Well, the white (and green) papers are out, all outlining the Government’s exciting plans for the future of education, and I’m somewhat underwhelmed at the vision.
After over a decade in power, you would expect a bit of ambition hidden away in there. The headlong run into full academisation of the school system feels like we have been here before (and we have). Schools that look the same, sound the same and deliver the same. A Wetherspoons model for school improvement, they all feel similar, you can’t argue with the prices, but the only real difference is how sticky the carpet is.
For me, educational excellence is personal. The wonder of a small school system is that individual schools have personalities and strengths depending on their staff and leadership. This allows parents to find a school that fits with their philosophy and the uniqueness of their child. Personalisation of learning is well known to be a bedrock of high-quality practice, but the growth of the mega-academy constricts schools into a market-based philosophy where any choice is restricted by the model itself.
The best teaching (and in turn the best learning) is delivered by committed educators who are deeply reflective about the individuals they are responsible for. It is harder work, involves far more thinking and is probably more difficult to moderate or inspect, but the beauty of a tailor-made curriculum is that it is relevant to those that study it. It allows for a range of approaches that are meaningful for the learners and it directly promotes an education that goes beyond the plans devised at ‘head office’. Following innumerable updates to the Inspection Framework and the curriculum, is more academies really the best answer to the challenges we face going forward?
It is so disappointing, that at a time of such ground-breaking cultural change, with the opportunities and challenges we face as a society, the tools we aim to give those who will be in charge in 20 years are so unimaginative and uninspiring. It demonstrates a lack of ambition and is out of touch with education offering the basis for a balanced life. It sidelines practical skills and offers even less for addressing mental health concerns.
This white paper is simply another layer of bureaucratic navel-gazing. Sorry, Nadhim, I can’t see the aspiration, the creativity or the vision here.
