Educational policy and practice at the Cambridge Festival of Ideas

The panel of experts includes Anna Vignoles, Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge; Professor Emeritus John MacBeath, Projects Director for the Centre for Commonwealth Education; the philosopher Professor John Gray; Professor Mary James, President of the British Educational Research Association; Times Education Supplement's behaviour guru Tom Bennett; and Alison Peacock, Cambridge Primary Review Network Coordinator.

They will reflect links between policy and research evidence about education, what research shows to be desirable education interventions and whether these are affordable.

This year's Cambridge Festival of Ideas is bursting with over 200 events for people of all ages. Those taking part include Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, artist Quentin Blake, author MJ Hyland, Frank Field MP, columnist Owen Jones, George the Poet, teen writer Anthony McGowan, comedian James Mullinger and academics ranging from David Reynolds and Noreena Hertz to Mary Beard, Anthony Giddens and Richard Evans.

The Festival, which runs from 23rd October to 3rd November, was the first public engagement initiative by a UK university to bring together the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Events are held in lecture halls, theatres, museums and galleries around Cambridge and entry to most is free.

Other education debates and talks at the Festival include:

• Professor Vignoles on how we can ensure that money is not wasted in schools and the public sector and the importance of evaluating policy and practice
• The ethics of smart drugs - a panel debate including leading neuroscientist Professor Barbara Sahakian
• Latest research into the benefits and challenges of bilingual education
• Research by Professor John MacBeath on the Children's University, a growing international initiative which provides learning activities for children outside school hours and links schools up with universities
• Bright Club - Researchers become comedians for just one night. Comedians Iszi Lawrence and AF Harrold will be joined by researchers Stephen Harrison, Katherine McDonald, Ashley Wilson, Rachel Tookey and Nora Ni Loiderain
• Tom Bennett talks about the damage that bad science can have on the classroom and what the academic and teaching communities can do about it.

Malavika Anderson, the Festival of Ideas Coordinator, said: "The Festival of Ideas has grown significantly over the last few years, in terms of both the number as well as the diversity of events on offer.

“We were delighted to have welcomed over 14,000 visitors at the Festival in 2012 and look forward to welcoming even more over 12 days this autumn. The theme this year – Frontiers – explores how borders, boundaries and margins are being either challenged or reinforced around the world – has inspired the development of some truly exciting events."

The University of Cambridge Festival of Ideas is sponsored by Barclays, Cambridge University Press and Anglia Ruskin University.  Anglia Ruskin also organises over a dozen of the events during the Festival. Event partners include Heffers Classics Festival, University of Cambridge Museums RAND Europe, the Goethe-Institut London and the Junction. The Festival's hospitality partner is Cambridge City Hotel and its media partner is BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

The full Festival programme will be published on 2nd September. For more information, please visit: www.cam.ac.uk/festivalofideas.