I recently had the pleasure of meeting a Tory politician to talk about education in the country. A conversation which frankly went one direction when I realised that his view of remedying the system of some of our low performing schools was quite myopic. I decided to follow this up some more by viewing Michael Gove the Shadow Secretary for Children , Schools and Families giving a speech at the RSA. Much of his speech reflected what we heard in this meeting. The Conservatives are going to revolutionise the whole way schooing, nay education, is done in this country!!
More Science and Maths
The current Conservative education policy heavily leans towards more students being engaged in maths, languages and science subjects. With the country facing a major decline in singular science subjects and many of the top (Russell Group) universities not accepting what are considered soft A level subjects, such as Media studies, Performing arts and even more suprisingly Law, Sociology and Psychology one totally commends their approach to getting many of the students from poorer backgrounds. Subjects like science and maths do by their advanced nature create a mindset for problem solving, critical thinking and analysis as opposed to some of the more shall we say more popular A levels selected in some state schools and sixth form colleges. I am all for this approach but the fabric of what schools do in different socio economic communities is no big thing to be dismissed by a differing approach to what A levels we study.
Much of the policy I realised forming what many consider to be the new approach is quite heavily influenced by the successes that exist in independent schools and the evidence based approached to learning by Prof Robert Slavin. Bodies like the Sutton Trust and Policy Exchange (of which Gove was a former chair) also seem to very influential.
‘Soft Skills’ and a Complex Tapestry
Working quite regularly with schools and businesses who are always interested in having students (from school and uni) being work ready, there is a constant request for students to have skills for work. Myself and a number of contemporaries work with schools and realise that many teachers aren’t equipped for this. Whilst we understand the need for the basic subjects to be really focused on the whole work preparedness agenda needs to be addressed also.
Whether we like the term soft skills or not, not everyone is on the sports team, or engaged in youth leadership programmes or have an extensive extra curricular programme that is afforded at independent schools and can provide a backdrop for these skills. Often it needs the rough and ready to intervene but somehow the Conservatives, of whom I am a supporter, seem rather reticent to engage in these programmes.
Troubled?
It’s a bit of a bitter pill as I am totally with the Tory’s in getting young people to be academically focused on education and learning, yet also troubled that as well as being able to have knowledge for the sake of passing exams (does anyone still use algebra or remember the 19th century Prime Ministers?) there is also need for balance and a combined approach to education, including those students who have vocational or more creative leanings to their learnings. This conversation will be continued if not least to answer some of the concerns I have.
I have seen this often in revies of discussions with the Tories on education policy, and what is so sad about the current thinking, in both Tory and Labour circles, is they do not pay any attention to developmental journey of the learner through out the learning journey. This can be said for most radical education thinking of the last 100 years, where matters of curriculum, subject and knowledge transfer have taken centre stage. Whilst this was forgiveable 20 years ago, as we simply did not know any better, there is more than enough evidence today, both scientific and field based, to deliver a platform upon which radical education policy discussion can be about the optimisation of all learners experiences at school, delivering to them the foundations upon which real, positive and genuine choices can be made about which specific subject or subjects should be engaged. Dare I suggest that if 80-90% of 14 year olds were motivated, effective learners, rather than our current 30-50% the uptake and engagement in maths, science and the like would be far higher, and the results of those endevours, more globally competitive.