Ignorance, though one of the Giants, was barely mentioned in the Beveridge Report, but addressed by the 1944 Education Act and 1963 Robbins Report. This panel identifies gaps that have emerged and ways to fill them, focussing particularly on equality of opportunity.

Kitty Stewart will discuss the importance of early education to children’s life chances, and consider how far current early years and childcare policy is well-designed to promote children’s development and to narrow gaps between children from different backgrounds.

Anne West will focus on school-based education. She will outline how the school system has changed since the 1944 Education Act, particularly since the academies programme was introduced.

Sandra McNally will address the state of further and technical education in England.

As higher education expanded both Howard Glennerster and Nicholas Barr advocated income-contingent graduate contributions.

Nicholas Barr is Professor of Public Economics at LSE and the author of numerous books and articles including The Economics of the Welfare State (OUP, 5th edn, 2012), Financing Higher Education: Answers from the UK (with Iain Crawford) (Routledge 2005), and Reforming Pensions: Principles and Policy Choices (with Peter Diamond) (OUP, 2008).

Howard Glennerster joined the Higher Education Research Unit at LSE in 1964 after working in the Labour Party Research Department

Sandra McNally is Director of the Centre for Vocational Education Research and Director of the Education and Skills Programme at the Centre for Economic Performance at LSE.

Kitty Stewart is Associate Professor of Social Policy at LSE, and Associate Director of LSE’s Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion. She has a PhD in Economics from the European University Institute, Florence.

Anne West is Professor of Education Policy in the Department of Social Policy at LSE. She previously worked as a research officer in the former Inner London Education Authority.

David Piachaud is an Emeritus Professor of Social Policy in the Department of Social Policy.