Skills for the 21st century

The dual aims of good exam results and the best possible education for students need not be in conflict

By John Dunford

The new Government offers a great opportunity to think about the purposes of education and how these best can be fulfilled. The Government’s declared intention to give schools more freedom over the curriculum opens up opportunities until now unavailable in a world dominated by a national curriculum that has been centrally prescribed in mind-numbing detail.

While teachers have been “delivering” (a horrible description of the art and science of pedagogy) this national curriculum, a gulf has opened up between what education systems provide and what children and young people need. Our schools and colleges rightly try to ensure that young people are literate, numerate and gain academic qualifications. But the emphasis on testing and passing exams often squeezes out the development of other skills that are just as vital - and has done so for many years.

This is a world in which employers select young people not only on the basis of their technical or academic qualifications but also on their personal and social skills, such as their ability to work in a team and communicate effectively. It is also a world facing major societal challenges, such as climate change and the rise of fundamentalism. We need to equip young people to tackle these challenges by teaching them to develop qualities such as empathy and resilience, and by encouraging them to show greater cultural awareness and respect for others.

Headteachers feel a tension between maximising their school’s examination results and giving their students the best possible education. Yet these aims should not be in conflict.

Under pressure from school league tables and data-driven Ofsted inspection, heads are looking to squeeze every percentage point as they strive to meet their externally imposed targets. Any available resources are directed at 16-year-olds in danger of falling just below the accountability threshold of five high grade passes at GCSE or their vocational equivalent. The system encourages a narrowing of the curriculum to the “counting” subjects, as they used to be called when Matthew Arnold was an elementary school inspector in the mid-19th century.

Yet many schools look beyond the basic essentials and engage in one or more of the projects that have now come together under the banner of Whole Education.

Large schools have reorganised into smaller units with the guidance of Human Scale Education. Many secondary schools have re-cast their curriculum for the 11 to 14 age group under the influence of the RSA’s Opening Minds project. Futurelab has broadened the way in which technology is used. The Food for Life Partnership has helped schools to make a real difference to young people’s diet, health and understanding of food culture. Paul Hamlyn’s Learning Futures, like Musical Futures before it, is exploring new pedagogies to ensure that all young people are actively and positively engaged with their learning and retain that beyond school.

All these organisations – and others still to join – have much to offer; yet this is often difficult for them to convey to teachers and heads. And it can be equally hard for the professionals to know what is available.

So the aims of Whole Education are both practical and educational. We are a conduit through which partner organisations that have signed up to our statement of common beliefs can publicise what they have to offer to schools and other places where young people come together to learn. And through Whole Education the schools, colleges and youth organisations can more easily discover what is available to enrich learning experiences. They can also state a commitment to providing their young people with a Whole Education.

Beyond that practical function, Whole Education exists to influence the direction of education towards a richer and broader experience for young people, which will both prepare them better for life in the 21st century and enrich the society in which they live.

It will seek to develop their practical skills and theoretical knowledge, whatever their ability. Work is already underway: more than 5,000 schools and colleges, including more than three quarters of all secondary schools, are now involved, as well as many youth groups and charities.

So far, the active partners include the RSA, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Oxfam, Innovation Unit, Human Scale Education, UK Youth, Futurelab, ASDAN, Co-operative College, the Food for Life Partnership and the Campaign for Learning. This is just the beginning.

The origins of Whole Education can be traced back to the creation of the Open Source Alliance for 21st century education, a working group that came together in late 2008. Most of the organisations involved were signatories to the RSA’s Charter for 21st century education but knew that more action was required. Two key elements have been critical in shaping the group. First, there is the emphasis on bringing together those who passionately believe in the need to make education about more than just testing; second, the “open source” nature of the alliance, which means that partner organisations make their resources freely available to schools, colleges or youth groups.

There is no limiting definition of what a Whole Education should entail. Instead, Whole Education has a set of common beliefs, which all partner organisations support. They are that learning:

* is relevant and engaging. Young people are encouraged to work actively, not passively; to collaborate with one another; to stretch themselves and work with others; to question and to be able to present their knowledge in a coherent and literate manner. They develop a positive attitude and a passion for learning throughout life.

* builds resilience. We believe in teaching social and emotional
competencies, including self-awareness, empathy, resilience, self-respect, persistence, self-discipline, the ability to respond to discipline from others, enterprise and the capacity to collaborate, plan ahead and forge strong constructive relationships

* develops good citizens. We believe in investing in the development of social and emotional competencies, which not only help young people to learn effectively and contribute positively to their own development and educational attainment, but also help the development of a decent society.

* reaches beyond school. We understand that young people spend much of their time outside schools, in the community and online, and that out-of-school education can have an important role in their development.

* is based on trusting good teachers. We argue for more trust in heads and teachers, who are best placed to understand the requirements of those they teach.

Whole Education will seek to influence the Government so that it is more supportive of those looking to take our approach to teaching and learning.

The implications will be considerable, not only for education but also for the workforce, the economy and civic health and wellbeing. Teachers will have easier access to – and a better awareness and understanding of – a wide range of innovative practices. There will be more ways of accessing high-quality education – be it academic, vocational or practical, in school or in the local community – and more young people will be aware of these options. Finally, the policy environment around education will be such that making these opportunities available will not be arduous or controversial but actively encouraged. There will be less of a tendency for parents, policymakers and other stakeholders to value certain types of education over others, enabling young people to pursue confidently the educational path that sparks in them excitement and a love of learning.

28 June 2010

John Dunford. General Secretary, Association of School and College Leaders