Courses: an Integrated Education?'' (1976).

Two of his reports were featured as ''Dispatches'' programmes on ''Channel 4'', ''Every Child in Britain'' (1991)''Every Child in Britain'', 1991. Report of the Channel Four Commission, (A.H. Halsey, Neville Postlethwaite, Sig Prais, Alan Smithers and Hilary Steedman). London: Broadcasting Support Services. and ''All Our Futures: Britain’s Education Revolution'' (1993).''All Our Futures: Britain's Education Revolution'', 1993. London: Channel Four Television. He has been a frequent commentator on the policies of successive governments.Woodward, W. (7 September 2004). 'Declaration of independence', ''The Guardian''. His analyses of Blair's education have appeared in Anthony Seldon's books, ''The Blair Effect: The Blair Government 1997-2001'' (2001), ''The Blair Effect 2001-2005'' (2005) and ''Blair's Britain 1997-2007'' (2007)Ed Anthony Seldon (2001, 2005 and 2007) ''The Blair Effect: The Blair Government 1997-2001'', London: Little,Brown,2001; ''The Blair Effect 2001-05'', Cambridge: University Press; and ''Blair's Britain 1997-2007'', Cambridge: University Press.

Educational advisor at a national level

Smithers has served as an adviser, latterly standing adviser, to the ''Commons Education Select Committee'' since 1997. He claims to be apolitical, believing that close association with any one party compromises the objectivity of the research. He has served on national committees including the ''National Curriculum Council'', the ''Beaumont Review of National Vocational Qualifications'' and the ''Royal Society Committee on Teacher Supply''.

Personal life

He married Angela Wykes in 1962, with whom he had two daughters; they divorced in 2003.

References

External links

CEER

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smithers, Alan
1938 births
Living people
English educational theorists
English physiologists
Alumni of King's College London
Alumni of the University of Bradford
Academics of the University of London
Academics of the University of Bradford
Academics of the University of Buckingham
Academics of the University of Manchester
Academics of Brunel University London
Academics of the University of Liverpool
People educated at Barking Abbey Grammar School