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Expert calls for greater innovation in classroom

by Chris Parr

Schools across the world are relying on the “pedagogies of mass produced education” in order to hit targets, a leading educationalist has claimed. Kai Vacher, operational direc-

tor for regionalisation and innova- tion at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), told del- egates at a Westminster Forum that “targets tests and tables” have led educators the world over to resort to three teaching techniques time and again.

Copying from the board, lis-

tening to the teacher talk “for a long time”, and class discussion are consistently the most com- mon teaching styles encountered in schools, Mr Vacher said, cit- ing research by the Campaign for Learning, which has surveyed 3,000 students every two years since 1998. “We’re living in a very fast-

changing world, and a question we need to be asking is: are schools learning fast enough to keep up with changes in the external envi- ronment?” he added.

Independent schools told to help unearth future entrepreneurs

Independent schools are not doing enough to develop the “wealth crea- tors of the future”, according to a leading headteacher. Richard Cairns, head of

Brighton College, told a confer- ence in Brighton that entrepreneur- ship lessons should be compulsory for all 6th-formers, in order to ensure that youngsters have the tools to survive in the business world. He said: “Schools like ours turn

out well educated young people who gravitate overwhelmingly to the professions and leave entrepre- neurship to others. That is wrong. We can no longer afford to be spectators in the shaping of our country’s future.” He continued: “We need to

rediscover the spirit of enterprise that transformed this small island nation into one of the leading eco- nomic powers of the world with all the benefits that brought for rais- ing living standards and expanding opportunities. If schools don’t play their part in encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs of the future then we are failing our pupils and our country. “It is time that independent

schools recognised that we too have a part to play if we are to revive the economic fortunes of our country. To do that, we need to encourage more of our leavers to be entre- preneurs and risk-takers and fewer to become lawyers and account- ants. As things stand, independent schools are not doing enough to

turn out the wealth creators of the future.” Mr Cairns has a history of tak-

ing risks with his school’s curricu- lum. In 2006, he made Mandarin Chinese compulsory for all stu- dents, and earlier this year he introduced a compulsory life skills course for all year 9 pupils, cover- ing everything from changing a tyre to taking a pulse. He continued: “I don’t want

to discourage boys and girls from becoming lawyers, teachers, accountants or vicars but I do want to provide them with the tools to become entrepreneurs should they wish to.” Mr Cairns will now make entre-

preneurship lessons compulsory for 6th formers, providing information about how to raise capital to start up businesses, and inviting successful business people to the school. His decision comes as pfeg, the

personal finance education charity, called on the coalition government to make finance lessons compul- sory across England. Chief executive, Wendy van den

Hende, said: “There is a long way to go before every child in primary and secondary school has access to quality personal finance education that is delivered by teachers with the knowledge, skills and resources that they need. We must give children and young people the financial acu- men to analyse, challenge and ques- tion as these skills will create future generations of financially responsi- ble adults.”

Mr Vacher described the situa-

tion as a “global problem”, saying he had made similar findings in countries such as the USA, South Africa, Australia, China and New Zealand. He continued: “If you have a

class of around 25 to 30 students, in the culture of the ‘three Ts’ – targets, testing and league tables – perhaps it is understandable that a teacher under a lot of pressure to get through a lot of content by a certain time may adopt these pedagogies of mass produced education.”

According to Mr Vacher, one

way to introduce more innovative classroom techniques is engaging with student voice – something that he says has developed massively over the last six years. “We are now seeing student

involvement in the teaching and learning process, to an extent that in some schools students are taking on the role of teachers. You may say ‘why on Earth would they want to do that? They’re there to learn, not to teach’. “But if you go back a number of years you find there’s a Japanese

proverb that says: to learn is to teach.” Speaking to SecEd after his

address, Mr Vacher said there was evidence that schools were intro- ducing innovative learning tech- niques – even though teachers were under a great deal of pressure. He said: “It’s very interesting

that even though we’re told we have the most tested children, a national curriculum, Ofsted and a very stringent accountability sys- tem, what I have seen over the last six or seven years is innovation that is flourishing.”

Pupils gear up for free gig

Around 14,000 young people from schools across England are set to be entertained by acts including rapper Tinchy Stryder and X Factor finalist Stacey Solomon at a free gig organised by the Transformation Trust. The charity, which provides

extra-curricular activities, includ- ing music and sport, to state schools in deprived parts of the country, has invited the young- sters to the gig at the O2 Arena in London next month to celebrate its first anniversary. The Trust aims to give young

people access to opportunities that will help them to develop new skills and grow in confi- dence, and give pupils in state schools access to the kind of activities more readily available in the independent sector. Sir David Bell, chairman of

the Transformation Trust, said: “Tinchy Stryder is a great role model for the Trust. Although he is best known as a musician, writer and producer, he is also a gifted footballer and an entrepre- neur. I’m delighted that other top music and dance acts, and student bands, are joining us to make this a birthday party to remember. “We want other young peo-

ple to benefit from the expe- riences and opportunities that will help them fulfil their poten- tial – and the Trust is a great vehicle to make sure that no child misses out on opportunities because of where they live or go to school.” For more information about

the Transformation Trust, visit www.transformationtrust.org.uk

On song: Tinchy Stryder will perform to 14,000 pupils

Student volunteers spread community message

St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB www.markallengroup.com

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Teaching your granny to text might not sound like a world-changing action, but it is among the activi- ties being taken up by primary school children across the country thanks to a scheme that sees sec- ondary students teaching them to care for the environment and their community. The Young Speakers pro-

gramme, funded by the Aldridge Foundation and V, the youth vol- unteering organisation, has so far trained 450 students at 26 second- aries to speak to more than 70,000 primary school children. The volunteers are given train-

ing in public speaking, and asked to deliver a presentation designed

2

Text speak: Primary children are teaching relatives to text

to make young people think about their place in the world. Along with teaching your granny

to text, so she feels connected, other popular ideas include feeding scraps of leftover food to a goat rather than the bin, taking your dad for a walk instead of driving, and using less water when brushing your teeth. Rod Aldridge, chair of the

Aldridge Foundation, said: “We believe the Young Speakers pro- gramme can give young people the confidence to succeed in work and inspire their peers to be entrepre- neurial in creating solutions to the social and environmental issues that will affect their adult lives.” The programme is run by We

Are What We Do, a charity that calls on people to undertake small actions to make a positive difference. Nick Stanhope, managing direc-

tor of the charity, said: “We’re very proud to have given over 400 young people the skills, the confidence and the opportunities to stand up in front of an audience and inspire them to do more for their commu- nity and for the world. The impact on the Young Speakers, the children and their schools has been amazing and over the next five years we plan to take these benefits to communi- ties all over the country.” For more information, visit

http://schools.wearewhatwedo.org/ youngspeakers

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