VIEWS & OPINION
Bursaries – the new tool for school improvement
Comment by
SARAH SHAW, Partner and Head of the Education Practice at Odgers Interim
Connecting learning in STEM Comment by
SIMON DAVENPORT, LEGO® Education
Bursaries were primarily used by independent schools to fulfil their charitable obligations. However, many of these schools are now bedding their expanding bursary system into School Improvement Plans – which in turn creates fertile ground for increasing donor fundraising. Leaders at independent schools are mulling over a well-versed problem – how do they continue to attract the brightest pupils, achieve stellar results to justify high fees and secure income to deliver stand-out education? The matter is made more complex by growing pressures over the contentious charitable status of many schools and a lack of diversity among pupils. The challenge has encouraged business specialists to join the sector to enhance school’s improvement plans. Many of these business directors are interim professionals, proven executives deployed on a short-term basis and sourced from the commercial/not for profit world. They are tasked with presenting fresh ideas that can sustain and build on education performance, while also exploring new income streams and bolstering donor fundraising. Our conversations across the sector reveal there is a common strategy – bursaries. By offering more places to pupils from beyond traditional socio- economic groups, schools are tapping into previously hidden talent and becoming aware of the long-term financial benefits a more diverse pupil base can offer. This diversity drive does not just stop at affordability, bursaries are being used to address gender imbalances and attract students that excel in particular areas: creative arts, sports or music, for example. Anecdotally, bursary students outperform their respective peer groups at GSCE and A-level standard among some of the top achieving schools in the country. There is also a growing recognition of the academic potential of students for whom English is a second language (ESL) and those battling pastoral problems. Equally, these students – who are often the first generation of their family to enjoy private education – are typically resilient, mature beyond their years and armed with a strong work ethic. From a financial perspective, broadening pupil diversity can help alleviate pressure on independent schools, particularly with regards to maintaining their charitable privileges.
Longer term, our interim executives have reported some unexpected success in improving fundraising support. One of our school business directors reported an increase in fundraising by 300 per cent in four years following a shift in focus towards bursaries. A clear charitable vision that has a tangible impact on the future careers of pupils is a powerful narrative. For those tasked with steering this attitude change to bursary programmes, there are effective approaches that can ensure bursary commitment is embedded within a school’s future development. One of those is to establish a state primary school outreach programme.
Elsewhere, our interim executives have shown a subject-driven approach enables independent schools to engage with community groups that promote education in particular subjects. This strategy can provide an uplift to subjects which traditionally yield lower results, such as maths. It is clear independent schools are eager to enhance their long-term future, create sustainable business models and see through much-needed development. The emerging appreciation of investing in bursary programmes is going some way to address those action plans.
Schools across the country are in the market for business managers who can implement such development. No doubt as these programmes gain momentum, we might see a shift in perception of the role that independent schools play within our society.
14
www.education-today.co.uk
In everyday life and at work, how often do we use just one skill? The answer? Very rarely, because most tasks and activities require a mix of different skills and abilities, such as problem-solving, perseverance, confidence and determination. Without realising it, we often use multi-disciplinary talents and knowledge to navigate and learn about the world around us effectively. Therefore, it makes sense that at school, we teach our children in a way that allows them to make connections between different ideas and concepts across subjects from an early age, as it enables them to understand and explore the real-world applications of their learning and develop important life skills. This is particularly important for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) classrooms, where learning is best delivered by connecting the network of educational disciplines, with Ofsted’s Maintaining Curiosity report concluding that, “Learning in this fashion engages and enthuses pupils, develops their natural curiosity and motivates them to find out more.” How are pupils expected to learn how topics relate to each other and the real world if they’re simply reading from a textbook? Learning needs to be experimental and practical, with pupils being given autonomy. For example, in science, you might be looking at food chains, so why not challenge your pupils to design and code an animal of prey with specific features that might help it escape the predator? This will bring together several subjects including science, technology, computing, maths, and will also develop skills such as teamwork, problem-solving and creativity.
Likewise, in computing, you might ask pupils to consider earthquakes, before designing and experimenting with a simulator that tests the structure of a house under different conditions. This will encourage pupils to engage with a range of subjects, including geography to explore earthquakes, maths to work out calculations, English to draft reports and coding to run the simulator.
With pupils all having different skill sets and interests, teaching subjects by linking them to other topics and making it hands-on will help to engage the entire class, as there will be some element of learning to capture each individual’s attention. Perhaps there is a pupil that enjoys maths, but struggles with robotics? Or a pupil that finds science challenging, but has a natural flare for English? No matter where their strengths may lie, by consolidating learning, every pupil is likely to remain motivated in the classroom.
We want pupils to develop a curiosity and passion for learning because it doesn’t stop when they leave the classroom; opportunities for learning are all around us and we must explore them often to better understand the world and its processes. Therefore, all classrooms – but particularly STEM classrooms – need to connect learning, between subjects and the real-world, as it allows pupils to build that all-important understanding of how knowledge and skills all interrelate, developing their curiosity to explore further how one concept could benefit or drive another, and building those key skills that we use every single day of our lives.
June 2017
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