A manifesto to reimagine primary education in England

Girvan, Anne Nicola (2026) A manifesto to reimagine primary education in England. Ed.D thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This philosophical exploration critiques and re-imagines primary education in England through a synthesis of post-structural, utopian and critical pedagogies. It exposes how developmentalism, chrononormativity and standardised curricula operate as regulatory discourses that normalise childhood and constrain teachers’ ethical agency. Drawing on a rich lineage of educational thinkers, it reconstructs a counter-tradition of relational, time-rich and democratic education. Methodologically, the study adopts the manifesto as both form and method—combining philosophical critique with creative proposition. Its five themes—time and development, knowledge and curriculum, power and ability, space and relationality and voice and agency—trace a movement from deconstruction to renewal. The manifesto and subsequent roadmap propose a plural, inclusive and life-affirming alternative grounded in care, curiosity and collective authorship. Ultimately, the thesis contends that educational transformation requires not minor reform but an ontological reorientation.

• Item Type: Thesis (Ed.D)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: L Education > L Education (General); L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Supervisor's Name: Davis, Professor Robert and Hedge, Professor Nicki
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-86041
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 19 Jun 2026 15:50
• Last Modified: 19 Jun 2026 15:51
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.86041
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/86041