Nicholas Tate

Dr Nicholas Tate is a historian who has worked for many years at a senior level in education in a range of countries. He was chief executive of England’s national body responsible for the school curriculum and testing from 1994 to 2000, overseeing the introduction of a new national curriculum and attracting controversy through his emphasis on the role of the curriculum in shaping national identity. In this role he was a chief adviser to secretaries of state for education from both main political parties. From 2000 to 2005 he was a member of France’s Haut Conseil de l’évaluation de l’école, an advisory body to French ministers of education. From 2003 to 2011 he was director-general of The International School of Geneva, a bilingual school with 4000+ students. He became involved with the International Baccalaureate during this period, remaining a member of its Board and Chair of its Education Committee until 2015, while simultaneously working as executive chairman of a global group of independent schools operating across four countries.

He has written and spoken extensively on educational issues, contributing to education journals, symposia and the press. A major theme in his recent writing has been the need to combat a prevailing liberal ideology whose egalitarianism, relativism and cosmopolitanism have made it difficult for a ‘conservative’ voice in education to be heard. His books 'What is Education For?' (2014) and 'The Conservative Case for Education. Against the Current' (2017) look at how major thinkers from Plato onwards might help in this task.