Dr Lynton Lees
@lyntonlees.bsky.social
Researching UK education and society.
Senior Policy Adviser, British Academy. PhD education in modern Britain. London via Lancs. All views my own.
Senior Policy Adviser, British Academy. PhD education in modern Britain. London via Lancs. All views my own.
Pinned
Dr Lynton Lees
@lyntonlees.bsky.social
· Sep 10
📢 Today the Academy launches a major new report urging action to tackle a growing crisis in our universities. Cuts to courses mean more regions than ever are ‘cold spots’ for access to many SHAPE subjects - with even more at risk. 🧵
📍Read the full report: www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/policy-and-r...
📍Read the full report: www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/policy-and-r...
Cold spots: Mapping inequality in SHAPE provision in UK higher education
This British Academy report reveals that many parts of the UK are becoming subject cold spots – areas with no provision in a subject within a commutable distance. These are often in rural, coastal or ...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
Proud to see this report out in the world today. After 10+ years of market experiments in UK HE, the data is clear: leaving what is taught in our universities solely up to the market has left students with less choice, fewer opportunities and more regional inequality. Read the deep dive below 👇
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
What's lost when we lose staff, departments, programmes and faculties in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and what's that got to do with organ donation?
Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
The organ donation ‘opt-out’ has been a fatal failure | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:10 AM
What's lost when we lose staff, departments, programmes and faculties in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and what's that got to do with organ donation?
Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
Did you take part in a mock election at your UK school or college between 1983 and 2001?
Share your memories for a research project on young people and democracy in modern Britain!
Write to us about your experiences here: forms.office.com/e/FNAwjfFR7f
Share your memories for a research project on young people and democracy in modern Britain!
Write to us about your experiences here: forms.office.com/e/FNAwjfFR7f
October 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Did you take part in a mock election at your UK school or college between 1983 and 2001?
Share your memories for a research project on young people and democracy in modern Britain!
Write to us about your experiences here: forms.office.com/e/FNAwjfFR7f
Share your memories for a research project on young people and democracy in modern Britain!
Write to us about your experiences here: forms.office.com/e/FNAwjfFR7f
‘However, the removal of the EBacc measure, coupled with the Government’s proposed changes to Progress 8, puts the humanities in direct competition with each other and with the arts.’ Glad to see the HA aligning with @britishacademy.bsky.social on this: humanities AND arts, not either/or, surely?
The Government have published the Curriculum and Assessment Review report and their own response. We have a short statement expressing our views.
www.history.org.uk/secondary/ne...
www.history.org.uk/secondary/ne...
Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report – response
www.history.org.uk
November 6, 2025 at 7:28 PM
‘However, the removal of the EBacc measure, coupled with the Government’s proposed changes to Progress 8, puts the humanities in direct competition with each other and with the arts.’ Glad to see the HA aligning with @britishacademy.bsky.social on this: humanities AND arts, not either/or, surely?
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
'Music and modern foreign languages degrees are among courses being suspended at the University of Nottingham, with the institution saying it “cannot rely on additional income” from the coming tuition fee rises.' 1/3
Nottingham suspends music, language and nursing courses
University says financial uncertainties continue as government’s proposed student levy will ‘wipe out any benefits’ from rising tuition fees
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM
'Music and modern foreign languages degrees are among courses being suspended at the University of Nottingham, with the institution saying it “cannot rely on additional income” from the coming tuition fee rises.' 1/3
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
Coverage in The Times of our concerns about how languages will fare under the proposed changes to the national curriculum
www.thetimes.com/article/9b0f... @britishacademy.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social
www.thetimes.com/article/9b0f... @britishacademy.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Coverage in The Times of our concerns about how languages will fare under the proposed changes to the national curriculum
www.thetimes.com/article/9b0f... @britishacademy.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social
www.thetimes.com/article/9b0f... @britishacademy.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social
EBacc was never perfect - but it was an important guard-rail around languages take-up at GCSE and sent a strong signal about the vital place of languages in any truly broad and balanced curriculum. It's hard to see how abolishing EBacc won't ultimately hit GCSE MFL entries hard.
The Curriculum and Assessment review final report was published today by the government.
Professor Charles Forsdick, Lead Fellow for Languages at The British Academy, reflects on the review’s implications for UK language education: https://bit.ly/4okpkjf
Professor Charles Forsdick, Lead Fellow for Languages at The British Academy, reflects on the review’s implications for UK language education: https://bit.ly/4okpkjf
November 5, 2025 at 5:51 PM
EBacc was never perfect - but it was an important guard-rail around languages take-up at GCSE and sent a strong signal about the vital place of languages in any truly broad and balanced curriculum. It's hard to see how abolishing EBacc won't ultimately hit GCSE MFL entries hard.
Dusting this one off today...
A very thoughtful piece on why dismantling the Ebacc might be the final blow for languages in schools.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/curricu...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/curricu...
Curriculum Review: The case for broadening - not abolishing - EBacc
Would removing EBacc increase access to arts and other SHAPE subjects? It’s not clear that it would.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
November 5, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Dusting this one off today...
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
Long tails and important outcomes. Finally, it's live - the website for the report, "Conversion Therapy' and the University of Birmingham c.1966-1983'!
There's material about the history, the project, its organisation, and there are resources there too.
#HistPsych #HistSTEM #QueerHist #HistSex
There's material about the history, the project, its organisation, and there are resources there too.
#HistPsych #HistSTEM #QueerHist #HistSex
‘Conversion Therapy’ and the University of Birmingham c.1966-1983 - University of Birmingham
Between c.1966 and 1983, the University of Birmingham employed researchers who orchestrated so-called 'conversion therapy' for same-sex love
www.birmingham.ac.uk
November 4, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Long tails and important outcomes. Finally, it's live - the website for the report, "Conversion Therapy' and the University of Birmingham c.1966-1983'!
There's material about the history, the project, its organisation, and there are resources there too.
#HistPsych #HistSTEM #QueerHist #HistSex
There's material about the history, the project, its organisation, and there are resources there too.
#HistPsych #HistSTEM #QueerHist #HistSex
'It’s almost as if research doesn’t bring in money that can cross-subsidise teaching, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever worked in higher education.'
wonkhe.com/blogs/the-wh...
wonkhe.com/blogs/the-wh...
The white paper is wrong - changing research funding won't change teaching
Changing research funding isn't enough to bring about sector specialisation. James Coe has the politics and DK has the stats in a correlational look at the white paper.
wonkhe.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:56 PM
'It’s almost as if research doesn’t bring in money that can cross-subsidise teaching, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever worked in higher education.'
wonkhe.com/blogs/the-wh...
wonkhe.com/blogs/the-wh...
Wonderful to spend yesterday afternoon celebrating ten years of Our Migration Story, an unrivalled online resource for teachers and students to learn about migration’s centrality to the making of modern Britain. Congrats to all who made OMS possible — felt urgent and energising
October 28, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Wonderful to spend yesterday afternoon celebrating ten years of Our Migration Story, an unrivalled online resource for teachers and students to learn about migration’s centrality to the making of modern Britain. Congrats to all who made OMS possible — felt urgent and energising
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
Govt should withdraw its guidance which prevents civil servants from speaking at public or stakeholder events as this will reduce the quality of policymaking. I’m a co-signatory of this letter in The Times coordinated by @instituteforgovernment.org.uk a
asking for this guidance to be reconsidered
asking for this guidance to be reconsidered
July 14, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Govt should withdraw its guidance which prevents civil servants from speaking at public or stakeholder events as this will reduce the quality of policymaking. I’m a co-signatory of this letter in The Times coordinated by @instituteforgovernment.org.uk a
asking for this guidance to be reconsidered
asking for this guidance to be reconsidered
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
"The BBC has clanged their doors shut on those histories, those stories, those lives and ways of working that are revealed through the joint industry of the historian and the archivist." @helenwheatley.bsky.social on the devastating decision to limit access to BBC archives. tinyurl.com/y4tnyw9a
Defending the WAC: All the things I haven’t (yet) written by Helen Wheatley
People following the last few weeks of the Critical Studies in Television blog will have seen my brilliant colleagues discussing the essential work that they have been able to do thanks to the…
cstonline.net
October 19, 2025 at 6:06 AM
"The BBC has clanged their doors shut on those histories, those stories, those lives and ways of working that are revealed through the joint industry of the historian and the archivist." @helenwheatley.bsky.social on the devastating decision to limit access to BBC archives. tinyurl.com/y4tnyw9a
Regret to inform you this story is absolutely immaculate. And I’m not just talking about the shell company puns
I think this is the weirdest story I've ever reported. www.londoncentric.media/p/terry-ball...
The snail farmer of London, his mafia friends, and a £20m vendetta against the taxman
Terry Ball runs elaborate mollusc-based tax avoidance schemes that are costing London councils millions of pounds. Yet when London Centric tracks him down, an even stranger story emerges.
www.londoncentric.media
October 18, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Regret to inform you this story is absolutely immaculate. And I’m not just talking about the shell company puns
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
It was brilliant to welcome the In Our Time team to the British Academy to celebrate this splendid news. Their phenomenal success shows just how much public interest there is in the very best of the humanities and social sciences.
The beloved BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time has been awarded the 2025 British Academy President’s Medal!
Professor Susan J Smith, President of the British Academy, praised the programme for bringing rigorous yet accessible discussion of complex ideas to millions of listeners: buff.ly/1bn63FD
Professor Susan J Smith, President of the British Academy, praised the programme for bringing rigorous yet accessible discussion of complex ideas to millions of listeners: buff.ly/1bn63FD
October 17, 2025 at 10:56 AM
It was brilliant to welcome the In Our Time team to the British Academy to celebrate this splendid news. Their phenomenal success shows just how much public interest there is in the very best of the humanities and social sciences.
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
We’ve met with Greta Thunberg and others in the flotilla. They describe hours-long scenes of torture and sexual harassment in Israeli captivity. Experts conclude that they have been subjected to serious crimes – Sweden’s foreign minister believes they have themselves to blame.
tinyurl.se/crR
tinyurl.se/crR
Greta Thunberg: “They kicked me every time the flag touched my face”
– Greta Thunberg on her days in Israeli captivity Beating, kicking, and threats of being gassed in cages. Greta Thunberg and several others from the flotilla ar
www.aftonbladet.se
October 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
We’ve met with Greta Thunberg and others in the flotilla. They describe hours-long scenes of torture and sexual harassment in Israeli captivity. Experts conclude that they have been subjected to serious crimes – Sweden’s foreign minister believes they have themselves to blame.
tinyurl.se/crR
tinyurl.se/crR
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
Outstanding from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com - the best way to get a job is to get a degree. You will almost almost always earn more as well.
Really interesting article from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com but especially intriguing to me is the number of comments below that are essentially 'OK the data don't agree with my hunch but here's an unrelated statement that proves that I'm right about AI, the death of higher education, etc'
What the graduate unemployment story gets wrong
People with a degree are faring better, not worse than their non-graduate counterparts
www.ft.com
October 11, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Outstanding from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com - the best way to get a job is to get a degree. You will almost almost always earn more as well.
In case you missed it — our cold spots research was covered in a panel discussion on Radio 4’s Front Row programme yesterday! Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
October 7, 2025 at 7:46 AM
In case you missed it — our cold spots research was covered in a panel discussion on Radio 4’s Front Row programme yesterday! Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
*NEW PSA BLOG* A hard-hitting report by @britishacademy.bsky.social illuminates UK cold spots for #HE degrees in #SocialSciences & #humanities. PSA CEO Michelle Doyle Wildman @seasonedcomms.bsky.social highlights the issues and impact.
New British Academy report shows degree course cold spots across the UK | The Political Studies Association (PSA)
Our friends at the British Academy (BA) have produced a hard-hitting new report which shows that financial difficulties or strategic choices in our universities have led to large swathes of the UK…
buff.ly
October 1, 2025 at 5:45 PM
*NEW PSA BLOG* A hard-hitting report by @britishacademy.bsky.social illuminates UK cold spots for #HE degrees in #SocialSciences & #humanities. PSA CEO Michelle Doyle Wildman @seasonedcomms.bsky.social highlights the issues and impact.
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
In case you missed it: our latest report explores a growing crisis in universities.
In many regions, students risk losing access to vital humanities, social science and arts subjects. Swipe to see our key findings and recommendations.
In many regions, students risk losing access to vital humanities, social science and arts subjects. Swipe to see our key findings and recommendations.
October 6, 2025 at 2:52 PM
In case you missed it: our latest report explores a growing crisis in universities.
In many regions, students risk losing access to vital humanities, social science and arts subjects. Swipe to see our key findings and recommendations.
In many regions, students risk losing access to vital humanities, social science and arts subjects. Swipe to see our key findings and recommendations.
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
REALLY appreciating Lucy Noakes's clear connecting of the dots between the announcement of maintenance grants for 'priority courses' and the Cold Spots mapping by the @britishacademy.bsky.social.
You can't ensure access in a system that ties disciplinary coverage to competition.
You can't ensure access in a system that ties disciplinary coverage to competition.
October 2, 2025 at 5:18 PM
REALLY appreciating Lucy Noakes's clear connecting of the dots between the announcement of maintenance grants for 'priority courses' and the Cold Spots mapping by the @britishacademy.bsky.social.
You can't ensure access in a system that ties disciplinary coverage to competition.
You can't ensure access in a system that ties disciplinary coverage to competition.
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
No, it never existed, and then the imaginary target was scrapped by the Conservatives years ago anyway.
The rise in numbers going to uni was entirely down to higher demand from students.
The rise in numbers going to uni was entirely down to higher demand from students.
did that 50% uni target thing actually still exist in any meaningful sense?
September 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
No, it never existed, and then the imaginary target was scrapped by the Conservatives years ago anyway.
The rise in numbers going to uni was entirely down to higher demand from students.
The rise in numbers going to uni was entirely down to higher demand from students.
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
There's a WEEK left to sign up to mentor for @artsemergency.bsky.social - potentially get paired with a young person (16-18) who wants to work in the arts/creative industries, but who might not have the contacts or context to help them understand how to do that www.arts-emergency.org/get-involved...
Become a mentor
Registration to be a mentor in 2026 is now open! Arts Emergency mentors support young people in Greater Manchester, London and Merseyside who are interested in the creative and cultural industries and...
www.arts-emergency.org
September 22, 2025 at 11:16 AM
There's a WEEK left to sign up to mentor for @artsemergency.bsky.social - potentially get paired with a young person (16-18) who wants to work in the arts/creative industries, but who might not have the contacts or context to help them understand how to do that www.arts-emergency.org/get-involved...
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
Modern language education is probably the best educational crisis in Britain but gets very little coverage because we assume the rest of the world just speaks English as a second language
The government managed to recruit only 43 per cent of its target number of modern foreign language teachers for initial teacher training in 2024-25.
www.thetimes.com/article/df90...
www.thetimes.com/article/df90...
September 21, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Modern language education is probably the best educational crisis in Britain but gets very little coverage because we assume the rest of the world just speaks English as a second language
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
The government managed to recruit only 43 per cent of its target number of modern foreign language teachers for initial teacher training in 2024-25.
www.thetimes.com/article/df90...
www.thetimes.com/article/df90...
September 21, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The government managed to recruit only 43 per cent of its target number of modern foreign language teachers for initial teacher training in 2024-25.
www.thetimes.com/article/df90...
www.thetimes.com/article/df90...
Reposted by Dr Lynton Lees
After making a dumb joke on here about the creative side of academic writing as "unfunded hobbit research", I then wrote a serious post about it
Unfunded Hobbit Research
In defence of academic inspiration
someflowerssoon.substack.com
September 14, 2025 at 8:21 AM
After making a dumb joke on here about the creative side of academic writing as "unfunded hobbit research", I then wrote a serious post about it