Files relating to Government policy on education and educational issues generally

This series consists of papers relating to Brian Cox's involvement in a range of education issues, which do not fall into the specific categories listed in the first three series. There is a considerable amount of material relating to Cox's links during the late 1970s and 1980s with the Conservative Party, including his advice on formulating education policy, his concern with the planned reform of 16+ examinations, and a small amount relating to his work on the National Curriculum English Working Group. There is a large file of material relating to the Campaign for the Verbal Arts in the early 1980s, as well as papers relating to: two international conferences on education in which Cox took part during 1981; speeches, articles and television appearances by Cox; a Critical Quarterly course for teachers of English held in April 1982; and plans for various publications on the subject of education. Significant correspondents represented include: G.H. Bantock; Jacques Barzun; Rhodes Boyson; Leon Brittan; Anne Cluysenaar; Keith Hampson; Philip Hobsbaum; John Holloway; Oliver Letwin; Craig Raine; Jon Silkin; R.S. Thomas; and Clive Wilmer.

COX4/1-9 are original files created by Cox; arrangement of the papers within each file is based on his original order which presumably reflects the way the papers accumulated, although in some cases there is no evidence of an obvious organizing principle. COX4/3-5 were all kept in the same large folder labelled Conservative Party Initiatives but within that folder were subdivided into the smaller files described here. The papers listed in COX4/10-16 come from Cox's various unsorted miscellaneous files, the contents of which have now been split up according to their subject matter. These bundles are fully cross referenced to the other material with which they were originally stored. Within each bundle they are arranged in chronological order as far as this can be determined, with undated pieces placed at the end.