A LONG-TERM VIEW FOR EDUCATION AND LEARNING – BUILDING ON THE QUEEN’S SPEECH

This week’s Queen’s speech pleasingly had much to say about education. Often viewed by some stakeholders as one of the ‘Cinderella’ departments, the FED believe that investment in education is indisputably an investment in the future of our country. We therefore welcome the Government's assertion in relation to the proposed Schools Bill and the Higher Education Bill that?Reforms to education will help every child fulfil their potential wherever they live, raising standards and improving the quality of schools and higher education.

However, the FED workstreams have spent the past two years in one of the widest national consultations on education that this country has ever seen.?As a result, our review approaches the issues in a less compartmentalised way. It has encompassed education and learning in our society as a whole – from ‘cradle to career’. We totally agree with the response of?Kirstie Donnelly MBE, CEO of City & Guilds that “it is encouraging to hear Prince Charles, in his delivery of today’s Queen’s Speech, state that the Government will make positive – and long overdue – steps towards building?a stronger and future-minded lifelong skills system”

The aspirations outlined in the Queen’s speech are undoubtedly positive and to be applauded. Our work at the FED is aimed at building the call for a more root and branch approach to future education strategy and planning – taking a long-term view of how lifelong learning can work for the good of society, the economy, the country and of the learner. In our forthcoming report, we aim to outline an approach which could be considered by all politicians in a cross-party context, a framework for building a long-term strategy and plan for education and learning in this country.

Back in March 2015 the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee published its report entitled?‘Leadership for the long-term: Whitehall’s capacity to address future challenges’. The conclusions of seven years ago ring true today:

“The day-to-day too often crowds out preparation for the longer term and the unexpected. There are isolated instances of systematic and imaginative analysis of trends, risks and possibilities around Whitehall. …However, there is no comprehensive understanding across Government as a whole of the future risks and challenges facing the UK.

It is time to build the momentum to encourage all of our politicians to see education and learning as the key driver for our future success – and to address the obvious long-term challenges that are emerging by developing a coherent planning framework for the future. Robert Halfon, Chair of the Education Select Committee state that our FED National Education Consultation Report last year?‘won the argument for a long-term plan’.?

We need your help this year in confirming this belief and helping us to build on the findings of our FED workstreams. Please follow?this link?and complete the questions in our short survey.

The FED were delighted to welcome partners and colleagues to one of our regular FED 24 hour consultation gatherings at Windsor Castle. Our commitment to recognising and addressing the long-term issues and challenges that impact on our education system and educators means that the FED have been taking a leading role in the discussions surrounding sustainability and climate change.

Our aim at Windsor was?to connect Schools and Colleges to Stakeholders to help provide sector-led solutions for sustainability and climate change education.?Working closely with the DFE – who contributed to this event – we aimed to?agree a shared approach towards FED’s contribution to supporting the government’s sustainability and climate change education strategy.

Following some positive debate and discussion we will continue our work with partners to address five key aims:?

1. Developing a map of the English curriculum from 3-18 that highlights the current opportunities to deliver climate change and sustainability learning across all subjects and phases.?

2. Developing a framework of pedagogical approaches to climate change and sustainability education that allows teachers and leaders to better deliver key learning outcomes for children and young people.?

3. Contributing to a climate change and sustainability assessment and qualifications framework.?

4. Providing an approach to climate change and sustainability education that can be wrapped into the ITT and ECF frameworks.?

5. Developing a suite of resources that can be used to improve understanding of the potential for career opportunities in the ‘green’ economy of the

We will be building our partnership across education and business in the coming year to build on and expand the work already identified by the DFE.?

In closing we noted recently that?The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care referred to the?call for evidence which marks the start of our 10-Year Cancer Plan, a new vision for how we will lead the world in cancer care. (This) will be taking?a long-term look?at how we harness innovation and what we want the patient experience to look like in 2032, with ambitious plans for action in several different areas.?The?NHS Long Term Plan?was published in January 2019 – its time for a 10 Year Plan for Education.