The Future of UK Education - UPDATED

Back in June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote a blog with some thoughts on how the UK Education could/should look going forward. My children are now 2.5 years older and entering their final time in secondary school, with the prospects of GCSE exams looming. This is a stressful time for them as they are put under real pressure to deliver outcomes in (outdated) subjects and exams that will affect their personal futures and impact their schools too!

So what has happened to education now that COVID-19 is no longer the determining factor? In short, very little! Most schools have returned to the “old norm” with traditional learning, methods, format and assessment techniques.

The “modern” public education system framework was established by the Education Act 1944 (also known as the Butler Act) and finally implemented in 1947. The only major change to that framework occurred in 1975 with the abolition of State funding for Grammar Schools. For 75 years, there has been little significant change in what, how, where and when young people are given their statutory education.?

In a 2015 speech, the then Secretary of Education defined the purpose of education in the UK had three focuses of empowering young people to:

1. succeed in the economy,?
2. participate in culture,?
3. leave school prepared for adult life.

Many people will have seen the video by Izzy Garbutt. A young, confident, educated and eloquent young woman sharing her experiences and frustrations of the outcome for her of being in our education system.

And in that lies the real question in my mind - is the current secondary education system in the UK really fit for purpose in today’s and tomorrow’s worlds??

So what are the real areas of concern?

• Education is run by politicians and subject to frequent “tinkering”. Major structural change may be felt as “too hard” and a political “hot potato”.
• Curriculums are outdated and have not kept up with the needs of employers, society or individuals. Young people are learning sponges but need to be inspired to achieve their best.
• Subjects are taught with the primary objective of passing “exit” exams (mainly from memory).?
• How we teach (methods, tools, homework, locations, timing, individual learning styles etc.) are outdated.
• Education currently prioritises academic skills rather than life skills.
• Young people have huge workloads and are struggling with “life:school” balance and mental health.
• Teachers also have huge workloads with little freedom in what they can teach.

A Fresh Point of View is Needed

So is this the point in time at which we need to take a completely fresh look at every element of our education system to ensure that it is fit for purpose for the next 20 years (yet alone the next 75 years)?

For me, the first step needs to be to depoliticize the UK education system and appoint a truly-independent group to define an inspiring vision for the future. This needs to be a group that includes all stakeholders (not just educators or funds holders) and which ultimately becomes responsible for developing the plan and accountable for its success.?

As an example, we have achieved this kind of structure previously with the creation of the? Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England so I see no real reason that something similar could not be put in place with all of the resources and “teeth” that it needs to be successful.

In my opinion, in developing a vision, such an “Education Policy Committee” (EPC) should (even the word "committeee" fills me with dread):

• Start with a totally blank piece of paper and be completely open-minded on the outcome.
• Understand who is its actual “customer” and that it is providing a service to that customer.
• Incorporate the views and experiences of all stakeholders.
• Redefine, clarify & expand the mission/purpose of the education system for young people in the UK.
• Look at the accepted successful and innovative education systems around the world on a micro and macro scale.
• Be free from political influence and interference.

The point of such an EPC is it will own the vision and execute it, therefore avoiding it becoming just another report which somebody else needs to implement.

Key areas that should be covered include:

• How young people are best taught (incl. digital tools, shared content, group & independent learning, the value & impact of homework, neurodiversity, development speed and personal circumstances)?
• When young people should be taught (reimagine the school day/term/year, starting times, ending times, actual days, holidays, the impact on home/personal/family life)?
• Where young people should learn (understanding how we can use blended learning for better outcomes for multiple stakeholders)?
• What knowledge and skills do young people really need (designing a curriculum which is appropriate for the modern and future real world (digital, social, problem-solving, numeracy, creative thinking - not just on academic output)? Knowledge also needs to be applied rather than theoretical.
• Develop new methods of assessing a young person’s progress and achievement, rather than constant testing and end of period memory tests.
• How could we better assess schools and teachers' individual success (rather than just on exams and league tables)?
• Who can provide additional value in the education chain (ie partnering with industry/subject matter experts to provide applied learning curriculums)??
• Are there opportunities to collaborate with independent schools (for CPD, mentoring, resource sharing etc.) maybe linked to their charitable statuses?
• Reimagining the pathway for developing and recruiting educators in the education system (not just graduate teachers, but maybe job changers later in life).?

Doing nothing is no longer an option!

There are over 4 million young people in secondary schools in the UK and an additional 5.5 million in primary schools. These young people are educated by over 550,000 FTE dedicated and talented teachers.

But young people are struggling with huge workloads and stress of continuous testing and exams which affects their wellbeing.

Young people want to learn but are uninspired by their learning options and don’t see connections into a future career they are interested in. Career opportunities also look very different today than they did 75 years ago (or even 20 years ago).

These young people are growing up in a very different era with different financial and social dynamics, but they will still be our future leaders, custodians of our care and finances and they will need to inspire the generations to follow.

We need to break the chain now and set-out an inspiring vision for the future of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to help our young people be better prepared for the lives they lead today and will lead in the future. This cannot be done by tinkering - it needs a new vision!

If we all agree on what we are trying to achieve through our education system, put personal interests to one-side for the greater good, and empower a body to create and deliver a real vision, we have the opportunity to deliver an education system that is fit-for-purpose for decades to come.

These are just my personal thoughts on a possible way forward for our education system but if nothing else, we need to start this conversation in the mainstream today.

Thank you to Jess Lucas for her time, insights and input into this blog.