COULD A LONG-TERM PLAN FOR EDUCATION BE IN SIGHT?

Since 2019 the FED have been promoting a long-term vision, strategy and plan which we believe is necessary to lead the world-class education that the children, young people and lifelong learners of this country deserve.?

This week the House of Commons Education Select Committee published a?reporton 10th March titled?'Is the Catch-up Programme fit for purpose?'. Section 6 of this report is headed?'Conclusion - A Long Term Funding Plan'. It is probably worth quoting from this at length:

“The previous Education Committee’s report, ‘A ten-year plan for school and college funding’, recommended that “the Department needs to take political short-termism out of school and college funding by developing an ambitious ten-year plan. That report took the NHS’s Long-Term Plan as an “example of matching funding to long-term objectives.?

"Both the NHS and the Ministry of Defence have long-term plans and secure funding settlements. It is time for education to have one too.”

This thinking confirms the FED approach that promotes the concept that we should reconfigure our thinking on policy development to see education as an ‘investment’ for the a successful future economy and society.

It is also worth mentioning that The Policy Institute’s Launch event this week discussed Jonathan Slater’s?paper?on Whitehall reform. It was rewarding to hear Lord Gus O’Donnell’s view that he believed that long term planning, with cross-party support, would galvanize civil servants to help build policy. He also questioned – as Jonathan Slater outlined in a recent FED newsletter - why we are more centralized than ever and asked how we can devolve more. At the same event, Justine Greening articulated her view that Treasury reform is needed to make a proper account of education’s long-term benefits.?

Such thinking reinforces the need to take a long-term approach when thinking about how education contributes to the major challenges of the future – including the climate emergency, radical economic change and a global economy, and the impact of AI and technological advances.

It is clear there are some significant challenges that have emerged this week in a?report initiated by Rachel De Souza, The Children’s Commissioner. The report surveyed all 151 English local authorities and found many did not have figures for the number of children being home-schooled or attending independent schools in their region. The report concludes that “there are hundreds of children that have never interacted with the education system that we know nothing about …. It is crucial that we know where all children are, and that we develop the necessary infrastructure to maintain this understanding.”

All of us in education have been aware of the impact of covid on the rates on absenteeism and our work at local level to address these issues would appear to be showing some positive results. However, if we are to create a truly world-class approach to education for ALL, Rachel De Souza is correct to urge that?

“We would like the government to work to raise the profile of children missing formal full-time education, and to resource councils adequately to fulfil their responsibilities in ensuring all children receive a suitable education.”

The FED are grateful for the work of the Children’s Commissioner who recently inspired a gathering of FED ambassadors and supporters. She is amongst the many individuals and organisations we work with who are committed to a positive long-term future for our children and young people.

It is clear that our FEDSpace roundtable event this week on?“Whatever Happened to...Wellbeing”? is both relevant and timely.

With the wellbeing of children and young people in mind, the FED?are also delighted to be developing a partnership with USFORTHEM – a new campaign referred to above in?FEDConnections.?USFORTHEM launched in May 2020 in response to the first wave of closures of schools across the UK. Reopening schools remains its primary campaign. Set up initially with only three people, they now engage tens of thousands, spanning generations and those who come from different walks of life from all over the UK.?Some are parents, some aren’t, but all share a common desire to see children put first.

This is a purpose shared by the FED as we build the feedback from all our stakeholder groups. We are totally committed to hearing the voices of children and young people. Our FED National Learners Council is currently building partnerships with other young people councils organised by The Fair Education Alliance and The City & Guilds Foundation as well as developing a project with The Children’s University to engage those voices.

It is so important that these voices are heard in any long-term vision for education in this country. Echoing the words of USFORTHEM -?we believe that a society which put children first would be brighter and fairer.