Agenda for Change | Interaction | Atomic Physics\nBanfill1986 Precipitation of Calcium Hydroxide in the Presence of Organic\nEnhancement of ESP performance\nWhat lessons can be learned by an incoming Government of the attempts of previous Governments to transform schools?\nA ser ies of Lect u r es a ddr essin g fu n da m en t a l qu est ion s a bou t edu ca t ion\nP u blish ed by\nin a ssocia t ion wit h\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0\nA SERIES OF LECTU RES ADDRESSIN G FU N DAMEN TAL QU ESTIONS ABOU T EDU CATION\nP u blish ed by Th e Lea r n in g Skills Fou n da t ion 2010 in a ssocia t ion wit h Th e In depen den t Newspa per\n©Lea r n in g Skills Fou n da t ion ®, 2010 8 Swift St r eet, Lon don SW6 5AG www.lea r n in gskillsfou n da t ion .com\nINTRODUCTION Paul Brett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a ge 1\nLECTURE 1 Professor James Tooley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a ge 4 “S h ou ld a n ew G over n m en t be con s id er in g r a d ica l a lt er n a t ives t o a ch ieve a t r a n s for m a t ion ?”.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a ge 6\nLECTURE 2 Amanda Spielman.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a ge 32 “H a s t h e in cr ea s ed volu m e of legis la t ion a n d in cr ea s ed G over n m en t in volvem en t t r a n s for m ed ed u ca t ion in t h e U K ?”. . . . . . . . . . . . . P a ge 33\nLECTURE 3 Professor Richard Pring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a ge 48 “R et h in k t h e a im of ed u ca t ion : t h e n eed for a br oa d er vis ion of lea r n in g” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a ge 50\nAft er a h a r d fou gh t bu t in con clu sive Gen er a l E lection it is a n im por t a n t t im e for t h e Coa lition Gover n m en t t o look a t wh a t lesson s ca n be lea r n ed fr om it s pr edecessor s a n d t h e m ist a kes th a t t h ey h a ve ma de. Th is book is ba sed on a ser ies of lectu r es or ga n ised by t h e Lea r n in g Skills F ou n da t ion , pr ior to t h e election , a imed a t h igh ligh t in g wh er e we a r e n ow a n d wh er e we sh ou ld be a spir in g t o be. Th e Fou n da t ion a t t r a cted lea din g a ca dem ics a n d key in flu en cer s in t h e edu ca t ion a l wor ld t o t h ese lectu r es a n d t h e su bst a n ce of t h e pr esen t a t ion s is con t a in ed wit h in t h ese pa ges.\nSin ce t h e t h en P r im e Min ist er , J a m es Ca lla gh a n , deliver ed wh a t is n ow kn own a s t h e "Ru skin Speech " in 1976, su ccessive Gover n m en t s bot h Con ser va t ive a n d La bou r h a ve sou gh t to r efor m edu ca t ion by legisla t ion . If I a m bein g ch a r it a ble I wou ld sa y t h a t t h is is wit h mixed su ccess. If I wer e bein g less ch a r it a ble I wou ld pr oba bly sa y t h a t in cr ea sin g Gover n m en t in t er fer en ce h a s pr oba bly h a m per ed t h e developm en t of ma n y sch ools. Th is is beca u se sin ce th e 1980's, polit icia n s h a ve been obsessed wit h polit ica l issu es su ch a s selection , wh o con t r ols edu ca tion , n a r r owly defin ed st a n da r ds a n d t h e m yt h of ch oice for pa r en t s. H owever , t h e ch a n ges h a ve n ot been complet ely fr u itless: m a n y sch ools a r e in m u ch bet t er bu ildin gs t h a n t h ey wer e befor e t h ese r efor m s a n d, in fa ct, a r e bet t er fu n ded. So wh y is t h er e st ill widespr ea d dissa tisfa ction wit h wh a t is bein g a ch ieved? Amon gst t h e OE CD cou n t r ies we spen d t h e h igh est pr opor tion of Gr oss Na t ion a l P r odu ct on edu ca t ion bu t lin ger n ea r t h e bot t om en d of t h eir lea gu e ta bles. In st u dies of ch ildh ood h a ppin ess we come n ea r t h e bot t om of t h e West er n wor ld cou n t r ies. So wh y h a s a ll t h is polit ica l a t t en t ion a n d fu n din g n ot t r a n sfor m ed ou r edu ca t ion syst em ?\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 1 of 66\nTh er e a r e a n u m ber of possible a n swer s wh ich t h e Lea r n in g Skills F ou n da t ion h a s explor ed in pa st lectu r e ser ies a n d will look a ga in a t in t h e fu tu r e, in clu din g:\nA la ck of con sen su s between t h e Gover n m en t , In du st r y, pa r en ts a n d sch ools over wh y we a r e edu ca t in g you n g people\nA la ck of con sen su s a bou t h ow we sh ou ld edu ca t e you n g people\nSch ools feelin g dis-em power ed by top down over ly pr escr ipt ive n ew in it ia t ives fr om cen t r a l Gover n m en t a n d it s plet h or a of qu a n gos\nA belief by cen tr a l Gover n m en t t h a t t h er e is on e best wa y for a ll sch ools a n d ch ildr en a s dem on st r a t ed by th e n a t ion a l Cu r r icu lu m , SATs etc\nCen tr a l Gover n m en t dist r a ctin g sch ools fr om t h eir r ea l pu r pose by over loa din g t h em wit h bu r ea u cr a cy a n d t est in g\nI a m su r e t h a t ot h er s cou ld a dd t o t h is list bu t t h e comm on th eme is th a t t h e Gover n men t n eeds t o st ep ba ck a n d em power sch ools t o edu ca t e t h e you n g people in t h eir a r ea s r a t h er t h a n feelin g t h a t it h a s a du t y t o impose it s idea s on sch ools.\nUn t il we h a ve sch ools a n d a n edu ca t ion syst em wh ich gives a ll ch ildr en a n d pa r en ts, ir r espective of t h eir post -codes, a n equ a l oppor tu n it y to fu lfil t h eir pot en t ia l a n d a spir a tion s, t h ose of u s wor kin g in edu ca t ion will h a ve n ot been su ccessfu l. Rea list ica lly, th is ca n on ly be r ea lised if sch ools a r e viewed a s pa r t of a wider t r a n sfor m a t ion a l a gen da wh ich in clu des pu blic policy issu es su ch a s h ou sin g, n eigh bou r h ood m a n a gem en t , socia l ca r e, fa m ily a n d pa r en t in g su ppor t, em ploymen t , h ea lth , cr ime pr even t ion etc. et c. Cu lt u r a lly, if a Gover n m en t ca n m ove fr om seein g sch ools a s t h e pr oblem a n d in stea d see t h em a s pa r t of t h e\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 2 of 66\na n swer by set t in g t h em fr ee t o edu ca t e a ll ch ildr en a s in dividu a ls, t h er e is n o r ea son t h a t edu ca tion cou ld n ot be t h e cor n er st on e of t h is socia l t r a n sfor m a tion .\nSu ccessive Gover n m en ts h a ve in vest ed h ea vily in sch ools bu t in th is in vestmen t h a ve oft en t ied t h e h a n ds of sch ools in t er m s of developin g a n edu ca t ion syst em wh ich r espon ds t o loca l a n d in dividu a l n eeds a n d is ba sed on t r u stin g t h e pr ofession a l ju dgem en t of H ea ds a n d t ea ch er s.\nTh e ch a llen ges for t h e n ew Gover n m en t fisca lly a n d socia lly a r e im m en se. Th ey n eed t o t a ke t h is oppor t u n it y t o t r a n sfer m or e r espon sibilit y t o sch ools, th er eby r edu cin g cen t r a l bu r ea u cr a cy a n d be a bsolu t ely clea r in wh a t t h ey wa n t sch ools t o a ch ieve in t h e wider con t ext of societ a l ch a n ge. I t h in k th a t we wou ld a ll be disa ppoin t ed if t h er e wa s a pa u cit y of vision in t h a t a ll t h e Gover n m en t wa n t s fr om sch ools is a t r a n sfer of da t ed kn owledge a n d bett er exa m in a t ion r esu lts. Sch ools a n d t h eir t ea ch er s h a ve t h e pot en t ia l t o t r a n sfor m th e lives of in dividu a ls a n d t h eir comm u n it ies if t h ey a r e em power ed t o do so a n d a r e n ot t ied down by r ed t a pe.\nTh is book is n ot in t en din g to give a ll of t h e a n swer s bu t by r ea din g it I h ope t h a t it wou ld br oa den a n d en h a n ce th e per spective of t h e Gover n m en t a n d t h eir a dviser s.\nOn beh a lf of Th e Lea r n in g Skills F ou n da t ion I wou ld like t o t h a n k Th e In depen den t Newspa per for su ppor t in g th is pu blica t ion .\nP a u l Br et t J u n e 2010\nJ a m es Tooley is P r ofessor of E du ca t ion Policy a t Newca st le Un iver sity wh er e h e dir ects t h e E .G. West Cen tr e. F or h is gr ou n d-br ea kin g r esea r ch on pr iva t e edu ca tion for t h e poor in In dia , Ch in a a n d Afr ica , P r ofessor Tooley wa s a wa r ded gold pr ize in t h e fir st In t er n a t ion a l F in a n ce Cor por a t ion /F in a n cia l Tim es Pr iva t e Sector Developmen t Com pet ition in Septem ber 2006.\nF r om 2007 t o 2009, h e wa s fou n din g P r esiden t of Th e E du ca t ion F u n d, Or ien t Globa l, livin g in H yder a ba d, In dia . H e is cu r r en t ly ch a ir m a n of edu ca t ion compa n ies in Gh a n a a n d Ch in a cr ea t in g embr yon ic ch a in s of low cost pr iva te sch ools.\nTooley h olds a Ph D fr om t h e In st it u t e of E du ca t ion , Un iver sit y of Lon don , a n MSc fr om t h e Scien ce P olicy Resea r ch Un it , Un iver sit y of Su ssex a n d fir st cla ss BSc h on ou r s in Logic a n d Ma t h em a t ics, a lso fr om t h e Un iver sit y of Su ssex.\nH e bega n h is ca r eer a s a m a t h em a tics t ea ch er in Zim ba bwe (1993 t o 1996), befor e m ovin g t o t h e Na t ion a l F ou n da t ion for E du ca t ion a l Resea r ch in E n gla n d in 1998. H e h eld sh or t -t er m a ppoin t m en ts a t Sim on F r a ser Un iver sit y, Ca n a da a n d t h e Un iver sit y of t h e West er n Ca pe, Sou t h Afr ica , wh ile complet in g h is P h D. H is fir st post-doctor a l posit ion wa s wit h t h e Un iver sit y of Oxfor d's Dept of E du ca tion a l St u dies, u n der P r ofessor Rich a r d Pr in g. Fr om Oxfor d h e m oved t o t h e Un iver sit y of Ma n ch est er in 1995; a t t h e sa m e t ime h e a lso cr ea t ed t h e E du ca tion a n d Tr a in in g Un it a t t h e In st it u t e of E con om ic Affa ir s in Lon don . H e t ook u p h is cu r r en t ch a ir a t Newca st le Un iver sit y in J u ly 1998.\nH e is a m ember of t h e a ca dem ic a dvisor y cou n cils for sever a l t h in k-t a n ks, in clu din g Refor m , Civit a s, In st it u te of E con om ic Affa ir s, Ta xpa yer s' Allia n ce a n d Globa lisa t ion In st it u t e. H e is a n Adju n ct Sch ola r a t t h e Ca t o In stit u t e a n d a t h ou gh t -lea der for Sch oolven t u r es.\nTooley is best kn own for h is wor k on low cost pr iva t e edu ca t ion . H e bega n t h is wor k in 2000, h a vin g discover ed for h im self t h e exist en ce of low cost pr iva t e sch ools in t h e slu m s of H yder a ba d wh ile doin g con su lt a n cy for t h e In t er n a t ion a l F in a n ce Cor por a t ion . A m a jor r esea r ch pr ogr a m m e wa s su bsequ en t ly u n der t a k en between 2003 a n d 2005, fu n ded by t h e J oh n Tem plet on Fou n da t ion , explor in g t h e n a t u r e a n d exist en ce of pr iva t e sch ools for t h e poor in In dia , Gh a n a , Niger ia , Ken ya a n d Ch in a , a n d com pa r in g pu blic a n d pr iva t e pr ovision for t h e poor . Th is r esea r ch is r epor t ed in a r a n ge of books a n d pu blica t ion s, in clu din g Th e Bea u t ifu l Tr ee: A per son a l jou r n ey in t o h ow t h e wor ld's poor est people a r e edu ca t in g t h em selves (P en gu in , New Delh i, a n d Ca to In st it u t e, 2009). H is wor k h a s a lso been pr ofiled in docu men t a r ies for t h e BBC a n d P BS: for t h e la t t er it wa s fea tu r ed a lon gside t h e wor k of Nobel La u r ea t e Moh a mm ed Yu n u s a n d H er n a n do de Sot o.\nTh e ba sic fin din gs of t h e r esea r ch sh ow th a t in u r ba n a n d per i-u r ba n poor a r ea s (slu m s a n d sh a n t y t own s) in In dia a n d t h e Afr ica n cou n t r ies stu died, t h e m a jor it y of sch oolch ildr en a r e in low cost pr iva t e sch ools. Aft er t estin g 24,000 ch ildr en , it wa s fou n d t h a t ch ildr en in t h e low cost pr iva t e sch ools sign ifica n t ly ou t per for m ch ildr en in pu blic sch ools, a ft er con t r ollin g for ba ckgr ou n d va r ia bles a n d t h e sch ool ch oice pr ocess.\nShould a new Government be considering radical alternatives to achieve a transformation?\nWedn esda y 10 t h Ma r ch 2010\nIn a n ea r lier lectu r e t o t h e Lea r n in g Skills F ou n da t ion , Pr ofessor Da vid H a r gr ea ves per su a sively a r gu ed h ow we n eed t o m ove fr om t h e ‘m a ss-pr odu ction syst em ' of t h e fa ctor y m odel in wh ich ou r sch ools a r e set , t owa r ds ‘m a ss cu st om isa t ion ', t h a t is, ‘bespoke ser vices for ever y in dividu a l lea r n er '. H e wa s t a lk in g a bou t h ow in n ova t ion wa s la ckin g in ou r sch oolin g syst em .\nP r ofessor Da vid H opkin s a r gu ed, a lso per su a sively in a n ot h er of t h e lectu r es, a bou t t oo m a n y ch ildr en la n gu ish in g in sch ools wh er e edu ca t ion a l st a n da r ds a r e low, dr a m a t ica lly h in der in g t h eir edu ca t ion a l a n d life pr ospects a s a r esu lt . On e of t h e wa ys t o im pr ove qu a lit y wa s t h r ou gh im pr oved a ccou n ta bilit y.\nBoth a r e r igh t . To a ch ieve edu ca t ion a l tr a n sfor m a t ion , we n eed bot h in n ova t ion a n d a ccou n t a bilit y. Bot h a r e im por t a n t , a n d la ckin g in ou r sch oolin g syst em.\nTh is even in g, I'll look a t bot h con cept s, explicit ly a n d im plicit ly: I begin by ou t lin in g fin din gs of t wo set s of r ecen t r esea r ch I've been con du ctin g ‘Wh a t pa r en ts wa n t'. I'll t h en pu t t h is in t o t h e con t ext of P r ofessor s H a r gr ea ves a n d H opk in s' pa per s, ‘Wh a t t h e pr ofessor s wa n t'. I'll su ggest t h a t bot h pa r en t s a n d pr ofessor s wa n t less gover n m en t , so I'll be in a posit ion to con clu de wit h a n swer s t o t h e qu est ion posed in t h e t it le t o t h is pa per .\nTh e fir st piece of r esea r ch wa s su r vey ca r r ied ou t in J u ly la st yea r (2009) on m y beh a lf by You Gov plc. Th is h igh ligh t ed a pen t -u p fr u st r a t ion fr om Br it ish people wit h st a t e edu ca t ion .\nF ir st, a la r ge m a jor it y of pa r en t s (56%) sa y t h a t th ey wa n t edu ca tion t o be "m or e self-m a n a gin g a n d in depen den t wit h less con t r ol fr om t h e gover n m en t " wit h on ly 18% disa gr eein g with t h is. Secon d, a la r ge m a jor it y of pa r en t s (78%) sa y t h a t it doesn 't m a t t er wh o r u n s sch ools, wh et h er t h is is ch a r it ies, pr iva t e compa n ies or gover n m en t , "pr ovided t h a t ever yon e, in clu din g t h e lea st well off, h a s a ccess t o a qu a lit y edu ca tion ". On ly a t in y m in or it y (10%) disa gr ee wit h t h is.\nP a r en t s seem r elieved of t h e dogm a t h a t seem s t o a ccompa n y polit icia n s a bou t t h is m a t t er . In deed, a h u ge ma jor it y (78%) wa n t polit icia n s r em oved fr om "da y-t o-da y r u n n in g of sch ools". Rem ovin g polit icia n s im plies a desir e for a m u ch\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 7 of 66\nm or e der egu la t ed, in depen den t syst em of edu ca t ion , fr ee fr om politica l in t er fer en ce.\nP a r t ly, of cou r se, t h is m u st be beca u se of t h e per ceived st a n da r d of edu ca t ion u n der th e differ en t t ypes of con t r ol. Wh en a sked a bou t t h is, on ly a t in y m in or it y of pa r en t s (5%) believed th a t or din a r y st a t e sch ools pr ovided t h e "BE ST st a n da r d of edu ca tion ". Th e la r gest pr opor t ion vot ed for pr iva t e sch ools (34%), followed by 33% for ‘gr a m m a r sch ools', wh ich cou ld be in t h e st a te or pr iva t e sector s, a n d, if in t h e sta te sector , h a ve gr ea t er fr eedom s t h a n or din a r y st a t e sch ools.\nH ow cou ld a fr eer , m or e in depen den t syst em of edu ca t ion be br ou gh t in ? P a r en t s wer e a sk ed if t h ey wou ld be h a ppy t o sen d t h eir ch ildr en "t o a pr iva t e sch ool if t h e Gover n m en t pr ovided you wit h a vou ch er for th e a m ou n t it cost s t o sen d a ch ild t o a sta t e sch ool?" H a lf of a ll pa r en ts wou ld be h a ppy wit h t h is (49%), wit h on ly 29% a ga in st t h e idea , a n d on e fift h (19%) n ot su r e. P a r en ts wer e a lso a sked if t h e st a t e cou ld give t h em "a vou ch er wort h th e a ver a ge cost of sen din g you r ch ild t o a sta t e sch ool (a ppr oxim a t ely £5,000 – per yea r ), wh ich you cou ld t h en\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 8 of 66\nt r a n sfer t o a pr iva t e sch ool a n d t op u p wit h you r own in come". Wou ld t h ey be in t er est ed in a ccept in g t h is offer ? Rou gh ly a s m a n y pa r en t s sa id t h ey wou ld a s wou ldn 't (37% a ga in st 39%), wit h 21% of pa r en t s u n decided a bou t wh et h er t h ey wou ld do t h is or n ot – pr esu m a bly beca u se m a n y wou ld wa n t t o explor e th e via bilit y of t h is option a n d t h e kin ds of sch ools on offer . Sign ifica n tly, 52% of pa r en ts fr om Lon don sa id t h ey wou ld a ccept t h e offer .\nSo pa r en t s a r e in fa vou r of mor e in depen den ce for edu ca t ion , don 't r em ot ely t h in k t h a t st a t e edu ca t ion deliver s t h e best qu a lit y edu ca t ion ; m a n y a r e in fa vou r of vou ch er s t o sen d th eir ch ildr en t o pr iva te sch ools, even in t er m s of t oppin g u p t h ese vou ch er s wit h t h eir own mon ey.\nIm por t a n t ly, a ll of t h is m u st be t a ken in t h e con t ext of r elen t less pr essu r e fr om opin ion -for m er s in t h e m edia a n d polit icia n s sa yin g, da y in a n d da y ou t , t h a t t h e\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 9 of 66\nst a t e syst em is t h e on ly wa y for wa r d for pa r en t s in t h is cou n t r y. It's r em a r ka ble t h a t we fou n d t h e a m ou n t of disa gr eem en t t h a t we did given t h is.\nWe a ll see t h e pa r oxysm s of a gon y polit icia n s a n d t h ose in th e media go t h r ou gh t o a void h a vin g t o a dm it t h a t t h eir ch ildr en go t o pr iva t e sch ools. We see h ow Da vid Ca m er on , Lea der of H er Ma jesty's Opposit ion , h a s to t r ea d ver y ca r efu lly beca u se of h is own pr iva t e edu ca t ion . We see t h e fin din gs sh owin g t h e h u ge su ccess of pr iva t e edu ca t ion in get t in g ch ildr en in t o t op jobs or u n iver sities u sed on ly t o ca st iga t e pr iva t e edu ca tion a n d t h ose wh o ch oose it for th eir ch ildr en . An d we see m edia pu n dit s like F ion a Miller a r gu in g t h a t pu sh y m iddle-cla ss pa r en ts wh o a ba n don t h eir loca l compr eh en sive st a t e sch ool a r e t h e biggest t h r ea t t o st a t e sch oolin g. An d Oxfor d don Ada m Swift h a s m a de h is n a m e t ellin g m iddle-cla ss pa r en t s t h a t sen din g t h eir ch ildr en to pr iva t e sch ools da m a ges t h e ega lit a r ia n pr oject of st a t e sch oolin g in h is book H ow Not t o Be a H ypocr it e – ca st iga tin g pa r en t s wh o ch oose pr iva t e edu ca t ion for t h eir ch ildr en a s gr ossly immor a l.\nIn spit e of a ll t h is per sist en t pr essu r e fr om opin ion -for m er s a n d politicia n s, it is qu it e r em a r ka ble t h a t t h e gr ea t Br it ish pu blic is n ot per su a ded. Th ey gu ess t h er e's a n a lt er n a t ive syst em t h a t cou ld deliver bet t er edu ca t ion for t h eir ch ildr en , a n d feel t h a t it m u st come wit h gr ea t er in depen den ce fr om th e st a t e a n d a gr ea t er r ole for t h e pr iva t e sector . Th e Br it ish pu blic's t h in kin g is complet ely ou t of lin e with t h a t of polit icia n s, opin ion -for m er s a n d policy m a k er s. F or t h em , gr ea t er in depen den ce fr om th e st a t e a n d a gr ea t er r ole for t h e pr iva t e sector is n ot elitist , n ot som et h in g to be emba r r a ssed a bou t , bu t som et h in g t o be em br a ced if a t a ll possible.\nIm por t a n t ly, t h e Br it ish people's in t u it ion s a r e a bsolu t ely in lin e wit h th e wa y t h e m a jor it y of pa r en t s – in clu din g m ost sign ifica n t ly, ver y poor pa r en t s – a r e\nem br a cin g pr iva te edu ca t ion a n d esch ewin g st a t e con t r ol a cr oss t h e developin g wor ld a n d in em er gin g econ om ies.\nF or th e secon d r ecen t r esea r ch I've been con du ctin g, pu blish ed a s Th e Bea u t ifu l Tr ee (P en gu in , New Delh i), poin t s t o a vibr a n t pr iva te sector in developin g cou n t r ies a n d em er gen t econ om ies. An edu ca t ion r evolu t ion is sweepin g t h e developin g wor ld. E ven in poor a r ea s of Asia a n d Afr ica , or din a r y people a r e a ba n don in g st a t e edu ca tion en m a sse. Th ey'r e a ppa lled by it s low st a n da r ds. In stea d, t h ey'r e sen din g t h eir ch ildr en t o pr iva t e sch ools t h a t a r e bu r geon in g, in clu din g low cost pr iva t e sch ools in t h e poor est pla ces on t h is pla n et .\nF or th e la st deca de I've been on a n ext r a or din a r y jou r n ey a cross su b-Sa h a r a n Afr ica , In dia a n d Ch in a . I've been ca t a logu in g a n d, m or e r ecen t ly, a ssist in g in t h e developm en t of low cost pr iva t e sch ools in pa r t icu la r . F or a n yon e in t er est ed in h ow even th e poor ca n em br a ce a lt er n a t ives t o st a te sch oolin g, it 's a won der fu lly u plift in g st or y. In slu m s a n d sh a n t y t own s a r ou n d t h e developin g wor ld, t h e ma jor it y of poor sch ool ch ildr en a r e a t t en din g low cost pr iva t e sch ools, a ffor da ble even t o pa r en ts even on m in imu m wa ges. E n t r epr en eu r s h a ve set u p t h ese sch ools a ga in st t h e odds, wh er e u n t r a in ed t ea ch er s a r e a ble t o br in g ou t m or e fr om t h eir ch ildr en t h a n t h ose in t h e st a te sch ools. An d it 's a st or y a bove a ll of h ow pa r en t s fin d t h e low cost pr iva t e sch ools a ccou n t a ble t o t h em – in st a r k con t r a st to t h e st a t e sch ools. Th eir in tu it ion s seem ver y m u ch in lin e wit h t h e m isgivin gs pr esen t ed by Br it ish pa r en ts in t h e fir st pa r t of t h e r esea r ch cit ed a bove.\nOu r r esea r ch t ea m s combed slu m s a n d sh a n t y town s of u r ba n a r ea s in Niger ia , Gh a n a , Ken ya a n d In dia , lookin g for a ll sch ools, pu blic a n d pr iva t e – n ot depen din g on officia l da t a , a s m a n y of t h e pr iva t e sch ools will be u n r egist er ed, off t h e r a da r . In t h e poor u r ba n a r ea s su r veyed, th e va st m a jor it y of sch ool ch ildr en wer e fou n d t o be in ‘bu dget ' pr iva t e sch ools. F or in st a n ce, in t h e poor u r ba n a r ea s of La gos St a t e, Niger ia , 75 per cen t of sch oolch ildr en wer e in pr iva t e sch ools. In t er m s of qu a lit y, t ea ch er a bsen t eeism wa s lower a n d t ea ch er commit m en t – th e pr opor t ion of t ea ch er s a ctu a lly t ea ch in g wh en m y r esea r ch er s ca lled u n a n n ou n ced – h igh er , in t h e pr iva t e sch ools for th e poor t h a n in gover n m en t sch ools. An d pr iva t e sch ools ou t per for m t h e gover n m en t sch ools t oo in t h e k ey cu r r icu lu m su bjects. We t est ed 24,000 ch ildr en in key cu r r icu lu m su bjects. In La gos St a t e, for in st a n ce, t h e m ea n m a th score a dva n ta ge over gover n m en t sch ools wa s a bou t 14 a n d 19 per cen t a ge poin t s r espectively in pr iva t e r egist er ed a n d u n r egist er ed sch ools, wh ile in E n glish it wa s 22 a n d 29 per cen t a ge poin t s.\nMa n y pa r en t s h a ve t r ied st a t e sch oolin g bu t don 't feel it 's good en ou gh for t h eir ch ildr en , so h a ve moved t h eir ch ildr en ba ck t o low cost pr iva t e sch ools. Nowh er e is t h is t r u er th a n in cou n t r ies wh ich h a ve r ecen t ly br ou gh t in fr ee pu blic\nedu ca tion – Ken ya , for in st a n ce, wh ich a ppea r s t o be u n iver sa lly h er a lded by ever yon e fr om Bon o t o P r esiden t Clin t on a s sh owin g t h e su ccess of st a t e sch oolin g, ba cked u p by ma ssive dollops of a id. On e fa t h er we spoke t o lived in Kiber a , th e la r gest slu m in Afr ica , wh er e h a lf a m illion people a r e cr a m m ed in t o cor r u ga t ed ir on a n d ca r dboa r d h u t s in a n a r ea t h e size of Ma n h a t t a n 's cen t r a l pa r k . H e h a d m oved h is da u gh t er t o t h e pu blic sch ool on t h e per iph er y of t h e slu m wh en it h a d been m a de fr ee, on ly t o become disillu sion ed by h u ge cla ss sizes a n d t ea ch er s wh o n o lon ger both er ed. H e h a d a n u n der st a n din g of econ om ics t h a t wou ld h a ve wa r m ed t h e h ea r t of Ma r ga r et Th a t ch er : h e told m e ‘if you go t o t h e ma r ket a n d a r e offer ed fr ee fr u it a n d veget a bles, t h ey'll be r ot t en . If you wa n t fr esh pr odu ce, you h a ve t o pa y for it .'\nI lik e ta lk in g t o su ch pa r en t s. Ta lkin g t o t h ose opposed t o sch ool ch oice in t h e UK, on e is st r u ck by t h e a ssu m pt ion t h a t or din a r y, poor pa r en ts ca n n ot possibly be equ ipped t o m a ke pr oper decision s a bou t t h eir ch ildr en 's edu ca t ion . Ta lkin g t o poor pa r en t s gives t h e lie t o th a t ever y sin gle t ime. On e fa m ily I kn ow well\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 15 of 66\nsen d t h eir da u gh ter , n ow 14, t o a pr iva t e sch ool in a fish in g villa ge a lon g Gh a n a 's cocon u t -lin ed coa st . Th ey've t h ou gh t lon g a n d h a r d a bou t t h eir ch oice of pr iva t e sch ool. Th e fa t h er , J osh u a , a fin e lookin g fish er m a n wh o t a kes h is boa t ou t a t 3 a m ever y m or n in g in t o t h e Atla n t ic su r f, u n der st ood t h e vir tu es of a\npr iva t e sch ool ver y well in deed: ‘My fa th er didn 't a llow m e t o go t o sch ool. I wa n t t o st r ive h a r d, so t h a t m y da u gh ter ca n go t o sch ool. We en r olled h er in t h e gover n m en t sch ool, bu t we felt t h a t h er lea r n in g wa s declin in g. Th e gover n m en t sch ool doesn 't h a ve a n yon e mon it or in g th e tea ch in g or tellin g t h em wh en it 's t im e for cla ss or t im e t o t ea ch . Cla sses a r e n ot on a fixed sch edu le... Th e r ea son wh y th e pr iva t e sch ools a r e better t h a n th e gover n m en t sch ool is beca u se t h er e is a pr iva t e own er . If you don 't t ea ch a s expected, you 'll be fir ed a n d r epla ced'. I won der h ow m a n y Br it ish pa r en t s wou ld welcome t h e exper ien ce to be a ble t o compa r e a n d con t r a st pr iva t e a n d st a t e sch ools in t h a t wa y?\nWe ca n pu t t h ese two pieces of eviden ce toget h er , t h e su r vey of Br it ish pa r en t s a n d t h e r esea r ch on pr iva t e edu ca t ion in developin g cou n t r ies. Th e eviden ce fr om a r ou n d t h e wor ld sh ows u s, fir st , t h a t most people, poor a s well a s r ich , ca r e deeply a bou t t h eir ch ildr en 's edu ca tion ; t h er e is n o u pper or m iddle-cla ss m on opoly on t h is. Secon d, beca u se of t h e u n iver sa lit y of pa r en t a l con cer n , t h er e's n ot h in g in t r in sica lly socia lly divisive a bou t pr iva te edu ca t ion eit h er . It m a y be t r u e toda y t h a t pr iva t e edu ca tion in t h e West is pa t r on ized la r gely by t h e m iddle a n d u pper cla sses – wh ich is wh y politicia n s a n d opin ion for m er s feel t h ey h a ve\nt o ca st iga t e it , a n d m a ke it seem like a n u n wor t h y opt ion for or din a r y pa r en t s t o con sider . Bu t t h er e's n ot h in g in evit a ble a bou t t h is. Th er e's n o r ea son wh y pa r en ts in Br ita in sh ou ldn 't be t a ken ser iou sly in t h e dou bt s t h ey r a ise a bou t\nst a t e n ea r -m on opoly pr ovision . Ra t h er t h a n ign or in g t h eir misgivin gs, so clea r ly r a ised in t h e r ecen t r esea r ch , a n d ign or in g th eir desir e for somet h in g bet t er , t h e con clu sion of t h ese t wo pieces of r esea r ch is t h a t a m u ch la r ger pr iva t e sector sh ou ld be posit ively en cou r a ged in t h is cou n t r y: th er e a r e fa r t oo few people in pr iva t e sch ools.\nTh e wa y for wa r d for im pr oved edu ca t ion is to give people t h e fr eedom – per h a ps t h r ou gh vou ch er s, per h a ps t h r ou gh a min d-sh ift a bou t wh a t is a ccept a ble – t o a llow t h eir ch ildr en t o a ccess pr iva t e edu ca t ion a l oppor t u n ities.\nWit h t h is in m in d, let's r et u r n t o P r ofessor Da vid H a r gr ea ves's con cer n s a bou t in n ova t ion , t o su ggest t h a t h e t oo m a y a lso be a n glin g a ft er gr ea t er fr eedom s wit h in a m a r ket syst em of edu ca t ion :\nWhat the professors want: Innovation and Accountability\nOn e of t h e m ost st a r t lin g deficien cies of sch oolin g t oda y is t h a t t h e m a jor it y of it is st ill ca r r ied ou t wit h 20 t o 30 ch ildr en of t h e sa m e a ge in a cla ssr oom wit h on e t ea ch er , t h e sa m e a s it wa s for m e, a n d my fa t h er a n d gr a n dfa t h er befor e m e. P eople ca ll it a "fa ctor y m odel", bu t I don 't t h in k even t h a t is r igh t : If you go t o, sa y, a Nokia fa ctor y, you won 't h ea r a n yon e t ellin g you , "Th is yea r 's Nokia s a r e n ot a s good a s la st yea r 's beca u se th e pla n t en gin eer left a n d we h a ven 't fou n d a r epla cem en t yet .' Bu t in th e so-ca lled fa ct or y m odel of sch ools we h ea r th e sa m e a ll th e tim e, ‘Miss J on es left , wh a t a sh a me, t h e cla ss is n ot doin g so well in m a t h s t h is yea r .' So it 's n ot even a s good a s a fa ctor y m odel, it 's m or e like a br ok en pr odu ction lin e wh er e t h e pr ocesses a r e in con sist en t a n d open t o a bu se a n d n eglect.\nIn a n y ca se, wh a t ever t h e en vir on m en t , ‘bespoke ser vices for ever y in dividu a l lea r n er ' a r e sim ply n ot possible, t h a t 's P r ofessor H a r gr ea ves' poin t, a n d I t h in k h e's r igh t . F or it 's a t r u ism , bu t n on eth eless im por t a n t to r epea t , th a t ever y ch ild h a s differ en t a bilit ies, a pt it u des, desir es, n eeds, in t elligen ces, u n der st a n din gs, et c, et c. All of wh ich lies beh in d Pr ofessor H a r gr ea ves' desir es for in n ova t ion t owa r ds bespoke ser vices for in dividu a l lea r n er s. Th e mor e I go in t o sch ools a n d see cla sses of ch ildr en for ced to lea r n t ogeth er a t t h e pa ce of t h e m edia n ch ild, I fin d it h a r d t o en visa ge a n yt h in g ot h er t h a n ‘bespoke' lea r n in g a s bein g a bou t edu ca t ion a t a ll. Wit h ou t cu st om ised lea r n in g, you get ch ildr en wh o a r e bor ed, fr u str a t ed, a lien a t ed fr om lea r n in g, killin g t im e. We a dd cla ssr oom a ft er cla ssr oom , so t h a t ch ildr en a r e t h r own t ogeth er – somet im es 1,000 or mor e – in t o a seet h in g m a ss of bor ed, fr u st r a t ed, a lien a ted ch ildr en , killin g t im e. Th a t 's t h e m iser y of cu r r en t sch oolin g for m e. It 's n ot edu ca t ion , it 's a n t i-edu ca t ion .\nBut could it be any different?\nIm a gin e t h a t edu ca t ion is m or e like ot h er a r ea s of ou r societ y, wh er e m a r ket fr eedom s a r e t a ken for gr a n t ed. In deed, on e ca n ima gin e t h is wit h in t h e con t ext s of t h e m a r ket s I've a lr ea dy descr ibed in Asia a n d Afr ica . I'm a n en tr epr en eu r . I a m ‘sca n n in g t h e h or izon ' lookin g for oppor t u n it ies. I h ea r P r ofessor H a r gr ea ves t a lk a bou t cu r r en t pr oblem s in edu ca t ion , a n d a pr oposed solu t ion – h is bespoke lea r n in g for ea ch ch ild. E u r eka ! H er e's a t er r ific oppor t u n it y for a n en t r epr en eu r t o a ct. In deed, t h e pr ofessor h a s don e m u ch of t h e discover y pr ocess a n d cr ea t ive t h in k in g for m e.\nNon et h eless, t h er e is st ill m u ch for m e to do. I get t h in kin g a bou t h ow won der fu l it wou ld be if a ll ch ildr en cou ld h a ve bespoke lea r n in g in cor e su bjects like m a t h em a t ics, scien ce, E n glish a n d ot h er la n gu a ges. Bu t a s pa r t of m y r esea r ch , I r ea d widely on edu ca tion , a n d come a cr oss Pr ofessor Rich a r d P r in g's pa per in t h e sa m e Lea r n in g Skills Fou n da t ion ser ies. Yes, I see wh a t h e m ea n s: followin g Dewey, edu ca t ion is n ot ju st a bou t in dividu a ls pu r su in g ‘kn owledge a n d u n der st a n din g' (wh ich per h a ps t h ey cou ld get fr om t h eir bespoke lea r n in g), bu t a lso get t in g ‘pr a ctica l ca pa bilit ies', ‘m or a l ser iou sn ess' t o t h in k ‘a bou t t h e big issu es wh ich con fr on t societ y', a n d a lso t h e sen se of ‘belon gin g t o a wider commu n it y'. Ter r ific, let 's t r y to bu ild t h ese in to m y model t oo.\nI come up with something like this, based on the twin prongs of the Hargreaves & Pring approach:\nA t wo-r oom ed sm a ll 'sch ool'; On e r oom h a s 10 in t er n et n et wor ked compu t er s, t h e ot h er r oom is design ed t o en cou r a ge gr ou p wor k. In th is sch ool, t h er e a r e 20 ch ildr en , split in t o two cla sses of 10 ch ildr en ea ch . Th ey ca n be in sch ool for 4 h ou r s a lt oget h er , so I ca n r u n t wo sh ift s.\nIn t h e compu t er r oom, for t wo h ou r s, 10 ch ildr en wor k in dividu a lly on t h e compu t er s, doin g t h eir ba sic su bjects, wor kin g a t th eir own pa ce. For wh a t is clea r t o m e – a n d I believe P r ofessor H a r gr ea ves wou ld con cu r – is t h a t t h e kin d of bespok e lea r n in g t h a t h e wa n t s is n ow a va ila ble. Recen t ly pu blish ed soft wa r e a llows ch ildr en to lea r n fou n da t ion su bjects a t t h eir own pa ce. A pa t ien t ‘t ea ch er ' (t h e pr ogr a m m e) r espon ds t o in dividu a l lea r n in g st yles a n d n eeds, dia gn osin g wh er e t h in gs a r e goin g wr on g a n d offer in g a ppr opr ia t e r em edia t ion . In t h ose con cen t r a t ed t wo h ou r s, wit h t h e r igh t soft wa r e, m y sou r ces t ell m e t h a t ch ildr en cou ld lea r n a lm ost a s m u ch a s th ey do n ow in a fu ll sch ool da y.\nMea n wh ile, in t h e ot h er cla ssr oom , t h e oth er 10 ch ildr en will pu r su e a n excit in g r a n ge of pr oject wor k, gr ou p wor k, discu ssion s, sem in a r s a n d so on , in spir ed by t h e P r in g/Dewey model.\nRea l bu sin esses a n d ch a r it ies, bot h loca l a n d in t er n a t ion a l, cou ld give u s gen u in e pr oblems t h a t t h ey n eed solvin g, t o en a ble u s t o t h in k ‘a bou t t h e big issu es wh ich con fr on t societ y'. I'd in t r odu ce sch ool ‘dem ocr a cy', t o give ch ildr en r ea l exper ien ce in r u n n in g t h eir own a ffa ir s. An d, a s my ‘sch ool' is a sm a ll bu sin ess, I'd a lso get t h e kids t o solve some of t h e r ea l pr oblem s t h a t a r ise wit h it, t o h elp t h em develop en t r epr en eu r ia l a n d bu sin ess skills.\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 22 of 66\nAft er t wo h ou r s, t h ese t wo cla sses wou ld swa p. E a ch get s t wo h ou r s of in dividu a lised lea r n in g per da y, a n d ea ch get s t wo h ou r s of P r in g/Dewey-in spir ed pr a ctica l a n d gr ou p wor k.\nTh a t 's m y in it ia l idea . I'd th en sit down with spr ea dsh eet s to wor k ou t if it is fin a n cia lly fea sible. H er e a r e som e ba ll-pa r k ca lcu la t ion s. I n eed t wo fu ll-t im e lea r n in g cen t r e fa cilit a t or s pa id a r ou n d £30,000 ea ch per a n n u m , in clu din g on -cost s. Th a t 's £60,000. Addin g in r en t , m a in t en a n ce a n d a ll t h e ot h er r ecu r r en t expen dit u r es dou bles t h a t , so I h a ve a n n u a l expen ditu r e of a r ou n d £120,000.\nNow in come: wit h 40 stu den t s (t wo sh ift s of 20 ea ch ), su ppose I cou ld ch a r ge £5,000 ea ch per a n n u m (obviou sly u sin g t h is figu r e beca u se it 's t h e a ver a ge st a te spen din g in sch ools t oda y), th en m y a n n u a l in come cou ld be £200,000. Th a t wou ld pr ovide n et pr ofit of £80,000, ou t of wh ich I'd h a ve to pa y m y own sa la r y, cost of ca pit a l, my cen t r a l or ga n isa t ion over h ea ds (su ch a s qu a lit y con t r ol of m y lea r n in g cen t r es, wh ich wou ld in it ia lly ju st be m e visit in g t h e on e cen t r e) a n d t a x.\nTo begin on e of t h ese cen t r es, I'd pr oba bly n eed ca pit a l of a r ou n d £20,000 – 10 n et wor k ed compu t er s (£6,000), som e fu r n it u r e (sa y £3,000), soft wa r e licen ses (£5,000) a n d bu ildin g a dju stm en t s a n d decor a t ion t o t h e r en t ed t wo r ooms I've fou n d (sa y £6,000). I'd r a id m y sa vin gs, beg of fa m ily a n d fr ien ds, a n d wit h in a m a t ter of m on t h s I cou ld h a ve m y fir st lea r n in g cen t r e u p a n d r u n n in g.\nAs m y fir st cu stom er s go t h r ou gh t h eir fir st m on th s, I'd be t h er e a ll t h e t im e, t wea kin g t h e m odel u n t il it sa t isfies m y cu st om er s, m y men t or s a n d my fin a n ces.\nAn d t h en I'd be r ea dy t o expa n d – beca u se wit h on e lea r n in g cen tr e on ly, I'm n ot get tin g t h e fu ll ben efit s of econ om ies of sca le. I devise a bu sin ess pla n sh owin g h ow 100 of t h ese cen t r es wou ld lea d t o a n en or m ou sly pr ofita ble bu sin ess. An d I con vin ce som e ven t u r e ca pit a list s, sell some of m y compa n y t o t h em , a n d we'd soon be off expa n din g ou r bu sin ess.\nMea n wh ile, ot h er s h a ve n ot iced t h is n ew in t er ven tion . Seein g it s pot en t ia l, t h ey'r e devisin g t h eir own m odels, or per h a ps doin g somet h in g complet ely differ en t t o solve t h e sa m e pr oblem , per h a ps som et h in g t h a t I ca n 't even t h in k of a t t h is st a ge. Th is compet it ion spu r s m y t ea m t o t wea k ou r own m odel fu r t h er .\nTo pu t it a ll sch em a t ica lly: In a t ypica l ma r ket in n ova t ion som et h in g like t h is ca n h a ppen :\nAn en t r epr en eu r ‘sca n s t h e h or izon ' t o discover a pr oblem n eedin g solu t ion , or dem a n d n eedin g su pply (discover y). H e or sh e for m u la t es a n idea t o br in g a ‘n ew t h in g or m et h od' t o bea r on t h a t pr oblem (cr ea t ivity). A pr oof of con cept pilot is t est ed in t h e ma r ket , a n d t h is pr ocess m a y be iter a t ed m a n y tim es t o a da pt or impr ove t h e idea (t est in g). Th e m a r ket pr ocess t h en est a blish es wh et h er t h is n ew t h in g or m et h od is via ble a n d desir ed, (in for m a tion ), br in gin g r ea l or pot en t ia l pr ofit s or losses to t h e en t r epr en eu r . Th is in for m a t ion is m a de a va ila ble t o in vest or s / ca pita l m a r ket s, to m ove to in cr ea se m a r ket sh a r e a n d pr ofit a bilit y (sca la bilit y). Th e a ctivit ies become kn own t o ot h er pla yer s, wh o a lso en t er t h e m a r ket if deem ed desir a ble (compet it ion ), lea din g t o a fu r t h er discover y pr ocess.\nTh e wh ole pr ocess ca n h a ppen ver y qu ickly in deed – in t h e ca se of m y t wo-r oom ed lea r n in g cen t r e a bove, I cou ld be u p a n d r u n n in g wit h a pilot in 3-6 m on t h s, a n d cou ld h a ve a ch a in of t h ese lea r n in g cen t r es wit h big in vest m en t a yea r a ft er t h a t , wit h ot h er s followin g beh in d in t wo yea r s. If we fou n d t h a t t h ese k in ds of in n ova t ion s wor ked, t h e wh ole edu ca t ion h or izon cou ld be r a dica lly t r a n sfor m ed wit h in 3-5 yea r s, t h e len gt h of on e pa r lia m en t !\nBu t n ot h in g like th is is possible in gover n m en t sch oolin g.\nGover n men t h a s cr owded ou t t h is sor t of en t r epr en eu r ia l t h in kin g fr om edu ca tion . Un der gover n m en t pr ovision th er e is on ly t h e ‘Lon g r ou t e t o in n ova t ion ', a s opposed to t h e ‘Sh or t r ou te t o in n ova tion ' of t h e pr iva t e sector .\nH er e's t h e "lon g r ou t e" u sin g Pr ofessor H a r gr ea ves a s ou r r efer en ce: H e h a s seen a pr oblem n eedin g solu t ion (discover y) a n d h e's for m u la ted gr ea t idea s t o solve\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 25 of 66\nt h e pr oblem s (cr ea t ivit y). An d h e sa ys h e m a n a ged t o get ‘a you n g Da vid Miliba n d, t h en a ju n ior m in ist er ' t o t est ou t som e of t h ese idea s in n et wor ks of sch ools, yieldin g in for m a t ion a bou t t h eir su ccess or ot h er wise.\nTh is pr ocess seemed r ela t ively sim ple for H a r gr ea ves, a n d per h a ps on ly t ook a cou ple of yea r s. Bu t H a r gr ea ves is a ver y specia l per son a n d fou n d a n ew gover n m en t r ela t ively sym pa t h et ic t o h is idea s. I too t r ied t o per su a de t h a t sa m e n ew gover n m en t t o explor e som e n ew idea s, m eet in g wit h Sir Mich a el Ba r ber a n d Sir Mich a el Bich a r d a m on gst ot h er s ba ck in 1997/98, a n d got n owh er e, even t h ou gh t h e idea s wer e br illia n t . (P er h a ps I'll h a ve m or e lu ck wit h a n ot h er , n ot yet kn igh t ed, Mich a el, Mich a el Gove, wh en h e t a kes office in Ma y). Bu t even I wa s a pr ofessor of edu ca t ion a t a r epu ta ble u n iver sit y, so a t lea st I got m eetin gs wit h t h e good a n d t h e gr ea t : im a gin e h ow difficu lt it wou ld be for a n or din a r y per son ! Th a t 's a n oth er a dva n t a ge of t h e ma r ket pr ocess of in n ova t ion : it 's dem ocr a t ic, open t o a n yon e, n ot h ier a r ch ica l a n d elit ist like t h e pr ocess of in n ova t ion in t h e pu blic sector .\nSo th e pu blic pr ocess is m u ch h a r der in th e fir st two st a ges, bu t it 's possible if you h a ve t h e r igh t con n ection s a n d st a n din g t o m ove t o th e th ir d a n d fou r t h st a ges. Bu t t h a t 's wh er e t h e pr ocess of in n ova t ion eit h er flou n der s complet ely, or it get s complet ely dist or t ed. Th e flou n der in g I t h in k we ca n sa fely sa y h a s h a ppen ed wit h P r ofessor H a r gr ea ves' idea s. Th ey'r e n ot goin g to sca le, n ot su cceedin g in effectin g t h e r a dica l tr a n sfor ma t ion t h a t Pr ofessor H a r gr ea ves wa n t s. Th e in n ova t ion h a s n ot su cceeded.\nAlt er n a t ively, it cou ld a ll get complet ely dist or t ed. Th is pr ocess is h igh ligh t ed in P r ofessor Alison Wolf's gr ea t pa per in t h e sa m e Lea r n in g Skills Fou n da t ion ser ies, wh er e sh e sh ows h ow La dy Th a t ch er 's idea (cr ea tivit y) of som e sim ple ‘pen a n d pa per t est s for E n glish , m a t h s a n d scien ce a t eleven ', t o solve t h e pr oblem of differ en t levels of comm it m en t a m on gst t ea ch er s a n d sch ools\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 26 of 66\n(discover y) led in st ea d t o th e ‘va st edifice', t h e ‘m on st er ' of t h e n a t ion a l cu r r icu lu m a n d n a t ion a l t est in g (Wolf, p. 125). As P r ofessor Wolf so clea r ly describes, t h is is beca u se of t h e n u m er ou s vest ed in t er est gr ou ps wit h in th e pu blic sector wh o figh t over a n d u lt im a tely distor t t h e pr ocess, a n d t h en gr ow t h eir own bu r ea u s t o pr ot ect t h eir in t er ests, so t h a t in t h e en d we'r e la n ded wit h a bu r ea u cra t ic m on st r osit y wh ich , sa ys Pr ofessor Wolf, a n d I t h in k sh e's r igh t , is a lm ost im possible t o r efor m.\nTh e sh or t r ou t e to in n ova t ion in edu ca t ion h a s clea r a dva n t a ges. Th e en er gies a n d im a gin a tion s of la r ge n u m ber s of en tr epr en eu r s ca n be br ou gh t t o bea r on t h e h u ge bu t excit in g pr oblem s fa cin g u s in edu ca t ion . P r ogr ess a t t est in g a n d m odifyin g t h ese solu t ion s ca n be in r ea l-t im e, a n d t r a n sfor ma t ion qu ick a n d r ea lisa ble.\nI'm su ggest in g t h a t wh en P r ofessor H a r gr ea ves bem oa n s t h e la ck of in n ova tion in t h e st a t e sch oolin g syst em , h e cou ld a lso be a n glin g a ft er m ovin g towa r ds t h e gr ea t er fr eedom s of a m a r ket syst em of edu ca t ion .\nTh e sa m e qu est ion is r a ised for a ccou n t a bilit y t oo, wh ich P r ofessor Da vid H opk in s wr it es a bou t in h is pa per . H e list s a wh ole r a n ge of bu r ea u cra t ic m et h ods of get t in g sch ools a ccou n t a ble t h r ou gh t h e polit ica l pr ocess. On ly pr oblem is, it h a sn 't h a ppen ed. It 's a t r u ism – bu t n on et h eless a ga in wor t h r epea t in g – t h a t m a n y ch ildr en a r e la n gu ish in g in sch ools wh er e edu ca t ion a l st a n da r ds a r e fa r t oo low, a n d wh er e th eir edu ca t ion a l a n d life pr ospects a r e dr a m a t ica lly h in der ed a s a r esu lt . J u st a s in ou r exa mples fr om In dia a n d Afr ica , it 's a ll beca u se of a la ck of a ccou n t a bilit y.\nAgain: does it have to be that way?\nAga in : th er e is a sh or t r ou t e to a ccou n ta bilit y, t h r ou gh t h e ma r ket , a n d a lon g r ou t e. An d t h e won der fu l th in g a bou t a com pet it ive m a r ket is t h a t it "a u t om a t ica lly" cr ea t es a ccou n t a bilit y bet ween seller s a n d bu yer s: "Th e key in for ma tion is cu st om er sa t isfa ction , a n d t h e key en for cea bilit y is t h e cu st om er 's ch oice of su pplier . Com pet it ive m a r ket s h a ve pr oved a r em a r ka bly r obu st in st it u t ion a l a r r a n gem en t for m eet in g in dividu a l in t er est s." Th a t's t h e Wor ld Ba n k t a lk in g, in th eir r epor t Ma kin g Ser vices Wor k for th e Poor , a n d I a gr ee.\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 28 of 66\nGover n men t in t er ven t ion a ga in , we m igh t sa y, h a s cr owded ou t t h e sh or t r ou t e t o a ccou n t a bilit y in edu ca t ion , ju st a s it h a s cr owded ou t t h e sh or t r ou t e t o in n ova t ion descr ibed a bove.\nI'm su ggest in g t oo t h a t wh en P r ofessor H opkin s poin t s t o t h e pr oblem s of a ccou n t a bilit y in t h e st a t e sch oolin g system , h e cou ld a lso be a n glin g a ft er m oves t owa r ds t h e a u t oma t ic a ccou n t a bilit y with in a ma r ket syst em of edu ca t ion .\nConclusion: Towards Radical Educational Transformation\nGover n men t in t er ven t ion in edu ca t ion crowds ou t in it ia t ives t h a t cou ld lea d t o t h e desir a ble kin d of edu ca tion we wa n t a n d n eed t oda y. It cr owds ou t t h e sh or t r ou t e t o in n ova t ion , a n d so lea ves u s stu ck in a fa ctor y m odel of sch oolin g, wh ich m a y con ceiva bly h a ve been a ppr opr ia t e wh en t h e st a te ca m e in t o sch oolin g in 1870, t o fill in th e ga ps of pr iva t e pr ovision , bu t is complet ely ou t -m oded som e 140 yea r s la t er . We ca n t r y t o in n ova t e bu t ca n 't m a ke mu ch pr ogr ess, beca u se we'r e st u ck on t h e "lon g r ou t e" to in n ova tion , wh er e gover n m en t eit h er complet ely dist or t s wh a t we wa n t , or wh er e ch a n ges get complet ely bogged down a n d don 't t a ke effect, cer t a in ly n ot in a n y sca la ble fa sh ion .\nBu t gover n m en t in t er ven t ion cr owds ou t t h e sh or t r ou t e t o a ccou n t a bility t oo – t h e r ou t e t h a t wor ks a u t om a t ica lly in m a r ket s t o en su r e qu a lit y is pr ovided. In stea d, we'r e lu m ber ed wit h t h e la bor iou s lon g r ou t e, wh ich is on ly open r ea lly t o t h ose wit h polit ica l clou t a n d ‘voice', a n d wh ich lea ves so m a n y of ou r ch ildr en – pa r t icu la r ly th e m ost disa dva n t a ged – in sch ools wh ich offer lit t le of edu ca tion a l va lu e a t a ll.\nP a r en t s seem to r ecogn ise bot h issu es, wh ich is wh y t h ey'r e t ellin g u s t h a t th ey wa n t a fr eer syst em , liber a t ed fr om gover n men t con t r ol. So wh a t does a ll t h is su ggest sh ou ld be t h e a n swer s t o t h e qu est ion s posed t o m e by t h e Lea r n in g Sk ills F ou n da t ion ?\nWhat lessons should a new Government learn from its predecessors?\nP er h a ps t h e key lesson con cer n s pr eviou s gover n m en t 's la ck of h u m ilit y a n d t h eir r efu sa l t o a dm it t h a t t h ey sim ply don 't kn ow h ow to deliver a wor ld cla ss edu ca tion ser vice. Wh a t is n ow r equ ir ed is a gover n m en t t h a t is big a n d br a ve en ou gh t o a dm it t h a t t h ey don 't h a ve a ll t h e a n swer s. It sh ou ld lea r n t h a t it h a s over st epped it s r ole in edu ca t ion , a n d t h a t it s cu r r en t r ole of pr ovision of sch oolin g is n ot ju stified a n d cou n t er -pr odu ctive.\nWhat should be its agenda for change?\nF ocu ssin g on t h e t win poles of in n ova t ion a n d a ccou n t a bility, it sh ou ld:\nCr ea t e a n en a blin g en vir on m en t t o a llow edu ca t ion a l en t r epr en eu r s t o do wh a t t h ey do best , a n d so sa t isfy wh a t P r ofessor H a r gr ea ves h a s iden t ified a s a sever e wea kn ess in t h e cu r r en t sch oolin g syst em. A t h ou sa n d edu ca tion a l flower s m u st be a llowed t o blossom !\nE n su r e t h a t t h e sh or t r ou te t o a ccou n t a bilit y is pr esen t t oo, by a llowin g pa r en ts a n d st u den ts to decide wh er e t h e fu n din g for t h eir edu ca t ion ca n go.\nHow can it successfully transform the education system to better meet the needs of both the individual and society as a whole?\nI gu ess t h ese follow fr om t h e a bove. An d t h is br in gs u s t o policies bein g pu t for wa r d a t t h e n ext election . I t h in k t h e Con ser va t ives m a y be in lin e with t h e t h in gs I've been sa yin g t h is even in g. Wh a t t h ey pr opose – br in gin g som e fr eedom s t o sch ools, a llowin g sch ools t o opt ou t of loca l gover n m en t a u t h or it y a n d for pa r en t s a n d ot h er s to get t ogeth er t o r u n sch ools, it 's a st a r t . So to t h e Tor ies' policies, I give a ca u t iou s welcome. Th ey don 't go fa r en ou gh – a n d in t h eir pr oh ibit ion of t h e pr ofit m ot ive t h ey'r e t yin g on e h a n d of en tr epr en eu r s a n d in vest or s beh in d t h eir ba cks. Th ey'r e a sta r t of a n ew h u m ilit y a m on gst polit icia n s r ecogn isin g t h a t th ey a r e n ot th e best pla ced t o con t r ol edu ca t ion . E du ca tion is fa r t oo im por ta n t t o be left to polit icia n s. Let 's r ecla im it for ou r selves, we, t h e people.\nAm a n da Spielm a n is Resea r ch a n d Developm en t dir ector for ARK Sch ools, wh er e sh e is a lso r espon sible for lega l, r egu la t or y a n d gover n a n ce m a t t er s. Sh e is a m em ber of t h e Sykes Review Gr ou p com m ission ed by Mich a el Gove to r eview t h e cu r r en t sch ool a ssessm en t syst em , a n d a dir ector of New Sch ools Net wor k a n d of th e Wa les Millen n iu m Cen t r e.\nSh e st u died compa r a t ive edu ca t ion a t t h e In stit u t e of E du ca t ion a n d h a s wor ked in edu ca t ion for th e pa st n in e yea r s. Befor e t h is sh e wor ked in pr iva te equ it y for Nom u r a P r in cipa l F in a n ce, a s a st r a t egy con su lt a n t a t Mer cer Ma n a gem en t Con su lt in g, in m er ger s a n d a cqu isit ion s a t Klein wor t Ben son , a n d a s a ch a r t er ed a ccou n t a n t a t KP MG.\nHas the increased volume of legislation and increased Government involvement transformed education in the U K?\nI a m a lit t le bit a fr a id t h a t n obody is goin g t o believe t h a t I wa s n ot collu din g wit h J a m es bu t h on est ly, we h a ve n ever m et befor e ton igh t .\nH is st or y a bou t t h e gover n m en t sch ool in Ken ya r em in ded me of a r ecen t exper ien ce. Recen tly I wa s lu cky en ou gh t o be in Sr i La n ka on h olida y, visitin g t h e fa m ily of a fr ien d of m y you n ger da u gh t er . Th e fa mily n ow lives in Sr i La n k a bu t goes t o t h e qu it e ext r eme len gt h of h a vin g t h e m oth er come ba ck t o Br ita in ea ch t er m so t h a t t h eir ch ild ca n a t t en d ou r Br it ish pr im a r y sch ool. I a sked wh y t h ey wer e u n h a ppy with t h e loca l pr im a r y sch ool in t h eir Sr i La n ka n villa ge a n d wa s t old "Well, it h a s 57 ch ildr en a n d 43 t ea ch er s". Wit h vir t u a lly a ll of th e 43, of cou r se, bein g br ot h er s, cou sin s, u n cles of cou n cillor s a n d MP s. So bla t a n t cor r u pt ion of t h e sor t t h a t you do n ot fin d h er e, bu t pa r t of wh a t I a m a r gu in g is t h a t th er e is a m or e in sidiou s for m of corr u pt ion in t h e cloggin g u p of t h e edu ca tion syst em h er e t h a t is a lm ost a s cor r osive in it s lon g t er m effects. It is less obviou s, bu t equ a lly a pr oblem for edu ca t ion .\nSo, my su bject sou n ds a litt le dr y "H a s th e in cr ea sed volu m e of legisla t ion a n d in cr ea sed Gover n m en t in volvem en t t r a n sfor m ed edu ca tion ?" P r et t y obviou sly it h a s, bu t let 's t a lk m or e a bou t h ow.\nI h a ve wor ked for ARK Sch ools for t h e la st five yea r s, fr om wh en it wa s ju st get tin g goin g. We a r e Aca dem y oper a t or s wit h eigh t open a ca dem ies, a mixtu r e of br a n d-n ew sch ools a n d t r a n sit ion sch ools. It h a s been t h e excit em en t a n d pa in of st a r t -u p a n d, in J a m es's wor ds, of in n ova t ion by th e lon g r ou t e.\nWh en we sta r ted ARK Sch ools, n eit h er of t h e t wo of u s wh o wer e t h er e a t t h e begin n in g h a d a n y r ea l exper ien ce in r u n n in g sch ools. We wer e a ver y sm a ll t ea m a n d h a d t o do ever yt h in g: n egot ia t in g expr ession s of in t er est a n d a fu n din g a gr eem en t wit h gover n m en t , wr it in g edu ca tion br iefs, pla n n in g t h e cu r r icu lu m , r ecr u it in g st a ff, decidin g on t h e n ew sta ff t er m s a n d con dit ion s, t r a n sfer r in g existin g sch ool st a ff u n der TUP E , get t in g pla n n in g con sen t, gett in g a ppr ova l t o dem olish list ed bu ildin gs, wr it in g design br iefs, a r r a n gin g t h e pr ocu r em en t of a r ou n d £125 m illion of ca pit a l wor ks a n d fu lfillin g th e r equ ir em en t s of en dless complia n ce ch ecklist s, in clu din g wr it in g in n u mer a ble policies.\nSo it h a s been a cr a sh cou r se in edu ca t ion la w a n d r egu la t ion , a n d wh ile I h a ve som e ba ckgr ou n d in lega l a n d r ela t ed m a t ter s, I h a d r ela t ively little exposu r e t o t h e pu blic sector befor e I ca m e in t o t h is wor ld. It h a s been a n eye open er . So I a m comin g t o m y su bject wit h a n Ar k per spective a n d will illu st r a t e som e of t h e poin t s wit h t h e exper ien ces of ou r fir st yea r five yea r s. I see Liz Sidwell h er e, wh o will r ecogn ise m a n y of t h ese fr om h er H a ber da sh er s exper ien ce.\nObviou sly t h er e is a simple u n equ ivoca l a n swer t o t h e qu est ion . Of cou r se in cr ea sed volu m e of legisla t ion a n d in crea sed gover n m en t in volvem en t h a ve ver y dir ectly a ffected edu ca t ion . H a ve t h ey t r a n sfor m ed it ? Yes, in m a n y wa ys, bu t for good a n d for ba d. Bu t befor e I st a r t t a lkin g a bou t wh a t is good a n d wh a t is ba d, it is ju st wor t h st eppin g ba ck a n d t h in kin g a bou t "wh y does legisla t ion a ccret e?" a s it pla in ly does. Not ju st in edu ca t ion , in ever y a r ea of pu blic a ctivit y a n d in ma n y ot h er ju r isdiction s. It is n ot a pecu lia r ly Br it ish disea se, it h a ppen s ever ywh er e.\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 34 of 66\nI t h in k t h er e a r e t wo r ea lly im por t a n t fa ctor s t o t h in k a bou t h er e.\nF ir st, t h er e seem s t o h a ve been a big sh ift in t h e u n der sta n din g of t h e pu r pose of la w. On ce u pon a tim e la w wa s a bou t exclu din g t h e complet ely u n a ccept a ble. F or exa m ple in cr im in a l la w, m u r der , th eft , per ju r y, th e kin d of t h in gs t h a t you wou ld r ecogn ise fr om t h e Old Test a m en t . Th en t h e bou n da r ies of lega l pr oh ibit ion h a ve sh ift ed gr a du a lly bu t con sider a bly t o ou t la w a ll m a n n er of t h in gs t h a t wou ld on ce h a ve been con sider ed m er ely m ildly u n plea sa n t . F or exa m ple, va r iou s kin ds of bu llyin g beh a viou r u sed n ot to be con sider ed wor t h pr oh ibit in g by la w. An d th en legisla t ion moved fu r t h er t o be u sed a s a r isk m a n a gemen t t ool, t o pr eclu de beh a viou r wh ich cou ld lea d t o u n desir a ble con sequ en ces. Not beca u se a n y u n desir a ble con sequ en ces n ecessa r ily h a ppen , bu t ju st t o t r y t o r edu ce t h e likelih ood of it h a ppen in g. On e obviou s exa m ple in ever yda y life is dr in k dr ivin g. It is a n offen ce to h a ve a lcoh ol in you r blood wh en dr ivin g sim ply beca u se it in cr ea ses r isk, n ot beca u se it n ecessa r ily h a r m s a n yon e.\nIn edu ca t ion t h e m ost obviou s illu st r a t ion of t h is sh ift t o u sin g la w t o t r y a n d pr eclu de r isk is t h e st iflin g set of policies t h a t sch ools a r e r equ ir ed t o h a ve. P olicy is a misn om er in t h is con t ext beca u se policy im plies a n elem en t of ch oice, wh er ea s th e r ea lit y of m ost sch ool policies is t h a t t h ey a r e t h e r egu r git a t ion of a n im m en se a m ou n t of la w a n d st a t u t or y in st r u m en t a n d sch ools h a ve n o r ea l ch oice over m ost of t h eir t h e con t en t : th e discr et ion a r y elem en t is fa ir ly lim it ed in m ost a r ea s of a sch ool's oper a t ion s.\nE U pr ocu r em en t r u les a r e a n oth er exa m ple of t h e r isk m a n a gem en t t ool a ppr oa ch t o legisla t ion . Th ey a im t o pr even t cor r u pt ion by crea t in g a ver y complica t ed set of r u les wh ich a dd con sider a bly t o t h e cost of doin g bu sin ess a n d wh ich m a y or m a y n ot sa ve m or e t h a n t h e corr u pt ion t h ey pr even t . Th is seem s t o m e t r u ly a n open qu est ion .\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 35 of 66\nBu t in t r odu cin g t h is power fu l r isk ma n a gem en t a ppr oa ch a ctu a lly r edu ces th e spa ce t h a t t h e people r u n n in g a n d tea ch in g in sch ools h a ve t o wor k. It ch a n n els t h em down a n d sa ys a ctu a lly you h a ve n ot got t h is m u ch spa ce t o wor k in – you h a ve got th is m u ch less. An d ever y yea r mor e r egu la tion s ch ip a wa y a t t h e a r ea s of fr eedom so t h a t spa ce get s even sm a ller .\nAn d t h en t h e sh ift in t h e pu r pose of la w h a s m oved beyon d r isk ma n a gem en t t o a r ea lly n or m a t ive a ppr oa ch : t o sa y t h a t t h is is t h e wa y th a t we cu r r en t ly t h in k is t h e best wa y t o do som et h in g so we will ou t la w ever yt h in g else a n d sa y you h a ve t o do it t h is wa y. Cu r r en t exa m ples in edu ca tion in clu de t h e a dm ission s code, wh ich h a s got pr ogr essively tigh ter a n d wh ich n ow r u les ou t a lot of t h in gs t h a t ma n y people wou ld n ot fin d pa r t icu la r ly offen sive. On e sm a ll exa m ple m a n y sch ools u sed t o h a ve a dm ission s policies t h a t in clu ded older siblin gs wh o h a d a lr ea dy left a s well a s siblin gs st ill in t h e sch ool. It is n ow illega l t o h a ve t h a t a dm ission s policy. Th is is a n exa m ple of som et h in g t h a t n ot ma n y people wou ld fin d t h a t u n plea sa n t or u n fa ir a n d yet t h e n or m h a s been defin ed so t igh t ly th a t t h is policy is n ot ju st discou r a ged – it is illega l.\nP a r t n er sh ips in edu ca t ion m a ke a n ot h er lit t le ca se stu dy. Of cou r se co-oper a t ion is gen er a lly a good t h in g, in m ost wa lks of life, bu t does t h a t ju st ify m a kin g pa r t n er sh ips obliga t or y in ever y a spect of a sch ool's wor k? Beca u se t h a t is wh a t h a s been don e by in clu din g a sch ool's u se of pa r t n er sh ips a s on e of t h e ca t egor ies of OF STE D ju dgem en t wh ich bu ild u p to t h e over a ll ju dgem en t . A sch ool t h a t ca n do a n ext r em ely good job wit h lit t le or n o r ecou r se t o t h ir d pa r ties a n d ou t side bodies h a s become pu n ish a ble by OF STE D.\nSo my fir st poin t is th e ch a n ge in t h e idea of la w, t h a t it sh ou ld elim in a t e r isk a n d become n or m a t ive, so t h a t t h e spa ce t h a t sch ools a n d t ea ch er s h a ve t o wor k in is n ow ver y con st r a in ed.\nA secon d im por t a n t t r en d is t h e sh ift in con cept ion of t h e r ole of gover n m en t , a n d a ga in t h is is som et h in g t h a t h a s h a ppen ed or is h a ppen in g in m a n y ju r isdiction s, bu t it is a ver y im por ta n t ch a n ge. In st ea d of bein g a n en a bler , gover n m en t becomes a t a r get set t er . Gover n m en t t a kes dir ect con t r ol of t h e syst em a n d t a ke cr edit for ever y sm a ll su ccess, down to t h e ver y la st GCSE . Con ver sely, gover n men t feels exposed t o cr it icism wh en ever t a r get s a r e n ot m et . It lea ds t o a ver y differ en t a ppr oa ch a n d a ver y con t r ollin g a ppr oa ch to h ow a syst em is r u n .\nIn t h is cou n t r y we h a ve seen t h is over t h e la st few yea r s, for exa m ple in t h e h u ge in cr ea se in gover n m en t a ppetit e for da t a on pu pils a n d n ow a lso on t ea ch er s t h r ou gh t h e sch ool wor k for ce cen su s.\nWe a lso see it in t h e en or m ou s in cr ea se in t h e n u mber s of a ccou n t a bilit y a n d in t er ven t ion m ech a n ism s: for exa m ple, Sch ool Im pr ovem en t P a r t n er s, Lon don Ch a llen ge wh ich h a s become Na t ion a l Ch a llen ge, t h e expa n sion of t h e OFSTE D r em it t o in clu de ever y a ccou n t a bilit y ch a n n el so t h a t OF STE D is n ow a su per a ccou n t a bilit y ch a n n el for pa ssin g ju dgemen t on pa r en t s a n d on gover n or s a n d ot h er t ypes of su ppor t t o a sch ool. Th is, I t h in k, a ll flows fr om t h is ch a n ge in t h e idea of wh a t gover n m en t is. Th a t is m y secon d poin t .\nBoth of t h ose ch a n ges, t h e sh ift in th e con ception of la w a n d t h e sh ift in t h e con cept ion of gover n m en t , bot h br in g with t h em in cr ea sed in flexibilit y. Aga in , t h is complem en t s J a mes's poin t - we h a ve ma de, in a dver t en t ly, a n im m en sely in flexible system . On e of t h e biggest exa mples of in flexibilit y I t h in k a t t h e m om en t is t h e Na tion a l Cu r r icu lu m . By defin in g t h e cu r r icu lu m in su ch deta il a n d r equ ir in g su ch br ea dt h , a n d pa r t icu la r ly r equ ir in g su ch a h u ge r a n ge of post 14 cou r ses t o be offer ed in a ll sch ools, we a r e cu r r en t ly vir t u a lly r u lin g ou t th e k in d of sm a ll sch ools t h a t m a n y or ga n isa t ion s wou ld like to be r u n n in g r a t h er t h a n ju st t h e t h ou sa n d-pu pil sch ools. On ly wh en t h a t cu r r icu lu m r equ ir em en t is\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 37 of 66\nsign ifica n t ly r et h ou gh t will it be possible t o in t r odu ce m or e flexibilit y a n d va r iet y in t o t h e sta te syst em .\nSo th e r esu lt of th e t wo t r en ds I h a ve ju st ou t lin ed h a s obviou sly been a n en or m ou s in cr ea se in legisla t ion . Now, I h a ve t o be fa ir : it is n ot a ll ba d. Som e good t h in gs h a ve flowed fr om t h is. Th er e h a s been a r ea lly ser iou s a ttem pt to m a k e a n edu ca t ion syst em t h a t pr ovides pr oper ly for a ll ch ildr en a n d t h a t t r ies, a n d I pu t t h e st r ess on ‘t r ies', t o elim in a te t h e cu r se of low a spir a t ion s. It is t r u ly depr essin g t o visit a sch ool wh er e t h e expecta t ion s of ch ildr en of per fectly n or m a l a bilit y a r e m iser a bly low, a n d wh er e a ctu a l pr ogr ess m a t ch es m iser a ble expecta t ion s.\nTh ese m ech a n ism s h a ve don e som et h in g t o m a r gin a lise sch ools t h a t t h in k like t h a t , a n d t o st a r t pu sh in g t h em t o a ch ieve m u ch mor r e. An d a lso th er e h a s been a ser iou s a t t em pt t o r edu ce t o a m in im a l level t h e pr opor t ion of ch ildr en wh o a r e edu ca ted in ser iou sly su bst a n da r d sch ools.\nA gr ea t pr oblem is th a t you r ea lly ca n n ot t ell h ow su ccessfu l t h is h a s been , beca u se of gr a de in fla t ion a n d con st a n t ch a n ges in t h e wa y t h a t OF STE D looks a t sch ools. So I do n ot th in k t h er e a r e a n y st a t ist ics t h a t r ea lly t ell you h ow m a n y m or e or fewer ba d sch ools t h er e a r e t h a n t h er e wer e t en yea r s a go, or a t a n y ot h er poin t .\nAn d I do n ot kn ow wh et h er t h is is a blessin g or n ot , bu t clea r ly t h er e h a s been a gr ea t dea l of wor k on t r yin g t o m a ke sch ools a n implem en t a t ion lever for ever y policy th a t r ela t es t o ch ildr en a n d for a lot of ot h er s t h a t do n ot pa r t icu la r ly – I a m t h in kin g of t r a vel pla n s, h ea lt h pr omot ion , equ a lit y pr omot ion , comm u n it y coh esion , en vir on m en t a l pr ot ection . P er h a ps a m ixed blessin g over a ll, a lth ou gh I ca n see t h a t loca l a u t h or it ies h a ve been a ble t o t ick a lot of boxes in r ela t ion t o\nt a r get s t h ey been given , by u sin g sch ools a s ch a n n els. Wh eth er t h a t h a s h elped edu ca tion is a n ot h er ma t t er .\nSo n ow, a n d t h e list is lon ger h er e, I wou ld like t o come on t o wh a t I see a s som e of t h e dr a wba cks; I got t o t en wit h ou t h a vin g t o t h in k t oo lon g a n d h a r d. I will t r y n ot t o spen d t oo lon g on t h ese beca u se I t h in k t h e m or e in t er estin g t h in g is wh y does it m a t ter a n d wh a t ca n we do a bou t it ?\nF ir st of a ll, t h e dist r a ction effect. Th e m ost im por t a n t dr iver s of ou t comes in sch ools a r e t ea ch er s a n d t h e t ea ch in g a n d th e lea r n in g in t h e cla ssr oom . Bu t m ost legisla t ion t a kes you r a tt en t ion a wa y fr om t h e cla ssr oom , t a kes t h e con ver sa t ion a wa y fr om ch ildr en a n d t h eir lea r n in g t owa r ds sa fegu a r din g or da ta collection or pa r tn er sh ips or wh a t ever else it a s a im ed a t - a lmost a n yth in g except t h e t h in gs t h a t you wou ld wa n t you r sta ff t o be t a lkin g a bou t. On e of t h e t h in gs a t we a r e t r yin g to do a t ARK is t o or ga n ise ou r st r u ctu r es a n d pr ocesses a n d syst em s t o m a ke t h e con ver sa t ion s in t h e sch ool a s mu ch a bou t t ea ch in g a n d ch ildr en a s t h ey possibly ca n be. Beca u se we th in k t h a t ever yt h in g else is per iph er a l t o t h a t .\nSecon dly, complexit y. It t a kes a lot of men t a l ba n dwidt h t o dea l wit h complexit y. If you h a ve in credibly det a iled r u les a n d t h ey ch a n ge con st a n tly, wh o in sch ools is su pposed t o be a ble to follow a n d keep t r a ck of a ll t h e ch a n ges a n d pr even t people fr om t r ippin g u p? We do n ot h a ve t h ose people in ou r sch ools. I a m t h e n ea r est t h in g we h a ve a t ARK to t h is per son a n d I ca n n ot begin t o st a y on t op of ever yt h in g t h a t flows t h r ou gh .\nAn d som et im es, r u les a r e m a de wh ich do n ot sa y wh a t t h eir m a ker s in t en ded t h em t o m ea n , bu t wh er e you fin d you r self bein g told by gover n m en t , "it mea n s wh a t we wa n t it t o mea n ". Th a t is n ot a gr ea t position fr om wh ich t o est a blish a set t led, secu r e fr a mewor k in wh ich sch ools ca n oper a t e a n d do well.\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 39 of 66\nOn e of t h e m ost su r pr isin g illu st r a t ion s of th e pr oblem of excessive complexit y is t h e a t t it u de of OF STE D t o a ca dem ies. Aca dem ies, like it or n ot , h a ve a r a t h er differ en t set of lega l a n d con t r a ctu a l obliga tion s fr om m a in t a in ed sch ools. OF STE D h a s ju st ch osen t o ign or e t h ese complet ely, per h a ps beca u se it ca n n ot cope wit h t h e a dded complexit y. It will n ot look a t t h e obliga t ion s in a n a ca dem y fu n din g a gr eem en t , it will n ot con sider t h eir legisla t ive differ en ces. It sim ply in spects a ca dem ies a s t h ou gh t h ey wer e ma in t a in ed sch ools. Th is is pa r ticu la r ly sign ifica n t in r ela t ion to t h e cu r r icu lu m a n d gover n a n ce of a ca dem ies, wh er e a ca demies a r e su pposed t o h a ve sign ifica n t fr eedom s t o in n ova t e bu t wh er e t h e fr eedom s a r e a ll bu t obliter a t ed by t h is OF STE D a ppr oa ch .\nA t h ir d fa ctor is cost . Obviou sly dea lin g wit h a ll t h is la w a n d r egu la t ion t a kes a lot of m a n h ou r s, a n d st a ff t im e ca r r ies a cost . I h a ve n o det a iled costin g t o t a lk a bou t so will sa y n o mor e h er e.\nAn d t h en a ft er cost , t h er e is t h e con fu sion of r espon sibilit ies. Wh en you legisla t e m or e a n d m or e du t ies a n d r espon sibilit ies to mor e a n d mor e people, in evit a bly t h ey begin t o over la p. On e exa m ple is t h e r espon sibilit y t h a t h a s been given t o loca l a u t h or it ies t o en su r e t h e im plem en ta t ion of ch ildr en 's pla n s: h ow fa r do t h ey h a ve t o go? Som e loca l a u th or it ies a r e in ter pr et in g th is a s m ea n in g t h a t t h ey h a ve t o t r a ck, in r ela t ion t o a ca dem ies in t h eir a r ea , ever yt h in g t h a t t h ey t r a ck for a m a in t a in ed sch ool. Bu t h old on . We a r e t h e a ca dem y oper a t or s, we a r e r espon sible for t h ese sch ools, we h a ve t o t r a ck t h e th in gs t h a t t h e la w r equ ir es u s t o tr a ck, so t h is is lea din g t o dir ect du plica t ion a n d pot en tia lly con fu sion a bou t wh o is u lt im a t ely r espon sible. Ma kin g t wo people r espon sible for t h e sa m e t h in g is r a r ely a good idea .\nA fift h pr oblem wit h t oo m u ch la w is t h e loss of lin ka ge of t h e im plem en t a t ion of legisla t ion wit h it s pu r pose. I t h in k commu n it y coh esion is a fin e exa mple of t h is. I wen t t o on e of th e or igin a l pr esen ta t ion s on comm u n it y coh esion given by\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 40 of 66\nt h e t ea m t h a t design ed it a t t h e DCSF . An d it wa s a ll a bou t t h e pr oblem s of u n in t egr a t ed m in or it ies in cer t a in pa r t s of th e UK. So Br a dfor d wa s given a pr im e exa m ple, a pla ce wh er e t h er e is h igh dem ogr a ph ic segr ega tion a n d so ch ildr en fr om m in or ities ca n gr ow u p with a lm ost n o con t a ct wit h m a in st r ea m Br itish societ y. Th e comm u n it y coh esion obliga t ion wa s dr ea m ed u p a s a wa y of en su r in g t h a t ver y segr ega t ed sch ools wor k wit h oth er sch ools, with ot h er or ga n isa t ion s, t o develop som e cr oss-cu ltu r a l u n der sta n din g. All well a n d good. Bu t wh a t wa s en a cted wa s a du t y on a ll sch ools t o pr om ote comm u n it y coh esion . Th is a pplies even t o t h or ou gh ly m ixed sch ools in th or ou gh ly m ixed a r ea s wh er e t h er e is n o pr oblem t o t a ckle, a n d yet t h ese sch ools a r e r equ ir ed t o pr odu ce ela bor a t e pla n s, eviden ce of t h eir im plemen t a t ion a n d go t h r ou gh a ser ies of a ctivit ies yea r a ft er yea r t o sh ow t h a t t h ey a r e complyin g wit h t h is la w. Th er e a r e pla ces wh er e t h is a s a n a ctivit y m a y h a ve im m en se va lu e, bu t I kn ow t h a t in m ost of ou r sch ools it is a ddin g n ot h in g to edu ca t ion . It is a decor a t ion on t h e su r fa ce of edu ca tion .\nAn ot h er r ea l da n ger wit h excess legisla t ion is t h a t you lose you r discr im in a t ion bet ween t h e ser iou s a n d t h e t r ivia l. Un like cr imin a l la w, edu ca t ion la w does n ot come wit h t a r iffs for con viction . It is pr ett y ea sy t o wor k ou t t h a t m u r der is m or e ser iou s t h a n kn ockin g down a bolla r d, beca u se you kn ow t h a t for m u r der you get life a n d for kn ockin g down th e bolla r d you m igh t get fin ed £150. E du ca t ion la w is n ot lik e t h a t . If you ca n n ot do ever yt h in g well, t h er e is n o ch a n ce of pr ior it isin g obliga t ion s. If you t h in k a bou t t h is in t h e bu sin ess wor ld, t h e a bilit y t o pr ior it ise a n d pu t t h in gs on on e side is in cr edibly im por t a n t. If you h a ve a st r u gglin g bu sin ess, h ow do you t u r n it a r ou n d? You do it t ypica lly by sim plifyin g, by cu t t in g down t h e n u m ber of pr odu ct lin es you ca r r y, by r edu cin g t h e n u m ber of sh ops in you r ch a in . Depen din g u pon t h e bu sin ess a n d t h e n a t u r e of t h e pr oblem t h er e is a wh ole ser ies of differ en t t h in gs you m a y do. Bu t by legisla t in g for sch ools t o do a bsolu t ely ever yt h in g, we h a ve pu t t r ou bled sch ools in a posit ion wh er e t h ey ca n n ot sim plify t h eir ta sks, so t h a t t h ey ca n n ot wor k\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 41 of 66\nt h em selves ou t of t r ou ble. P a r a doxica lly, t h e legisla tion t h a t wa s in t en ded t o h elp r a ise st a n da r ds ca n som etim es m a ke it h a r der for sch ools t o pu ll t h em selves u p fr om t h e bot t om .\nTh a t is six effects: t h e seven t h is loss of ca pa cit y. Com plex r egu la t ion dr ives ca pa cit y ou t of m a r ket s. Th e oper a t or s wh o ca n n ot cope with it ca n n ot con t in u e. Th is wa s seen in ca r e h om es for t h e elder ly a few yea r s a go a n d I th in k it is been seen r ecen t ly wit h t h e im posit ion of t h e E a r ly Yea r s Fou n da t ion Sta ge. I looked u p th e sta t ist ics on ch ildm in der s t h is a ft er n oon a n d th e n u m ber of r egist er ed ch ildm in der s h a s dr opped by 20% over t h e la st t h r ee yea r s a ft er bein g ver y fla t for a n u m ber of yea r s. Given t h e complexit y a n d bu r ea u cr a cy of t h e E YF S, per h a ps it is m or e su r pr isin g t h a t 80% h a ve su r vived so fa r .\nSeven a n d st ill goin g on t o n u m ber eigh t. Th is is t h e in t im ida t ion fa ctor over zea lou s en for cem en t of la w does in timida te people a n d r edu ces t h eir ca pa cit y t o a ct. Th er e is a won der fu l edu ca t ion exa m ple h er e, wh ich is t h e OF STE D Self-E va lu a t ion For m . It ma y be a good t h in g in pr in ciple, bu t OF STE D wa s r ecen t ly cr iticised qu it e st r on gly by t h e Ch ildr en 's Sch ools a n d F a m ilies Select Com m it t ee for it s in flexibility a n d h ea vy-h a n dedn ess in r ela t ion t o sch ool self-eva lu a t ion\nOn e is a lwa ys t old wh en n ew la ws a n d procedu r es a r e in t r odu ced t h a t t h ey will be a pplied sen sit ively a n d pr a gm a t ica lly in t h e con t ext of cir cu m st a n ces, bu t on e of ou r sch ools ver y r ecen t ly h a d a fu ll in spection wit h in six weeks of open in g, a n d wa s cr it icised a t a n in spection m eet in g for n ot h a vin g complet ed a fu ll self-eva lu a t ion with a ll th e su ppor t in g eviden ce OFSTE D r equ ir es. Now in t h e r ea l wor ld, wh en you a r e six weeks in t o a n ew sch ool or a n ew oper a t ion of a n y k in d, you a r e st ill wor kin g t h r ou gh you r la u n ch pla n , you a r e n ot sit t in g down t o cr ea t e a n ela bor a t e self-eva lu a t ion docu men t wit h file a ft er file of ‘eviden ce'. Th e u n r ea list ic expecta t ion h er e sh ows t h e sor t of in flexibilit y a n d t u n n el m in d-set\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 42 of 66\nt h a t is developin g. Th er e is n o qu est ion th a t OFSTE D h a s become in tim ida t or y t o sch ools, on t h is a n d ot h er fr on t s.\nOn t o n u m ber n in e. An over -pr escr ipt ive a ppr oa ch t o legisla t ion len ds it self t o m isu se by gover n m en t t o ju st ify it s a ction s.\nDoes a n ybody r em em ber t h e a dm ission s sca n da ls two or t h r ee yea r s a go? Lot s of E d Ba lls comm en t in t h e pa per s. Sh ockin g fa cts, big a n n ou n cem en t , m edia sa t u r a t ion , on e sixt h of sch ools n a t ion a lly a r e in br ea ch of t h e a dmission s code. A lot of fu ss wa s m a de a bou t it a t t h e t ime. We n eed tigh t er r egu la t ion , we n eed a m or e r estr ictive code, we n eed m or e m on it or in g. Well it wa s a ctu a lly n oth in g of t h e k in d. I du g ou t th e spr ea dsh eet t h a t wa s posted on th e DCSF websit e a t t h e t im e a n d I fou n d th e wh ole t h in g wa s ba sed on a r eview of th e policies in t h r ee loca l a u t h or it ies. An d in fa ct, t wo t h ir ds of t h e sch ools bein g demon ised h a d sim ply fa iled t o ma ke m in or u pda t es t o t h eir a dm ission s policy wor din g for ch ildr en in ca r e a n d wit h specia l edu ca t ion a l n eeds, t o r eflect ch a n ges in t h e la w. It wa s t r ivia l a n d it did n ot a ctu a lly a ffect wh o wa s a dm it t ed beca u se t h e la w wa s t h e la w. Th ose ch ildr en st ill get t h e st a t u t or y pr ior it ies. Th e policies ju st did n ot qu it e m a t ch th e n ew wor din g.\nSo th a t left 6% of sch ools, n ot on e-sixth , a n d of t h is 6%, 2% wer e sch ools th a t h a d a pr ior it y for you n ger siblin gs, a s I men t ion ed ea r lier . Not t h e m ost wicked t h in g in t h e wor ld, a n d som eth in g ea sily dea lt wit h ou t mor e la ws or m or e m on it or in g. 2% wer e J ewish sch ools a n d t h er e is a kn ot t y pr oblem h er e beca u se t h e J ewish a ppr oa ch t o fa it h a dm ission s does n ot seem t o fit well wit h t h e Adm ission s Code. It is a ver y difficu lt a r ea bu t it is on e t h a t n eeds t o be a ddr essed explicit ly, n ot bu r ied in bla n ket r h etor ic. On ly 2% of sch ools h a d a n y ot h er k in d of br ea ch of t h e Adm ission s Code in t h eir policy, a n d m ost of th ese did n ot a ffect wh o wa s a dm it t ed.\nNon e of t h is det a il wa s m en t ion ed in t h e pr ess r elea se or in a n y of t h e comm en t a t t h e t im e, a n d u n for t u n a t ely n on e of t h e jou r n a list s picked u p on it eith er , bu t t h e spin a n d distor t ion ga ve t h e gover n men t a ppa r en t ju st ifica t ion for a wh ole la yer of a ddit ion a l complexit y a n d con t r ol t h r ou gh a n ew Adm ission s Code t h t a r ea lly wa s n ot ju st ified.\nMy ver y la st dr a wba ck, a n d a s a dir ector of New Sch ools Net wor k I a m a lwa ys con cer n ed a bou t t h is on e, is t h a t excessive r egu la t ion in crea ses ba r r ier s to en t r y. Th is is n ot n ecessa r ily im por ta n t if you a r e n ot in ter est ed in to open in g u p a m a r ket t o n ew pr ovider s, bu t if you a r e it is ver y im por t a n t in deed. In a n y in du st r y it is well kn own t h a t a complex r egu la t or y en vir on m en t crea t es sign ifica n t ba r r ier s t o en t r y, wh ich is wh y t h e big oper a tor s in a ma r ket a r e oft en pr ett y h a ppy t o go a lon g wit h h igh r egu la t ion beca u se t h ey kn ow t h a t it en t r en ch es t h eir a dva n t a ge. My per son a l view is th a t t h e ba r r ier s t o en t r y in edu ca tion in m ost t h ou gh , n ot a ll r espects, sh ou ld be sign ifica n t ly lower .\nSo, I feel pr ett y st r on gly, a s you will h a ve ga t h er ed, t h a t t h e a dver se effects of h ea vily r egu la t ed en vir on men t s sign ifica n t ly ou t weigh th e ben efit s. I h a ve n ot even t ou ch ed on t h e exten t t o wh ich it de-skills people, lea ds t o t h e loss of ju dgem en t or t o people n ot developin g ju dgem en t t h r ou gh exper ien ce a s you wou ld wa n t t h em t o.\nI t h in k I wou ld ca tegor ise t h e r a t ion a l r espon ses t o t h e cu r r en t syst em a s eit h er\nt o become pa n icked, a n d fla p h elplessly\nt o become obsessive, cra wlin g t h r ou gh t h e r u les wit h on e's h ea d per m a n en t ly down , so th a t on e n ever sees t h e wood fr om t h e t r ees, or\nt o become r eckless a n d sa y in effect, ‘t h e h ell wit h it . I do n ot h a ve t im e for a ll t h is, I a m ju st goin g to get on a n d do wh a t I kn ow is r igh t a n d a ccept t h e in evit a ble t r ips t h a t will come with t h a t '.\nNon e of t h ese r espon ses is idea l, a n d I t h in k it is r a t h er u n for t u n a t e th a t we h a ve a syst em t h a t pu sh es people in t o on e of t h ose position s.\nSo wh a t n eeds t o h a ppen , wh a t ca n we do a bou t it ? On e of t h e in t er est in g t h in gs I h a ve oft en h ea r d polit icia n s sa y is t h a t t h ey ca n n ot get su ggest ion s fr om people a s t o wh a t r egu la t ion s t h ey wou ld a ctu a lly like t o r emove.\nAn d I fou n d t h is odd a t fir st bu t on r eflect ion I t h in k it is n ot su r pr isin g a t a ll. Beca u se few la ws a r e in t h em selves so obviou sly ba d th a t people will st a n d u p a n d sa y "t h is sh ou ld n ot be en a cted". An d it is oft en ver y ea sy t o vilify som ebody for opposin g a bill. So, con sider for exa m ple t h e r ecen t la ws r equ ir in g a ll pu blic bodies to pr om ote ever y kin d of equ a lit y. Th er e is a lr ea dy a sign ifica n t body of equ a lit y legisla t ion in pla ce. Th is wa s a fu r th er la yer of legisla tion r equ ir in g pu blic bodies n ot ju st t o obser ve bu t t o pr om ot e equ a lit y. I t h in k it r ea lly st em med fr om pr oblem s in th e police for ce, wh er e t h er e wer e clea r ly som e ver y du biou s pr a ctices a n d wa ys of t h in kin g a bou t r a cia l issu es. Bu t I ca n n ot see t h a t t h er e wa s a n y r ea son t o t h in k th a t t h ose pr oblem s ext en ded t o edu ca t ion . So if t h er e wa s n ot a pr oblem in sch ools in r ela t ion t o a sen sible a n d ba la n ced a ppr oa ch ed t o equ a lit y, wh y a dd on a n oth er la yer of obliga t ion s? Bu t yet if som eon e h a d st ood u p a n d sa id "we do n ot t h in k t h is la w sh ou ld be pa ssed", h e or sh e so ea sily h a ve been pa in t ed a s a villa in a n d kn ocked down : "look, sh e opposes equ a lit y, sh e does n ot su ppor t equ a lit y, h ow ca n you list en t o a n yt h in g t h is per son h a s t o sa y".\nAn ot h er exa m ple is t h e du t y th a t h a s been im posed on sch ools t o cooper a t e in t h e im plem en t a tion of loca l a u th or it y Ch ildr en 's Pla n s. Th is wa s a ctu a lly\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 45 of 66\nopposed by som e civil ser va n ts a t t h e DCSF wh o r ecogn ised qu it e r igh t ly, t h a t t h is wa s r e-im posin g loca l a u t h or it y con tr ol on sch ools t h r ou gh a ba ck door . E d Ba lls pu t it t h r ou gh n on et h eless. Bu t wh y did it go t h r ou gh wit h so lit t le pu blic commen t ? Well, wh o wou ld wa n t t o st a n d u p pu blicly a n d a ppea r t o sa y t h a t t h ey wer e opposed t o sch ools co-oper a t in g wit h Ch ildr en 's P la n s? Wh ich of cou r se is n ot wh a t t h ey wou ld r ea lly h a ve been sa yin g, bu t is h ow t h ey wou ld h a ve been ch a r a cter ised.\nSo, I t h in k t h er e is on ly on e t h in g t h a t you ca n sen sibly do wh ich is, a n d t h e a n a logy goes ba ck t o t h e bu sin ess wor ld, wh ich is t o a pply zer o-ba sed r egu la t or y r eview, t o cou n t er ba la n ce t h a t con st a n t pr essu r es t o in cr ea se t h e size of t h e legisla t ive m ou n t a in . I t h in k t h er e is n o su bst it u t e for goin g ba ck per iodica lly a n d look in g a t t h e body of la w fr om t h e gr ou n d u p a n d a pplyin g a r ea lly st r in gen t t est t o det er m in e wh ich sh ou ld be r et a in ed.\nAn d t h e r igh t t est is n ot ‘Is t h e pu r pose of t h is la w good?' Beca u se pr a ctica lly ever yt h in g wou ld pa ss t h a t t est. Nor cou ld you even sa y "Is it doin g som e good?" Beca u se t h e r ea lit y is t h a t a gr ea t dea l of la w is doin g som e good, bu t m or e h a r m t h a n good. So t h e fa ct th a t it is doin g some good is n ot en ou gh .\nI wou ld a r gu e t h a t you n eed a t est mor e a lon g t h e lin es of "cou ld we possibly su r vive wit h ou t it" on th e ba sis t h a t if we cou ld, t h en it pr oba bly sh ou ld n ot be t h er e.\nI a pplied t h is t o t h e cu r r en t edu ca t ion bill, a n d a s fa r a s I ca n see n on e of t h e m a in cla u ses in wou ld su r vive t h a t t est . H a ppily I t h in k it is u n likely t o be pa ssed.\nSo su m min g u p ver y br iefly, a s I ca n see t h a t I h a ve a lr ea dy been spea kin g for t oo lon g, th e t h in gs t h a t I wou ld like t o see gover n m en t doin g a r e:\nAg e n d a for C h a n g e © T h e L e a r n in g S k ills F ou n d a t ion ® 2 0 1 0 Page 46 of 66\nF ir st of a ll, m ovin g ba ck t o con ceivin g it self a s en a blin g r a t h er t h a n con t r ollin g.\nSecon dly, en cou r a gin g t h e r igh t a ccou n t a bility t o flow t h r ou gh t h e r igh t ch a n n els. If you h a ve t oo ma n y a ccou n t a bilit ies, too m a n y people lookin g a t t h e sa m e t h in gs, you a ctu a lly dis-em power th e people wh o sh ou ld be exer cisin g a ccou n t a bilit y. So t oo m u ch power t o OFSTE D a ctu a lly disempower s pa r en ts. It r edu ces t h eir r ea l sh a r e of voice in wh a t h a ppen s in sch ools, a n d t h er e a r e m a n y t h in gs wh er e pa r en t s ou gh t t o be t h e m ost power fu l voices.\nAn d t h ir dly, du m p t h e m ispla ced in t er pr et a t ion of ega lit a r ia n ism t h a t h a s been t h e ju st ifica t ion for bu ildin g so m u ch of th is in flexibilit y in t o t h e syst em . Th e idea t h a t ever ybody sh ou ld h a ve a s n ea r ly possible exa ctly t h e sa m e exper ien ce, wh a t ever t h eir edu ca t ion a l n eeds. Th is h a s been r espon sible for u n t old da m a ge a n d h u ge cost s, m on ey t h a t cou ld h a ve been so m u ch bet t er spen t elsewh er e. I will ju st m en t ion on e of t h e m ost depr essin g qu ot es I h a ve ever r ea d: in a book by H a r r y Br igh ou se, a ph ilosoph er of edu ca t ion . H e r efer r ed t o compu lsor y edu ca tion a s "15,000 h ou r s in wh ich ch ildr en ca n n ot ben efit fr om t h e a dva n t a ges of t h eir ba ckgr ou n d". An d I t h ou gh t t h a t wa s t h e m ost ba ck-t o-fr on t wa y of t h in k in g a bou t edu ca tion I h a d ever en cou n t er ed. I wou ld like a r ea l r e-t h in k of h ow we con ceive of edu ca t ion a n d a n edu ca t ion syst em t h a t m igh t deliver t h e k in d of ou t comes t h a t we wou ld a ll like to see.\nP r ofessor Rich a r d P r in g, P h L (Gr egor ia n , Rom e), BA (U CL), P h D (Lon don ). H on ou r s: Ben e Mer en t e Meda l (P ope P iu s XII, 1959), H on . D.Lit t (U n iver sit y of Ken t , 1984), Aga Kh a n Awa r d of Dist in ction , 2008.\nRet ir ed a ft er 14 yea r s a s Dir ector of t h e Depa r tm en t of E du ca t ion a l St u dies a t Oxfor d Un iver sit y in Ma y 2003. Sin ce 2003, h e wa s Lea d Dir ector of t h e Nu ffield Review of 14-19 E du ca t ion a n d Tr a in in g. Th is wa s a £1,000,000 six yea r pr oject, fu n ded by t h e Nu ffield F ou n da t ion .\nCu r r en t gr a n t of £28,000 wit h P r ofessor An dr ew P olla r d of TLRP (Tea ch in g a n d Lea r n in g Resea r ch P r ogr a m m e) t o fu r t h er t h e wor k of t h e Nu ffield Review.\nSin ce r et ir in g h e h a s complet ed t h e followin g r esea r ch pr ojects in a ddit ion t o t h e Nu ffield Review: t h e eva lu a t ion of t h e Oxfor d Bu r sa r y Sch em e with J oh n F ox, a £125,000 pr oject fu n ded fr om Atla n t ic P h ila n t h r opies, a n d a n eva lu a tion of qu a lit y a ssu r a n ce in 11 Ara b Un iver sit ies, wit h a gr a n t fu n din g of £12,000 fr om t h e UNDP (U n it ed Na t ion s Developm en t P r ogr a m m e).\nResea r ch in t er est s\nP h ilosoph y of E du ca t ion ;\nReview of E du ca t ion a n d Tr a in in g 14-19 (Nu ffield Fou n da t ion fu n ded)\nF a it h ba sed sch ools (a r isin g fr om t h e Lever h u lm e Fellowsh ip, 2003/4, a n d fr om wor k with t h e Aga Kh a n Un iver sit y's In st it u t e for t h e St u dy of Mu slim Civilisa tion s)\nRethink the aim of education: the need for a broader vision of learning\nTh u r sda y 17 t h Sept em ber 2009\n© Richard Pring, September 2009\nTh e Nu ffield Review of 14-19 E du ca t ion a n d Tr a in in g en t it led E du ca t ion for All wa s pu blish ed in J u n e. Th e t it le, t h ou gh n ot pa r t icu la r ly dr a m a tic, is n ot in sign ifica n t , beca u se th e Review is t h e most compr eh en sive exa m in a t ion of t h is ph a se of edu ca t ion sin ce t h e Cr owt h er Repor t F ift een t o E igh t een , pu blish ed exa ctly 50 yea r s a go. An d t h e Cr owt h er Repor t wou ld n ot seem , a t fir st gla n ce, t o believe in ‘edu ca t ion for a ll'.\nAs a n ewly a ppoin t ed Assist a n t P r in cipa l to t h e F E I Br a n ch of t h e, th en , Min ist r y of E du ca t ion in Cu r zon St r eet , I clu t ch ed t h e Cr owt h er Repor t t o m y br ea st – it wa s ‘t h e bible' wh ich sh owed th e wa y for wa r d. In deed, it wa s a gr ea t st ep for wa r d:\nit a r gu ed for t h e r a isin g of t h e sch ool-lea vin g a ge t o 16, a lt h ou gh t h a t wa s a lso t h e expecta t ion of t h e F ish er Act in 1918 a n d of t h e E du ca t ion Act in 1944.\nit r ecomm en ded t h a t t h er e sh ou ld be a n ew exa m in a t ion for som e of t h e 80 per cen t wh o wer e deem ed n ot clever en ou gh t o t a ke t h e Gen er a l Cer tifica t e of E du ca t ion ‘O Level'.\nin pa r t icu la r , it offer ed a ‘t ech n ica l a lter n a t ive' a lon gside t h e a ca dem ic r ou t e wh ich wa s r eser ved for th e sma ll gr ou p of su it a bly a ble st u den t s. Th e pr a ctica l lea r n in g ga in ed t h r ou gh a ppr en t icesh ip t o a n em ployer wou ld be complem en t ed by da y-r elea se to fu r th er edu ca t ion colleges. Th er e, t h e t h eor y wh ich en h a n ced t h e pr a ctice wou ld be t a u gh t , a s well a s som e con t in u in g gen er a l edu ca t ion for su ch a ppr en t ices – a n d cer t a in ly on e Wh it e P a per wa s pr odu ced on h ow th a t m igh t be don e.\nH owever , t h e Repor t did n ot expect m a n y you n g people t o r em a in in fu ll-t im e edu ca tion a ft er t h e a ge of 16. Nor did it expect m a n y t o lea ve a t 16 wit h a n y qu a lifica t ion . Th e sixt h -for m s in gr a m ma r sch ools a n d t h e pr iva te syst em wou ld pr ovide t h e 10%, or so, of n ew r ecr u it s t o t h e u n iver sit ies; t h er e wou ld be ot h er s (m a in ly gir ls) en cou r a ged t o r em a in in fu ll-t im e edu ca t ion , n ot for t h e pu r pose of st u dyin g A Level, bu t t o r eceive som e for m of gen er a l edu ca t ion befor e en t er in g t r a in in g for t ea ch in g or n u r sin g. It wa s st ill a n a ge wh ich sa w edu ca t ion t o be for on ly ‘h a lf ou r fu t u r e' – t h e t it le of t h e n ext m a jor r epor t .\nA n ew exa m in a t ion wa s in t r odu ced, followin g th e 1960 Beloe Repor t . Th e gr ea t m a jor it y wou ld be expected t o lea ve sch ool – lit er a t e a n d n u m er a t e, it wa s h oped – bu t wit h ou t a n y qu a lifica t ion a n d t o ga in em ploym en t in u n skilled jobs, of wh ich t h er e wer e ma n y. An d so t h er e wer e, on ce a ga in , t h e t h r ee t ypes of ch ildr en : t h e a ca demic few (a bou t 20%) for wh om GCE O Levels wer e su it a ble; t h e n ext 40% wh o n eeded a differ en t for m of exa m in a t ion – t h e Cer t ifica t e of Secon da r y E du ca tion (CSE ); a n d t h en t h e r est for wh om t h er e wa s n o n eed of qu a lifica t ion s.\nOver t on es h er e of t h e Nor wood Repor t of 1943 – wh ich a r gu ed, ba sed on wh a t wa s sa id t o be ‘t h e n a t u r e of t h e ch ild', t h a t t h er e wer e t h r ee t ypes of ch ildr en , wa r r a n t in g t h r ee types of sch ool – a few wh o wer e ca pa ble of a bst r a ct t h ou gh t\na n d in ter est ed in idea s; r ela t ively few ot h er s wh o wer e mor e in t er est ed in t h e a pplica t ion of idea s; a n d t h e la r ge m a jor it y wh o wer e m or e con cer n ed wit h pr a ctica l a ctivit ies. So, ba sed on t h e n a t u r e of th e ch ild (so it wa s cla im ed), t h er e wer e t o be t h r ee t ypes of sch ool: gr a m m a r , t ech n ica l a n d secon da r y m oder n . An d t h a t ‘t r ipa r t ite m en t a lity' – t h a t sim plist ic gr a din g of ch ildr en – seem s still t o be wit h u s, a n d in deed r ein for ced by t h e fr a m ewor k of qu a lifica t ion s, t h e m odes of h idden selection a n d t h e pr esen t a n d in t en ded policies of t h e t wo m a jor polit ica l pa r t ies.\nAn d t h a t r a ises qu est ion s a bou t t h e a im s of edu ca t ion for a ll you n g people. Ca n su ch a im s be differ en tia t ed in t h e wa y in wh ich we h a ve come t o divide you n g people?\nTh e fir st ch a pt er of t h e 1963 Newsom Repor t h a d t h e t it le ‘E du ca t ion for All', a n d bega n t o focu s specifica lly on t h e edu ca t ion of pu pils of ‘a ver a ge' a n d ‘less-t h a n -a ver a ge' a bilit y – a t lea st ‘h a lf ou r fu t u r e'. It poin t ed t o t h e implica t ion s of so focu ssin g beca u se ‘below a ver a ge a bilit y' so ea sily su ggest s ‘below a ver a ge people', a s t h ou gh t h e boys a n d gir ls so descr ibed wer e bein g r ega r ded a s gen er a lly in fer ior a n d in some wa y less wor t h edu ca t in g t h a n t h eir ‘a bove a ver a ge' br oth er s a n d sist er s.\nBu t possibly t h e m ost sign ifica n t st a t em en t in t h e Newsom Repor t ca m e fr om t h e t h en Min ist er of E du ca t ion 's F or ewor d t o t h e Repor t . E dwa r d Boyle wr ot e t h a t th e essen t ia l poin t is t h a t a ll ch ildr en sh ou ld h a ve a n equ a l oppor t u n it y of a cqu ir in g in t elligen ce, a n d of developin g t h eir t a len t s a n d a bilit ies to t h e fu ll.\nTh e Newsom Repor t , t h er efor e, h a d a vision of edu ca t ion for a ll, r ecogn isin g t h e r a n ge of a bilit ies wh ich n eed t o be n u r t u red, r efu sin g t o equ a t e ‘edu ca t ed' wit h\na ca demic su ccess so n a r r owly defin ed. Th er e wa s a n eed for a wider vision of lea r n in g.\nToda y, we a r e in deed seein g th e ext en sion of edu ca t ion a n d t r a in in g t o a ll fr om t h e a ge of 16 t o th a t of 18. Bu t wh a t of t h e vision of edu ca t ion for a ll? We st ill h a ve ‘h a lf ou r fu t u r e', wh ich t h e Newsom Repor t spoke a bou t , a n d over t on es of t h e t r ipa r t it e syst em wit h a t h r ee tier fr a m ewor k of qu a lifica t ion s. ‘E du ca t ed' is st ill iden t ified wit h a n a r r ow vision of a ca dem ic su ccess, r eflected in a limit ed k in d of qu a lifica t ion , a n d t h en on ly if cer t a in gr a des a r e t o be r ea ch ed. Th e Sh a dow Secr et a r y of Sta t e for E du ca t ion is pr oposin g t h a t voca t ion a l qu a lifica t ion s sh ou ld n o lon ger ea r n a pla ce in t h e lea gu e t a bles a n d soft su bjects (a r t , dr a m a , per for m in g a r t s) sh ou ld n ot r eceive t h e sa m e r ecogn ition a s ‘h a r d' su bjects (m a th s, E n glish a n d econ om ics). F u r t h er E du ca t ion Colleges, wh ich ext en d t h e h a n d of sa lva tion t o t h ose r ejected by sixth for m s beca u se t h ey a r e lik ely t o depr ess t h e A Level scor es, a r e pla ced low in t h e lea gu e ta ble of A Level r esu lt s – r e-en for cin g t h e view t h a t t h e gen u in e edu ca t ion a l a ch ievem en ts of t h ese you n g people a r e r ea lly bu t a n exa mple of fa ilu r e.\nTh e Nu ffield Review, in fa cin g t h ese issu es a n d in en dea vou r in g t o br ea k t h r ou gh t h e ba r r ier s wh ich h a ve been er ected a r ou n d ‘h a lf ou r fu t u r e', sta r t ed wit h a r e-exa m in a t ion of t h e a im s of edu ca tion a n d con clu ded fr om su ch con sider a t ion s t h a t t h er e wa s a n eed for a wider vision of lea r n in g\nUn lik e t h e gr ea t r epor t s of th e on ce Cen tr a l Advisor y Cou n cils for E du ca t ion – Cr owt h er , Newsom , Robbin s a n d P lowden – r ecen t gover n men t pa per s pa y lit t le a t t en t ion t o t h e a im s of edu ca t ion , a n d t h u s t o t h e va lu es wh ich sh ou ld sh a pe t h e st a n da r ds t o be a ch ieved, t h e kn owledge t o be t r a n sm it t ed a n d t h e vir t u es t o\nbe n ou r ish ed. Of cou r se, t h er e a r e gest u r es in t h is dir ection . Th e 14-19 Skills Wh it e P a per in sists th a t we sh ou ld seek t o r ea lise t h e poten t ia l of a ll you n g people – a n a im r ecen t ly r e-it er a t ed by t h e Secr eta r y of St a t e in r espon se t o t h e Sh a dow Secr et a r y. Bu t su ch a spir a t ion s h a r dly do t h e job. A five yea r old visit or t o ou r h om e clever ly took t h e h a n dker ch ief, u n kn own t o m e, fr om m y pocket , a n d t h en t old m e h e h a d st u ffed it down t h e la va t or y. Sh ou ld we r ea lly be h elpin g h im t o r ea lise h is poten t ia l – a secon d a r t fu l dodger if ever t h er e wa s on e?\nTh e pr oblem wit h su ch clich és is t h a t t h ey dodge t h e et h ica l issu es im plicit in t a lk in g a bou t edu ca t in g you n g people. An d yet va lu es a r e em bodied in a ll t h a t we do in seekin g t o edu ca te you n g people. F or exa m ple:\nt h e oppor tu n it y n ow for you n g people t o dr op t h e a r t s a n d t h e h u m a n ities a t t h e a ge of 14 so th a t t h ey ca n pu r su e m or e voca t ion a l a ctivit ies em bodies on e u n der st a n din g of wh a t is wor t h lea r n in g (a n d th e r ecen t r epor t by t h e H ist or ica l Associa tion wa r n s t h a t H istor y fa ces extin ction in som e secon da r y sch ools);\nt h e pr oposed r e-design a tion of m a t h s, scien ce a n d econ om ics a s ‘h a r d' A Level su bjects' (a n d t h u s wor t h y of gr ea t er r ecogn ition in t h e lea gu e t a bles), in con t r a st t o dr a m a a n d t h e per for min g a r t s wh ich a r e ‘soft ', is a n ot h er view of wh a t is wor t h lea r n in g;\nt h e pr ivileged posit ion given t o a ca demic r a t h er t h a n t o pr a ctica l a n d exper ien t ia l lea r n in g is yet a fu r t h er embodim en t of r a r ely qu est ion ed va lu es;\na n d t h e mode th r ou gh wh ich m er it is r ecogn ised in for m a l a ssessm en t s yet a n ot h er .\nAn d so t h e Review believed it t o be essen t ia l t h a t it st a r t s wit h t h e qu estion :\nWh a t cou n t s a s a n edu ca t ed 19 yea r old in th is da y a n d a ge?\nWh a t a r e t h e kin ds of kn owledge a n d u n der st a n din g t o be n u r t u r ed, t h e pr a ctica l ca pa bilit ies t o be developed, t h e socia l qu a lit ies t o be en cou r a ged?\nE du ca tion is con cer n ed a bou t th e developm en t of per son s, t h u s h elpin g t h em t o a cqu ir e:\nt h e k n owledge a n d u n der st a n din g wh ich en a bles t h em t o live fu lly h u m a n lives (or , a s t h e Amer ica n ph ilosoph er J oh n Dewey sa id, ‘t h e in t elligen t m a n a gem en t of life'),\nt h e pr a ctica l ca pa bilit ies wh ich en a ble t h em t o flou r ish bot h a s in dividu a ls a n d wit h in t h e br oa der socia l a n d econ om ic comm u n ity;\nt h e m or a l ser iou sn ess th r ou gh wh ich t h ey m igh t t h in k r espon sibly a bou t h ow life sh ou ld be lived a n d a bou t t h e big issu es wh ich con fr on t societ y (for exa m ple, socia l ju st ice, r a cism , t h e en vir on m en t a l ch a n ge)\nt h e belon gin g to a wider comm u n it y t h r ou gh a ppr opr ia t e a ction s a n d comm it m en t s.\nAn d a ll t h a t n eeds to be lea r n t t h r ou gh th e in it ia t ion in t o t h e differ en t for m s of k n owledge a n d u n der st a n din g, in t o m or a l t r a dit ion s wh ich ca n so ea sily come t o\nbe n eglected, in t o pr a ctices of doin g a n d ma kin g a n d in to civic a n d pu blic t r a dit ion s of ser vice. An in t elligen t u n der sta n din g of th e ph ysica l, socia l a n d econ om ic wor lds we in h a bit, th e pr a ctica l ca pa bilit y for su r vivin g a n d flou r ish in g in t h ose wor lds, m or a l sen sit ivit y a n d ju dgemen t a n d civic r espon sibilit y h a ve t o be lea r n t – a n d ‘lea r n in g' is m or e t h a n a m er e fu lfilm en t of pot en t ia lit y.\nP r oblems in im plem en t in g t h is wider vision of lea r n in g\nH owever , t h er e a r e t h r ee pr oblem s wh ich u n der m in e t h is br oa der vision of lea r n in g.\nF ir st, t h e fa lse dist in ction is ma de, in docu m en t a ft er docu m en t , bet ween a ca demic a n d voca t ion a l a t t a in m en t a n d qu a lifica tion s, t h e la t t er bein g som eh ow in fer ior to t h e for m er – wh a t you do if you a r e n ot ca pa ble of a ca dem ic st u dies. An d yet t h e dist in ction , on closer exa m in a t ion , ca n n ot be defen ded. Is t h e pu r su it of a r t or dr a m a a ca dem ic or voca t ion a l? Well, t h e stu dy of t h e h ist or y of a r t wou ld seem t o be in t h e a ca dem ic ca t egor y, bu t wh a t a bou t doin g a r t ? Wh a t a bou t dr a m a t ic per for m a n ce? Wh a t a bou t t h e wr it in g of poet r y, r a t h er t h a n wr it in g cr itiqu es of ot h er s' poem s? Wh a t a bou t t h e t h ou gh t fu l, t en t a t ive cr ea t ion of a n a r t efa ct in woodwor k? Th e fa lse du a lism bet ween a ca dem ic a n d voca t ion a l h a s h a d t h r ee per n iciou s con sequ en ces:\nit h a s dem ot ed t h e a r t s a n d t h e h u ma n it ies in t h e edu ca t ion of you n g people fr om 14 t o 18, t h ey bein g a ble to opt ou t wh er e t h ey ch oose t o pu r su e so-ca lled voca t ion a l opt ion s;\nit h a s h elped m a in t a in t h e t r i-pa r t ite division bet ween differ en t t ypes of you n g people: t h ose ca pa ble of a ca dem ic su ccess, t h ose good a t pr a ctisin g, a n d t h e r est .\nSecon d, t h er e is t h e im pover ish ed idea of su ccess especia lly wit h in t h e a ca dem ic t r a dit ion . On e piece of r esea r ch u n der t a ken by t h e Review con sist ed of in t er viewin g over 200 a dm ission s t u t or s fr om 22 u n iver sit ies. All sa id t h a t t h e A Level stu dies did n ot pr epa r e t h em well for u n iver sity st u dies; t h e pr epa r a t ion for t h e t est (wh ich is r eflected in t h e r epor t s of t h e Ch ief In spector for Sch ools) did n ot en a ble t h e su ccessfu l ca n dida t es t o wor k cr it ica lly a n d in depen den t ly wit h in th e u n iver sit y con t ext .\nTh ir d, t h is im pover ish m en t of lea r n in g is r eflected in t h e n ew, Or wellia n la n gu a ge of m a n a gem en t of edu ca tion – th a t of in pu t s r ela ted to ou tpu t s, lea r n in g r edu ced to per for m in g in or der to r ea ch pr e-specified t a r get s, a u dit s of t h ose t a r get s or per for m a n ce in dica t or s, tea ch er s a s deliver er s of a cu r r icu lu m developed elsewh er e, lea r n er s a s cu st om er s. Su ch a focu s on m ea su r a ble pr odu ctivit y a n d in st r u m en t a l va lu e of lea r n in g h a s lit tle r oom for t h a t st r u ggle t o u n der st a n d, t h a t explor a t ion of idea s, t h a t tr ia l a n d er r or in exper im en t s or in t h e cr a ft s, or t h a t explor a tion of m ea n in g in life's exper ien ces.\nLa n gu a ge sh a pes ou r exper ien ce. Th e wor ds we u se em body a pa r t icu la r wa y of seein g t h e wor ld, of u n der sta n din g ot h er people a n d th eir r ela tion sh ips a n d of wh a t is wor t h pu r su in g. By a dopt in g t h e la n gu a ge dr a wn fr om bu sin ess m a n a gemen t , we h a ve come t o see lea r n in g su ccess to lie in t h e h itt in g of\nt a r get s, a n d t o see efficien t t ea ch in g t o lie in en a blin g you n g people t o h it t h ose t a r get s. H en ce, t h e con st a n t compla in t of t ea ch er s a n d st u den t s a bou t ‘t r a in in g for t h e t est '. E ven t h ose you n g people wh o su cceed oft en feel disillu sion ed by t h e exper ien ce t h ey h a ve u n der gon e; a s on e 17 yea r old wr ot e t o t h e Review in r espon se t o it s Issu es P a per on a im s a n d va lu es:\nF a r t oo oft en in edu ca t ion t h e em ph a sis is on a ch ievin g t a r get s a n d r egu r git a t in g wh a t t h e exa m boa r d wa n ts, a s opposed t o a ctu a lly t ea ch in g ch ildr en som et h in g. As a sixt h for m stu den t m yself, th is fr u str a t es me on a da ily ba sis, especia lly in h ist or y, wh en we m u st lea r n t o wr ite t o t h e specifica t ion s of t h e exa m boa r d, in st ea d of a ctu a lly lea r n in g a bou t th e pa st.\nAs t h e la n gu a ge of per for m a n ce a n d m a n a gemen t h a s a dva n ced, so we h a ve pr opor tion a t ely lost a la n gu a ge of edu ca tion wh ich r ecogn ises th e in tr in sic va lu e of pu r su in g cer t a in sor t s of qu est ion , of t ryin g to m a ke sen se of r ea lit y (ph ysica l, socia l, econ om ic a n d m or a l), of seekin g u n der sta n din g, of explor in g t h r ou gh lit er a t u r e a n d th e a r t s wh a t it mea n s t o be h u m a n or of cr ea t in g t h r ou gh t r ia l a n d er r or som et h in g n ew wh ich dema n ds t h e a pplica t ion of skill a n d t h e m a st er y of st a n da r ds. H ow differ en t t h e pr ovision of edu ca t ion a n d t r a in in g m igh t be if we em ployed differ en t m et a ph or s, for t h e wor ds we u se em body t h e wa y in wh ich we con ceive t h e wor ld, ot h er people, t h e r ela t ion sh ips bet ween t h em a n d t h e wa y in wh ich t h ey sh ou ld be t r ea t ed.\nInitiation into the world of ideas\nTh e ph ilosoph er , Mich a el Oa kesh ot t , r efer r ed to edu ca t ion a s a n in it ia t ion in t o t h e wor ld of idea s, a wor ld of idea s wh ich h a d a r isen fr om th e con ver sa t ion\nbet ween t h e gen er a t ion s of m a n kin d, in wh ich t h e you n g per son is in t r odu ced t o t h e differ en t voices in th a t con ver sa t ion – th e voices of poet r y, of scien ce, of h ist or y, of ph ilosoph y. Th er e is a n en ga gem en t between lea r n er s a n d t ea ch er s wh o a r e a ble t o r ela t e th a t con ver sa t ion to t h e in t er est s a n d n eeds of t h e lea r n er .\nTh e so-ca lled ‘a ca dem ic lea r n in g' is a t it s best a n in t r odu ction t o t h a t con ver sa t ion – a n a cqu isit ion of t h ose con cept s, idea s a n d modes of en qu ir y t h r ou gh wh ich we h a ve come t o m a ke sen se of t h e wor ld a n d wh ich a r e ca pt u r ed in t h e r espective su bjects. An d t h ese key con cept s a n d idea s ca n be pu t a cross t o a n y ch ild a t a n y a ge a t som e level of u n der st a n din g. Th e cu r r icu lu m , a ccordin g t o J er om e Br u n er , is idea lly spir a l in t h a t it con st a n tly r evisit s t h e key idea s, bu t in a differ en t m ode of r epr esen t a t ion – m ovin g fr om t h a t pr a ctica l a n d exper ien t ia l gr a sp of t h ose idea s t h ou gh a n ever mor e a bst r a ct a n d sym bolic on e.\nA good cu r r en t exa m ple of th is wou ld be t h a t of Applied Scien ce. Th is in volves u n der st a n din g scien t ific kn owledge a n d meth ods of scien t ific en qu ir y embodied in t ech n iqu es u sed by scien t ist s. Th ese t ech n iqu es cr oss a r ea s of a pplica t ion (e.g. in t h e u se of m icr oscopes by pu blic a n a lyst s a n d m icr obiologist s). It develops t h is u n der st a n din g t h r ou gh a u t h en t ic wor k-r ela t ed con t ext s (e.g. a doctor or n u r se dea lin g wit h cyst ic fibr osis). It focu ses on people wh o a pply scien t ific tech n iqu es a n d k n owledge, lookin g in t o th e t h ou gh t pr ocesses a n d skills in volved (e.g. qu est ion in g t h e t h eor etica l a n d pr a ctica l lim it a t ion s of a given t ech n iqu e). It pr ovides oppor t u n it y for pr a ctica l pr oblem-solvin g, emph a sisin g a bilit y t o u se t ech n iqu es, skills a n d kn owledge for t a cklin g scien ce-r ela t ed pr oblem s (e.g. in t h e a n a lysis of blood sa m ples in t h e dia gn osis of a n illn ess). It en ga ges wit h con t em por a r y scien t ific issu es, especia lly t h e r ela t ion between scien ce, t ech n ology a n d societ y. An d it r equ ir es h igh -level n u m er a cy beca u se of t h e cen t r a lit y of ‘qu a n t it y' a n d st a t ist ics in t h e wor k-r ela t ed scien ce; a ccu r a te m ea su r em en t is cr u cia l. Applied Scien ce, in em ph a sisin g pr a ctica l a n d\nexper ien t ia l lea r n in g, over comes t h e fa lse du a lism bet ween ‘a ca dem ic' a n d ‘voca t ion a l', a n d h a s led t o a n impr essively la r ge in crea se in t h e n u m ber of you n g people wa n t in g to con t in u e post -16 wit h t h e st u dy of scien ce.\nTh a t m et a ph or of t h e ‘con ver sa tion between t h e gen er a tion s of m a n kin d' cou ld be ext en ded t o t h e t r a dit ion s of ‘pr a ctica l ca pa bility' wh ich ca n so ea sily die t h r ou gh n eglect – or be iden t ified wit h t h e voca t ion a l skills a ssocia t ed wit h t h e less a ble. An d in deed t h a t is wh a t is h a ppen in g. Th er e is t h e gr a du a l dem ise of pr a ctica l su bjects in secon da r y sch ools – n o lon ger t h e woodwor k a n d m et a lwor k , t h e t ech n ica l dr a win g wh er e h a n ds a n d br a in st r u ggled cr ea t ively t o m a ke a n object a n d t o m eet dema n din g st a n da r ds. Cooker y beca me dom est ic scien ce. Th e Gen er a l Na t ion a l Voca tion a l Qu a lifica t ion , n ow given wa y t o t h e n ew Diplom a s, fa iled beca u se, a lt h ou gh a im in g t o bu ild on t h e m or e occu pa t ion -r ela ted a n d pr a ctica l in t er est s of you n g people ot h er wise disen ga ged fr om t h e m or e ‘a ca dem ic cu r r icu lu m ', it wa s t h en a ssessed t h r ou gh wr it t en a ssign m en t s. Su ccessfu l ‘doin g' wa s su pposed t o be r eflected in su ccessfu l ‘wr itin g a bou t doin g'.\nP r a ctica l kn owledge (k n owin g h ow) ca n n ot be ca pt u r ed in pr oposit ion a l k n owledge (k n owin g t h a t ). Th a t n o dou bt is wh y it su ffer s in a h igh -st a kes a ssessm en t syst em wh ich r equ ir es su ccessfu l lea r n in g t o be a dequ a t ely r eflected in t h e wr it t en wor d – essa ys a n d m u lt i-ch oice qu est ion s. Bu t t h e su ccessfu l ca r pen t er or plu m ber , t h e su ccessfu l en gin eer or a r ch it ect, is dem on st r a tin g a n u n der st a n din g a n d kn owledge wh ich ca n n ot logica lly be r edu ced to pr oposition a l\nk n owledge. P r a ctica l ca pa bilit y is t oo oft en a ssocia t ed wit h voca t ion a l skills – a m ode of lea r n in g for t h e oth er ‘h a lf ou r fu t u r e'.\nBu t t h a t is a t r a gic mist a ke. As t h e Roya l Societ y of Ar t s (wh ich for 250 yea r s h a s st r iven t o br in g t oget h er t h eor y a n d pr a ctice, th in kin g a n d m a kin g, in t ellect a n d sk ill) decla r ed in it s 1986 m a n ifest o, E du ca t ion for Ca pa bilit y,\nTh er e exist s in it s own r igh t a cu lt u r e wh ich is con cer n ed wit h doin g a n d m a k in g a n d or ga n isin g a n d t h e cr ea t ive a r t s. Th is cu lt u r e em ph a sises t h e da y t o da y m a n a gem en t of a ffa ir s, t h e for mu la t ion a n d solu t ion of pr oblem s, a n d th e design , m a n u fa ctu r e a n d m a r ket in g of goods a n d ser vices.\nRob Ma t t ock, wh ose fa mily h a s gr own a n d sold r oses for over 100 yea r s, ca pt u r es t h is in h is a ccou n t of wor k wit h a gr ou p of boys in a n Oxfor d pr epa r a t or y sch ool wh ich pr ides it self in it s a ca dem ic su ccesses. Th ese boys wer e in volved in t h e h ybr idisa t ion of r oses, n ot for a n y a ca demic pu r pose – it wa s n ot on t h eir exa m in a t ion pr ogr a m m e.\nI sh owed h ow t o cu t off t h e m a le pa r t of th e pla n t (t h e a n t h er s a n d t h e st a m en s) t o lea ve t h e fem a le st igm a . Th e boy a r r ived ba ck wit h a flower fu ll of pollen a n d we br u sh ed it s pollen on t h e st igm a of t h e ot h er . Th a t I expla in ed wa s in ven t ion . We h a d t o ma ke t h e decision of wh ich pollen t o u se, ba sed on wh a t we wa n ted t o cr ea t e. Ba ck t o t h e ga r den s, I expla in ed th a t lookin g a ft er th e pla n t we h a d h ybr idised, t h e cu lt iva tion of t h e pla n t s wa s t h e job of t h e cr a ft sm a n . Th e cr a ft sm a n ta kes h is t im e, h e is m et icu lou s in h is a t ten tion t o det a il a n d it is h is exper ien ce, n ot t h a t of t h e in ven t or , t h a t per m it s th e su ccessfu l ou t come of t h e h ybr idisa t ion , th e n ew pla n t , for wh ich h e m igh t ju st ifia bly feel pr ou d. It is t h a t pr ide in h is wor k t h a t en a bles t h e cr a ft sma n t o in cen t ivise h im self t o do t h e best h e ca n . It is t h a t pr ide in h is wor k t h a t en a bles t h e cra ft sm a n t o r espect n ot on ly\nh is wor k bu t t h a t of ot h er s. Mu t u a l r espect for ea ch ot h er s' wor k is a sou n d, pr a ctica l ba sis for m u t u a l r espect for ea ch ot h er 's cu lt u r es, pa r t icu la r ly for a sch ool fu ll of boys fr om a cr oss t h e wor ld.\nCon t a in ed in t h is pa ssa ge a r e ch a r a cter ist ics of pr a ctica l lea r n in g: lea r n in g t h r ou gh doin g a n d exper ien ce, bein g sh own r a t h er th a n bein g t old, deliber a t ion over wh a t is possible a n d wh a t is desir a ble t o cr ea t e, pa t ien ce, pr ide in t h e qu a lit y of wh a t h a s been a ch ieved a n d crea t ed, r espect for ot h er s t h r ou gh t h e en ga gemen t in a comm on a ctivit y. St a n da r ds of su ccess a r e in t r in sic t o t h e a ctivit y. Mot iva t ion lies in su ccessfu l crea t ion , r a t h er t h a n a s a m ea n s t o som e fu r t h er en d su ch a s a qu a lifica t ion . Of cou r se, t h er e is t h e gr owt h of t h eor etica l u n der st a n din g – you ca n 't get fa r wit h ou t u n der sta n din g su ch ba sic con cept s a s m a le st a m en s, fem a le st igm a , h ybr idisa tion , bu t th ese a r e lea r n t wit h in a con t ext, t h e exper ien ce of wh ich gives t h em m ea n in g.\nTh ese ch a r a cter ist ics a r e tr u e of t h e cr a ft sm a n – a cqu ir ed th r ou gh t h e t r a dit ion a l a ppr en t icesh ip, a s is sh own by Rich a r d Sen n et t in h is r ecen t book Th e Cr a ft sma n . Th er e, t h r ou gh m a n y exa m ples, h e poin t s t o t h e in t ima t e con n ection bet ween h ea d a n d h a n d, t h e dia logu e between con cr ete pr a ctice a n d t h in k in g, t h e r ela t ion bet ween pr oblem solvin g a n d pr oblem fin din g, th e k n owledge ga in ed t h r ou gh t ou ch . In so a r gu in g, h e cr it icises t h e du a lism bet ween t h eor y a n d pr a ctice wh ich ‘dem ea n s' pr a ctica l a ctivit y ‘divor ced fr om su pposedly h igh er pu r su it s' – a n d cer t a in ly per m ea t in g t h e cu r r icu lu m of ou r secon da r y sch ools (t h ou gh th a t pa r t icu la r poin t is n ot m a de by Sen n et t ).\nSa dly, pr a ctica l lea r n in g is seen in t h e ma in t o be a ppr opr ia t e for t h ose wh o h a ve fa iled a ca dem ica lly. An d yet it is a mode of lea r n in g t h a t open s u p a wa y of k n owin g a n d u n der sta n din g (‘ca pa bilit ies' to u se t h e wor ds of t h e RSA\nMa n ifest o), a s well a s givin g en t r y t o m or e t h eor etica l u n der st a n din g. Bu t it s a t t a in m en t is t o be sh own in wh a t is don e, n ot in t h e wr it in g a bou t wh a t is don e.\nIn t h e cou r se of th e Review, we sa w m a n y exa mples of wh er e pr a ctica l en ga gemen t h a d t r a n sfor m ed t h e lives of you n g people ot h er wise, th ou gh by n o m ea n s in ever y ca se, disen ga ged fr om for m a l lea r n in g, fost er ed t h r ou gh th e wor k of th e RSA's Open in g Min ds pr oject, th e Pa u l H a m lyn F ou n da t ion 's Mu sica l F u t u r es, t h e E dge F ou n da t ion 's pr omot ion of pr a ctica l en ga gem en t , F u t u r ela b's E n qu ir in g Min ds, UKSkills' celebr a tion of pr a ctica l kn owledge t h r ou gh skills-ba sed a ch ievem en t (a n d r ecen t ly r ecogn ised in t h eir su ccess in t h e Wor ldSkills Ch a m pion sh ips in Ca lga r y), UK You t h a n d You t h a t Risk. Th e t r a in in g pr ovider Skidz pr ovides m ot or mech a n ics a n d veh icle m a in t en a n ce cou r ses for you n g people sen t by t h eir r espective sch ools – m ot iva t in g t h ose you n g people n ot on ly t o r e-en ga ge in edu ca t ion bu t t o wa n t t o con t in u e beyon d t h e a ge of 16.\nTh e difficu lt y h owever lies in br in gin g t h ese in n ova t ion s in to m a in st r ea m edu ca tion for a ll – in get t in g r ecogn it ion for pr a ctica l lea r n in g a s pa r t of gen er a l edu ca tion for a ll.\nJ er om e Br u n er a r gu ed t h a t t h e cu r r icu lu m , idea lly, sh ou ld a ddr ess t h r ee key qu est ion s:\nwh a t m a kes u s h u m a n ?\nh ow did we become so?\nh ow m igh t we become m or e so?\nIn a n swer in g t h ose qu est ion s, h e sh owed t h e n eed t o dr a w u pon wh a t Dewey r efer r ed t o a s t h e ‘a ccu m u la ted wisdom of th e r a ce' – em bodied in t h e va r iou s or ga n isa t ion s of kn owledge a n d wisdom a s we h a ve in h er ited th em t h r ou gh t h e st u dy of h ist or y, dr a m a , a n t h r opology, t h eology, t h e scien ces, a n d so on . We n eed t o dr a w, t oo, u pon t h e m a n y t r a dit ion s of cr a ft a n d of pr a ctice, a n d u pon t h e m or a l tr a dit ion s t h r ou gh wh ich we h a ve come to see ou r selves a n d ot h er s a s per son s, wor th y of r espect.\nTh e m a in pu r pose of t h e a r t s a n d h u m a n it ies, a s t h ey a r e en ga ged wit h t h r ou gh r ea din g, discu ssion a n d per for ma n ce, is to pr ovide t h e cu lt u r a l r esou r ces a n d t h e st im u lu s for a ddr essin g t h ese qu est ion s. Wh a t is t o be lea r n t fr om pr eviou s explor a t ion s in t h e a r t s, dr a m a , lit er a t u r e, poet r y, h ist or y a n d t h eology a bou t wh a t it m ea n s to be h u m a n ? Th e r ecen t Ch a n n el 4 ser ies ‘Ba llet ch a n ged m y life: Ba llyh oo' illu st r a t es wh a t I mea n . Th e Bir min gh a m Roya l Ba llet pr ovided t h e oppor t u n it y a n d t r a in in g for you n g people, disen ga ged fr om edu ca tion a n d in m a n y ca ses in t r ou bled sit u a tion s, t o pa r t icipa t e in t h e ba llet Rom eo a n d J u liet , a n en ga gem en t wit h a cla ssica l ba llet th a t ma y a t fir st sigh t seem r emot e fr om t h eir in t er est a n d exper ien ce. Bu t t h in k a ga in . As t h e Ch a ir of t h e Ar ts Cou n cil a r gu ed:\nit wa s a n in spir ed ch oice of st or y: cr oss-st a r r ed lover s, dysfu n ction a l fa m ilies, ga n g wa r fa r e, m a ch o ga m es, self-h a r m , dr u g a bu se a n d kn ife crim e; it h a d t h em a ll.\nTh r ou gh pa r t icipa t ion in ba llet (a n d on e m igh t spea k equ a lly of a ll t h e per for m in g a r t s) so you n g people a r e a ble t o get deeper in sigh t in t o h u m a n r ela tion sh ips a n d em otion s, wh ich a r e en ca psu la t ed by t h ose a r t s, a n d wh ich h a ve a u n iver sa l a s well a s a per son a l dimen sion . Th e eviden ce fr om t h is a n d ot h er in volvem en t s in t h e per for m in g a r ts su ggest s a t r a n sfor ma t ion of h ow you n g people come to see t h em selves, t h eir sit u a t ion s a n d fu t u r e possibilit ies open ed u p. Su ccess lies n ot in pr ovidin g a ba sis for fu t u r e ba llet da n cer s a n d a ctor s, bu t in th e power fu l in sigh t s wh ich t h ey pr ovide.\nA fu r t h er exa m ple fr om m or e m a in st r ea m edu ca t ion wou ld be t h a t of t h e H u m a n it ies Cu r r icu lu m P r oject, wh ich u sed t h e dist in ctively h u m a n st u dies a s r esou r ces u pon wh ich t h e lea r n er s wou ld dr a w a s t h ey explor ed issu es of deep per son a l a n d socia l con cer n – socia l ju st ice, r ela t ion sh ips wit h pa r en ts, th e exer cise of a u t h or it y, r a cism , pover t y, r ela t ion s bet ween t h e sexes, a n d so on . Discu ssion wa s cen t r a l, bu t discu ssion ca r efu lly ch a ir ed by th e t ea ch er wh o wou ld in sist t h a t views expr essed wer e r ela ted t o eviden ce t o be fou n d in lit er a t u r e, h ist or y, sociology, t h eology a n d ot h er a r ea s of t h e a r t s a n d h u m a n it ies.\nBu t in bot h t h ese exa mples, it wou ld be tot a lly in a ppr opr ia t e t h en t o gr a de a n d t o pu t in t o h ier a r ch y of competen ce t h e deliber a tion s a n d t r a n sfor m a t ion s wh ich t r a n spir ed. Sh ou ld t h e la dy Ca pu let be given Gr a de A for t h e in sigh t sh e ga in ed in t o h er own feelin gs a bou t h er m ot h er , by wh om sh e h a d been a ba n don ed so m a n y yea r s pr eviou sly?\nWh a t is cen t r a l t o edu ca tin g you n g people t oo oft en get s m a r gin a lised in a syst em wh ich n eeds t o m ea su r e a n d st a n da r dise per for m a n ce a n d wh ich va lu es t h e a t t a in m en t of qu a lifica t ion s over t h e t r a n sfor ma t ion of exper ien ce.\nI h a ve ca lled t h is pa per ‘Th e n eed for a wider vision of lea r n in g', beca u se, in pu r su in g t h e a im of edu ca t ion for a ll, a s t h a t is pr ocla im ed or im plicit in so m a n y pu blica t ion s a n d legisla tion s over th e la st 60 yea r s, we h a ve n ot esca ped fr om a con cept ion of lea r n in g wh ich gu a r a n tees on ly a r ela t ively sm a ll n u m ber will a n d in deed ca n su cceed – n a m ely, t h ose wh o per for m well in a r a t h er n a r r ow u n der st a n din g of a ca dem ic st u dies.\nH owever , r eflection on t h e br oa der vision of t h e lea r n in g wh ich en a bles u s t o live fu lly h u ma n lives will sh ow h ow in a dequ a t e t h a t is, n ot on ly in t h e edu ca t ion for a ll, bu t a lso in t h e edu ca t ion for t h ose few wh o a r e deem ed t o su cceed. Su ch lea r n in g mu st embr a ce:\nt h e developm en t of u n der st a n din g for t h e in t elligen t m a n a gem en t of life – t h a t in it ia t ion in t o t h e wor ld of idea s, wh ich en a ble u s t o ma ke sen se of t h e socia l, ph ysica l a n d econ om ic wor lds in wh ich we in h a bit ;\nt h e pr a ctica l ca pa bilit ies t h r ou gh wh ich we come to u n der st a n d t h e wor ld in a differ en t wa y a n d a ct cr ea t ively with in it ;\nt h e u n der st a n din g of wh a t it m ea n s to be h u m a n a n d to live a dist in ctively h u m a n for m of life.\nTh is r equ ir es a t r a n sfor m a t ion of ou r edu ca t ion a l idea ls a n d a r efu sa l t o h a ve t h em betr a yed by t h e im pover ish ed la n gu a ge a n d pr a ctices of per for m a n ce m a n a gemen t .\nDocuments Similar To Agenda for Change\nBruno Guilherme da Fonseca