TOWARDS A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY EDUCATION SYSTEM!

"The crisis in our economy and education system is getting more acute by the day. The Government’s current strategy is to address these twenty-first century skills shortages using a curriculum and pedagogy from the late nineteenth century." 

KENNETH BAKER

Chair of the Edge Foundation

FACT: Success in education is NOT about spending more money

”Countries need to invest in education if their citizens are to lead productive lives; but putting more money into education does not automatically result in better education. For countries that currently invest less than USD 50 000 per student between the ages of 6 and 15, PISA shows a strong relationship between spending per student and the quality of learning outcomes. However, for countries that spend above that level, and that includes most OECD countries, there is no relationship between spending per student and average student performance. Fifteen-year-old students in Hungary, which spends USD 47 000 per student between the ages of 6 and 15, perform at the same level as students in Luxembourg, which spends more than USD 187 000 per student, even after accounting for differences in purchasing power parities. In other words, despite spending four times as much as Hungary, Luxembourg does not gain any advantage. In short, success is not just about how much money is spent, but about how that money is spent.”

ANDREAS SCHLEICHER ‘WORLD CLASS How to build a 21st-century school system’

FACT: The poor will NOT always do badly in school; deprivation is NOT destiny

“Even as teachers in classrooms around the world struggle to make up for the disadvantage into which some of their students were born, some believe that deprivation is destiny. But PISA results show that this is a false premise – and that there is nothing inevitable about how well or badly different social groups are likely to do in school, or in life. There are two sides to this story. On the one hand, in all countries that participate in PISA, learning outcomes are associated with the social background of students and schools – a major challenge for teachers and schools.1 But on the other hand, the strength of the relationship between social background and the quality of learning outcomes varies substantially across education systems – proof that poor results are not inevitable for disadvantaged students. In the 2012 PISA test, the 10% most disadvantaged 15-year-olds in Shanghai showed better mathematics results than the 10% most privileged students in the United States and many other countries..... All countries have some excellent students, but few have enabled most students to excel. Achieving greater equity in education is not only a social-justice imperative, it is also a way to use resources more efficiently, and to ensure that all people can contribute to their societies. In the end, how we educate the most vulnerable children reflects who we are as a society.“

ANDREAS SCHLEICHER ‘WORLD CLASS How to build a 21st-century school system’

FACT: Selecting students by ability is NOT the way to raise standards!

“For centuries educators have wondered how they should design school systems so that they best serve all students’ needs. Some countries have adopted non-selective and comprehensive school systems that seek to provide all students with similar opportunities, leaving it to each teacher and school to cater to the full range of student abilities, interests and backgrounds. Other countries respond to diversity by grouping or tracking students, whether between schools or between classes within schools, with the aim of serving students according to their academic potential and/ or interests in specific programmes. Conventional wisdom says that the former serves equity, while the latter fosters quality and excellence. The assumption underlying selection policies is that students’ talents will develop best when students reinforce each other’s interest in learning. There is considerable variation in how countries track and stream students. Evidence from PISA shows that none of the countries with a high degree of separation by ability, whether in the form of tracking, streaming, or grade repetition, is among the top-performing education systems or among the systems with the largest share of top performers. The highest-performing systems are those that offer equitable opportunities to learn to all of their students. This is consistent with other research that shows that narrowing the range of student abilities in classes or schools through tracking does not result in better learning outcomes. The pattern is different for within-class ability grouping or subject-specific ability grouping, which has shown to be effective when appropriate adjustments are made to the curriculum and instruction.”

ANDREAS SCHLEICHER ‘WORLD CLASS How to build a 21st-century school system’

FACT: Smaller classes DON’T always mean better results

“It might be politically popular to argue for smaller classes, but there is no cross- national evidence to show that reducing class size is the best avenue towards improving results. Instead, reducing class size can mean diverting funds that would have been better spent elsewhere – such as higher pay for better teachers. In fact, the highest-performing education systems in PISA tend to prioritise the quality of teachers over the size of classes; whenever they have to choose between smaller classes and investing in their teachers, they go for the latter.”

ANDREAS SCHLEICHER ‘WORLD CLASS How to build a 21st-century school system’

WORLD CLASS: HOW TO BUILD A 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL SYSTEM!

In a world where the kind of things that are easy to teach and test have also become easy to digitise and automate, the skills that will be required are the skills that underpin the arts and culture.... teamwork, communication, planning, creativity, problem solving, organisation, imagination, awareness and a sense of responsibility. Skills that will enable us to harness the opportunities of the 21st century to shape the world for the better. 

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW...

We face unprecedented change and automation, globalisation, collaboration and broader social changes like the growing global middle class are transforming the workforce and the nature of work! Work today is increasingly collaborative and focused on solving problems in creative ways. 

THE SKILLS THAT MATTER!

The skills that are most often required in job adverts are the skills that underpin the arts and culture.... teamwork, communication, planning, creativity, problem solving and organisation. We need to be working with schools to ensure all young people have access to these skills to compete in the world of work.

WORLD CLASS!

High-performing countries like China, Finland, South Korea, and Singapore and those like Canada and Australia, who see a future where automation, globalisation and collaboration are changing the landscape, realise the global economic landscape has changed. In response, they are re-imagining their education systems by focusing on developing world class skills. We need to persuade the powers that be here that the future is only going to be secured if we develop a World Class Learning Framework to drive our learning landscape. A framework built on World Class Skills as well as subjects.

SIMPLY AMAZING: Explore Labs - Challenge Your Imagination

What an amazing piece of work this is! Makes you proud to be part of something so special!!

“Instead of being presented with stereotypes by age, sex, color, class, or religion, children must have the opportunity to learn that within each range, some people are loathsome and some are delightful.”
Margaret Mead

PEOPLE POWER!

People Power brings together 12 experts and MPs who address challenges to the UK’s productivity, pay stagnation and regional inequalities. Collectively, their essays show that the success of Britain’s economy in the future will depend on workers themselves – and that politicians should do more to prioritise their happiness, their skills and their ability to share in the proceeds of growth. Make sure you read it!

THE EDUCATION INSPECTION FRAMEWORK 2019!

The New OFSTED Framework states that school governors and headteachers have a responsibility to look after our young people’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They need to develop their wellbeing and ensure they grow into the happy, heathy, successful creative thinkers and problem solvers of tomorrow.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON!

I was given this to remind me, when the going gets tough, that when it comes down to it one person can make a difference or as Margaret Mead put it "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE!

It has taken me a long time to realise what really matters when it comes to school improvement and I suppose that the only thing I would say in my defence is that I have been doing it for a long, long time now.

YOU DON'T FATTEN THE PIG BY CONSTANTLY WEIGHING IT!

We all know that we need world class education and learning to enable our young people to thrive and succeed in the world of work and to help our companies and businesses compete on the world stage. We need brilliant provision including arts, creativity and sport in every school and every classroom and wherever learning takes place... starting early and continuing throughout the college and university system.

SPACE CHASE: SUMMER READING CHALLENGE 2019

I was at Tang Hall Explore this morning for the launch of the Summer Reading Challenge with Rachael Maskell MP, Fiona Williams and other members of the Explore Board...

YORK EXPLORE'S HIDDEN GEMS, RELEASING THE MAGIC ACROSS THE CITY OF YORK Chapter 2!!!

I had another really amazing afternoon with Fiona Williams, Chief Executive of Explore York.We visited another four of the Explore libraries and met some more wonderful people who shared their passion, enthusiasm and commitment about what their library or library cafe offered to their community.

YORK EXPLORE'S HIDDEN GEMS, RELEASING THE MAGIC ACROSS THE CITY OF YORK!!

Yesterday, I had a really amazing day with Fiona Williams, Chief Executive of Explore York, and Robert Powell, Explore Community Director. We visited five of the Explore libraries and met some wonderful people who shared their passion, enthusiasm and commitment about what their library or library cafe offered to their community.

SPACE CHASE: Summer Reading Challenge 2019

The Explore York team are delighted to be working with The Reading Agency to run Space Chase, the Summer Reading Challenge 2019, in Explore York Libraries and Archives. 

Explore aims to promote the love of reading, especially in our children and young people, and the Explore team are really looking forward to an amazing programme of space themed summer activities as well as seeing what this year’s challenge involves. Hope to see you there!!

YORK BIG SING!

For those like me that love to sing, here is a wonderful opportunity to join in the York Big Sing!

Coming to an Explore York library near you...

See you there!

LIBRARIES MATTER!

Really looking forward to a tour of the wonderful libraries across the City of York over the next two days. York is blessed with great libraries which are well supported by the City of York Council and treasured by the communities they serve! It's going to be a great couple of days!!

WHAT IS CULTURAL CAPITAL?

From September, the new Ofsted framework requires schools to develop their children’s 'cultural capital'. The Cultural Learning Alliance has a wonderful blog post which provides a quick summary of some of the history, academic thinking and definitions of this key term.

THE ARTS AND CULTURE MATTER!

I have been reading the Arts Council report into the economic value of the Arts and Culture in the North of England and the contribution of the arts and culture industry to Yorkshire and the Humber.
While the data only goes up to 2016, in 2016, the arts and culture industry generated £730 million in turnover, an 18% increase on the £620 million worth of turnover generated in 2011. The overall trend is as follows. Turnover rose from £620 million in 2011 to £731 million in 2013 (representing a rise of 18%). It then fell sharply to £654 million in 2014, before rising to £730 million in 2016.

ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND: Shaping the next ten years

In December of this year Arts Council England will publish their next 10-year strategy. It will come into effect in 2020 and take over from their current strategy, 'Great Art and Culture for Everyone'. 

The new strategy will extend and develop the Arts Council’s support for our country’s artists, curators and librarians, cultural organisations and their workforces, and the communities they serve.

BLOEMFONTEIN CHILDREN'S CHOIR IN YORK!

There was a very special concert on Friday at York St John University!!! The young people from the Bloemfontein Children's Choir brought something extraordinary to what was a simply wonderful evening. Cllr Janet Looker, Lord Mayor of York, also attended and brought her own special magic to the concert.

They are an extraordinary group of young people - and what a spell binding performance they gave us! Those of us who have spent time with the Bloemfontein Children's Choir this week have seen what a wonderful group of young people they are, they were friendly, fun, enthusiastic, inquisitive, courteous, but very 'normal' young people who could give a stunning performance at the drop of a hat! Their singing in Millthorpe School, Scarcroft School, Central Methodist Church, BBC Radio York, the National Railway Museum and York Minster was every bit as good as that on Friday evening. We have had messages from the choir and the team with them and they really appreciated and enjoyed being  in York... being 'looked after' and guided on their tours of York. They were also delighted that they were on BBC Radio York and BBC Look North so that a wider audience could appreciate the magic these young people bring with them wherever they go!!

The choir are performing in City Hall in Glasgow this afternoon as part of the Stirling Bridge International Arts Festival , and in Edinburgh and Perth later this week, before they fly back home!  We have been blessed to be part of the Bloemfontein Children's Choir's 2019 UK tour, and those of us who were there will always remember a very special few days in our City.

CHANGING THE CULTURE: How to develop habits of creative thinking!

I was reading this article by Professor Bill Lucas... "If schools are to make creativity normal, then they need to think about the culture they seek to create" says Professor Lucas "Ultimately, human creativity is about developing habits of creative thinking. Our five-dimensional model for creativity in schools, developed with the OECD, is widely used across the world from Australia to Chile, Norway to Thailand, the Netherlands to England. In Wales, more than 500 schools, with the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh government and Creativity, Culture and Education, use our five habits model to explore ways of embedding creativity in schools."

"If schools are to make creativity normal, then they need to think about the culture they seek to create. From our research, 10 key aspects of the classroom and staffroom ecology keep recurring:

1. Learning is almost always framed by engaging questions which have no one right answer. 
2. There is space for activities that are curious, authentic, extended in length, sometimes beyond school, collaborative and reflective. 
3. There is the opportunity for play and experimentation. 
4. There is opportunity for generative thought, where ideas are greeted openly. 
5. There is opportunity for critical reflection in a supportive environment. 
6. There is respect for difference and the creativity of others. 
7. Creative processes are visible and valued. 
8. Students are actively engaged, as co-designers. 
9. A range of assessment practices within teaching are integrated. 
10. Space is left for the unexpected. 

Later this year, the OECD will launch an app with materials for teaching and assessing creativity in schools. The Durham Commission will make recommendations for ways in which school leaders and teachers can be supported in England. Now is the time to get determined and creative about giving all children the chance to develop their creativity at school."

Professor Bill Lucas is director of the Centre for Real-World Learning at the University of Winchester and co-chair of the strategic advisory group for the Programme for International Student Assessment's 2021 test of creative thinking. 

MOVING BEYOND JOBS TO SKILLS!

                    

AUSTRALIA AND THE NEW WORK MINDSET!

We have known for a long time that the way we work will be increasingly affected by three global economic forces; automation, globalisation and collaboration. If we want young people to capitalise on these opportunities and navigate the challenges brought by these changes, they need a set of transferrable employability, enterprise and world of work skills. 

WHAT SKILLS DO ADULTS NEED TO THRIVE AND SUCCEED?

I have been reading a report on ‘What digital skills do adults need to succeed in the workplace now and in the next 10 years? The report was written by Dr Erika Kispeter, from the Warwick Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick. Unsurprisingly, Dr Kispeter suggests that to thrive and succeed in the future adults will need 'world class skills', especially interpersonal skills and cognitive competencies and learning strategies. The report states that occupations where workers use digital skills creatively and to solve problems are likely to grow, while occupations where digital skills are used for routine tasks are likely to decline.

The domains of the Health and care digital capabilities framework (Source: Health Education England, 2018)

SKILLS THAT MATTER!

With technology advancing and the world rapidly changing, it’s only logical that the skill set needed for jobs in the future is, too...

While the digital world is growing, skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork and resilience are becoming more and more valued. These are the skills at the heart of the arts and culture and young people will increasingly need them to thrive and succeed in the world of work.

YORK DANCE SPACE

I visited the York Dance Space this morning to see Hannah and Drew who are clearly doing great things to develop and support dance in York and North Yorkshire and inspire people of all ages to make, move and dance. They run contemporary dance and ballet classes for young people, youth dance, workshops and projects as well as doing professional work. Their aim is to bring creativity and artistry to young people through dance.


Hannah and Drew were involved in the brilliant ‘LightMoves’ project at Park Grove Academy and have worked on a pilot project supported by the Paul Hamlin Foundation. Their latest venture is iMove, a dance project for 13 - 25yrs. iMove is for young people in the city who would like to work creatively and collaboratively with professional artists and provides an exciting opportunity for young people to be part of a creative production with animation, music and dance, with performances planned in York City Centre and the Theatre Royal - main stage!


DRINGHOUSES PRIMARY SCHOOL

I visited another wonderful little school recently! Dringhouses Primary School in York is clearly doing amazing things and it was great to talk to Gill Williams, the school’s intelligent, driven and passionate headteacher and hear and see her commitment to culture and the arts. I also really enjoyed the brief walk around this fantastic school where the arts come alive for all the children. The children attending Dringhouses clearly experience a rich, rounded and outstanding curriculum offer which I would argue should be the entitlement for every child in York!! Surely every child should go to school and be happy, healthy, safe and successful and the arts and sport are just as important in that offer as literacy and numeracy!