VOCATIONAL LEARNING
Don’t conform – transform!
Andy Powell
• students on practical and vocational courses would
be taught in specialist facilities or specialist
from the
institutions and by appropriately experienced staff.
• At 16, students would choose to specialise within
their pathway, change to another pathway, or enter
education
employment with training.
• Beyond 18, students would have the opportunity
foundation Edge
to study at degree level in a centre of vocational
excellence endorsed by employers.
introduces its Six Steps to
I do not believe I am the only person to be talking
about educational reform. Edge recently launched
Change manifesto, calling
its “revolution” campaign and has been listening to
members of the teaching profession at the recent
union conferences. It is clear from the responses to our
for a transformation of our
activity that we are not alone in demanding change. In
fact I can see many “signs of spring” in our education
education system
landscape.
I am constantly astonished by the great work
which schools and teachers do to provide the best
and broadest opportunities for their students.
HE tIME has come to talk about Examples include the work Writhlington school
t
a transformation in our education in somerset is doing to build practical learning
system. and involvement with local businesses into its
this transformation is required summer, are worried that school has not done enough to creativity and self-knowledge to succeed in work curriculum. likewise, Cambridge regional College
not because of the mistakes of any prepare them for the world of work. and life. And we must recognise that these attributes is doing great work to make sure teachers have the
one politician. Or any particular What is Edge proposing to do to liberate young cannot be learned in the classroom alone – they require opportunity to gain specific, specialist training in
government department. Or any single people, to release their locked-up dreams and talents? learning by doing. vocational areas.
political party. But because the world has changed. How can we set schools free to become the places to achieve this aim, Edge recently launched the However, rather than a system which restricts these
the world has changed – and our education system where young people want to go to develop all the facets six steps to Change Manifesto, which is central to this examples of initiative, we need to be setting them free.
is standing still. Indeed, it is largely based on a system of their personalities? vision. We are calling on all political parties to back the From isolated signs of spring we need to create a mass
developed over a century ago: a factory manufacturing Central to our desire for change is the idea that there six steps, to provide young people with a wide range movement that calls for all young people to be provided
model where children are placed on the learning are many paths to success. We must recognise that of academic and vocational options from an early age, with similar opportunities to develop their talents to the
conveyor belt and are sorted, packaged and labelled young people are individuals with different abilities allowing them to develop all their skills. utmost.
according to their so-called intelligence. and aspirations. And we must we allow teachers and the six steps to Change are: Practical and vocational learning is no longer a
Where is the system of mass customisation, based schools to respond to these different needs. • A broad curriculum up to age 14 with opportunities marginal topic, no longer the option for other people’s
on a strong common core of essential skills and But we know that all change needs to be framed in to develop life-skills and experience a range of children. It is, and must be, at the heart of our education
knowledge, but which allows young people to develop the context of today’s challenging economic climate. future options. system as our society moves forward into the 21st
their own particular talents and aspirations? In this day From front page news to pub conversations, the talk • sAts replaced by an individual profile of attainment, century. SecEd
and age there is no excuse for a top-down, one-size-fits- up and down the land is of recession. the young skills and aptitudes which would be used by
all education system. people leaving university this summer with degrees students, parents and teachers to choose a post-14 • Andy Powell is CEO of Edge, an independent
We know that the current system leaves young people will find themselves in the toughest recruitment market pathway. education foundation dedicated to raising the status of
feeling imprisoned in school and ill-prepared when they in years. • At 14, all students, in addition to continuing a broad practical and vocational learning.
do leave to enter the world of work. Edge research has And yet, despite this gloom, I am positive that good curriculum, including English, maths and science,
shown that 43 per cent of 11 to 19-year-olds say they things will emerge from such social upheaval. As a would be supported in choosing a pathway matched
Further information
find school boring or irrelevant. At the same time, over country we will recognise the importance of inspiring to their interest and abilities, each with a different If you would like to learn more or get involved with
half of year 11 students, set to enter employment this in the next generation the initiative, determination, balance of theoretical and practical learning. Edge’s work, visit www.edge.co.uk
Notes and jottings Independent thinking
Literacy versus English Drowning in the smallprint
At lAst someone has said it loud and clear: news then that Endymion, a rather eclectic chamber AN OUtsIDEr might imagine that independent time, not to mention a common start date (perhaps
“literacy” is not, definitely not, the same as English. orchestra celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, schools are truly independent of government september 1 and only september 1 for all new
the former is about the mechanistic naming of ran a project last term involving nine A level students interference and that they are able to operate as they changes each year?) – a pipe-dream, I suspect.
parts, is entirely functional, and arguably reductive. and one GCsE student from various schools in wish and to teach whatever they like. It is true that talented teachers have usually chosen teaching
the latter is about the glories of this huge, beautiful, Camden and Westminster. independent schools do not have to conform to all the as a career because they love their subject, enjoy
versatile language of ours and the fabulous literature In four day-long workshops with composer requirements imposed upon state maintained schools, the company of young children, thrive on challenge
it has spawned since, at least, the 14th century. Elspeth Brooke and four players from Endymion, the but during the past 20 or so years the constraints and communication, and want to make a difference
thanks, Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of 10 students collaboratively created a piece of music to placed upon the independent education sector have to children’s future lives. A burning desire to
the Association of teachers and lecturers for voicing be performed at Kings Place, the state-of-the-art new increased almost exponentially. read through masses of small print in
that so firmly at the union’s recent conference. Dr “cultural hub” near Kings Cross in london, in there are almost 200 basic regulatory government regulations and to redraft
Bousted is worried about the way literacy early June. later it will be recorded. the requirements set by the Department for policies endlessly do not normally
focuses entirely on extracts, passages piece also ties in with their A levels and Children, schools and Families (DCsF) feature in discussions of the high
and other textual bits and pieces at the will be marked as coursework. with which independent secondary points of a teaching career.
expense of whole books. John Barber, who is leading a schools have to comply, not to On a more cheerful note, in
Notwithstanding the usual prim, separate series of primary school mention the myriad health and safety spite of bureaucracy and red tape,
evasive mantra which her comments workshops this term, came in for requirements or the vast raft of recent the staff at our school managed to
called forth from the government one session in which the secondary legislation applicable to those schools organise eight different school trips
– “the national curriculum states school students composed works which also have pupils under the age of during the recent Easter holiday,
that a range of literature, including a for the primary school children. five years. Failure to conform in every giving up their time to run them.
selection of poetry, plays, novels and respect to these regulations may have very those from years 9 to 12 who are
short stories from different cultures Have you seen Nigel Warburton’s serious consequences. studying Japanese undertook our first
and traditions should be studied at key new book for Oxford University Press? the views recently expressed to the DCsF ever school visit to Japan and enjoyed a
stages 2, 3 and 4” – Dr Bousted is right. It’s called Free Speech and is one by the House of lords select Committee, huge range of different activities.
Many of our pupils lack reading stamina. of OUP’s Very short Introductions including the statement that “able, brilliant Meanwhile, language exchange
little in their upbringing and education series. Dr Warburton is senior lecturer and skilled professionals do not thrive visits were also made to partner schools
prepares most of them for the hours of in philosophy at the Open University when their energies are absorbed by the and families in Italy, Germany and
concentrated immersion which reading but he writes most accessibly. One need to comply with a raft of detailed France. Our geography teachers took
a whole book involves. And it’s partly of his points is that speech can never requirements”, are extremely pertinent to their A level students to south Wales
because the whole “learning to read” be completely free because there are both the state and independent education and an intrepid team of mostly non-
industry rests on decoding the squiggles always things which should not be sectors. A never-ending stream of new teaching staff braved the south Downs
on the page via phonics or whatever. Of said or written. initiatives is launched, new statutory in support of our Duke of Edinburgh’s
course that’s important. You can’t read “Complete freedom of speech would instruments announced, and new demands Award candidates. Belgium was the
at all without it. But no-one in authority permit freedom to slander, freedom to made upon schools, sometimes with little destination of two different groups during
seems to understand that it’s what comes engage in false and highly misleading or no advance notice. In many schools, different parts of the holiday: first, A level
next which creates real readers. advertising, freedom to publish sexual valuable resources are being diverted away economics students and then the annual year 9
You can’t stop teaching reading once you’ve material about children, freedom to reveal from teaching and learning, from inspiring history trip to the First World War battlefields.
ticked the squiggle-deciphering box. that’s the state secrets and so on,” he argues. “liberty and motivating pupils, and into keeping alert such experiences will remain in the memories of the
point at which you have to start developing should not be confused with licence.” for new regulatory requirements and endlessly participants long after they have forgotten many of
reading stamina and other skills in every way you can I think this very topical book, which discusses reviewing and revising an ever-increasing list of formal the facts they may have learned for a school test.
think of. It is the most important thing a teacher does censoring pornography, giving and taking offence, policies. surely it is time to stop and take stock? Education should be a voyage of discovery filled
in my view. Otherwise, of course, our little treasures and free speech in the age of the internet, would On the whole, when new examination syllabuses with passion and excitement, not an obstacle course,
will resort to other media for entertainment and miss make a good basis for a 6th form. But the students are introduced schools are given a reasonable or a minefield, where progress is slowed to a crawl
English (as opposed to literacy) altogether at tragic will have to be persuaded to read its 101 pages amount of warning. Plans are published in advance; through fear of putting a foot wrong. let us hope that
cost to their overall education. – rather than relying, literacy-style, on a selected consultations are sometimes held; time is allowed someone in power actually takes note of the views
paragraph or two! for teachers to prepare new materials. Perhaps new expressed in the House of lords’ report!
Composition is, arguably, the hardest aspect of regulatory requirements should be trailed in a similar
the subject for music teachers to teach to A level • Susan Elkin is a freelance education journalist and way? We could have advance warning of proposals, • Marion Gibbs is headmistress of the independent
music students and for the students to learn. Good former teacher. a chance to comment, and then a year’s lead-in James Allen’s Girls’ School in London.
SecEd • April 23 2009 
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