VIEWS & OPINION


Embrace politics, get empowered – why encouraging political engagement in schools will give children a head-start in the search for their first job


Comment by SIOBHAN KENNY, CEO at Radiocentre “I am a key cog in a wheel.” “Everything I touch turns to sold.”


“I think outside the box. If I was an apple pie, the apples inside me would be oranges”


Just a few choice quotes from hopefuls on Alan Sugar’s ‘The Apprentice’ over the past few years. Not exactly Steve Jobs, is it? But while these reality stars are rightly


mocked for their arrogance and general lack of grip on reality, the truth is that business and working life are (for the most part) sadly misrepresented in pop culture. In Apprentice-land, blowhards, bullies and


self-promoters seem to rise to the top while more traditional values like humility, respect, hard work and showing up on time have slid down the agenda. ‘Kids today’ have been labelled narcissistic,


entitled and lazy by swathes of grumpy journalists (in fact, there’s a running twitter thread keeping track of all the articles written about how millennials – shorthand for young people – have allegedly ruined everything), but in reality most kids today are complete


superstars. Dealing with an infinitely more complex world, they are immensely resourceful, enterprising and ambitious, with a wealth of creative talent and the drive to make things happen. When I speak to schoolchildren as part of


the utterly awesome Speakers 4 Schools program, a running theme occurs. They feel disengaged from current affairs and politics, and often pay little attention to topical issues such as Brexit, despite the massive implications these developments have for their futures. And who can really blame them, when the


most obvious role models on TV seem only to care about themselves? We would probably all switch off from the broader picture. Young people taking an interest in politics is


critical for the future health of our society, not just for them. For example, it’s worth wondering whether the Brexit vote might have swung in the other direction had more young people been engaged in the process and showed up to vote. And when it comes to getting their first job, being aware of politics and current affairs will be a big hint to future


employers that this candidate has their finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world around them. This is why politics shouldn’t just be an add-


on, nice-to-have part of growing up. It needs to play a larger role in the curriculum and healthy debate encouraged from the earliest age. Forget about safe spaces, let’s learn to disagree with courtesy. The sooner we all realise that every part of our lives is shaped by someone’s political decision, the greater the incentive to be part of that process, surely. Who wants someone else making all the major decisions about their lives? And in an age of fake news, there is an added incentive for tomorrow’s voters to acquire the vital skills of media literacy. Ultimately, children who take an interest in


the decisions that shape their lives today will become self-reliant, curious young people with a deeper understanding of the factors affecting culture, business and society. What’s more, these qualities are exactly what employers look for in a candidate – despite what Lord Sugar and his cohorts would have you believe.


Testing on four-year olds completely ignores experiential learning Comment by EDDIE KEMSLEY, CEO at KidZania London


With the government’s announcement that it will be rolling out 'baseline tests' to four-year olds by 2020, it’s easy to see why many teachers and educators across the country are furious. The tests in literacy, numeracy and behaviour will be carried out in the first six weeks of starting reception classes. Testing - in the formal, structured sense - certainly has its place, but it is


just one piece of the jigsaw when it comes to education. And the question is how beneficial this style of test will actually be in the early stage of development. Not only could the idea of an examination be damaging to young people's


mental wellbeing and confidence, but a culture of rigorous testing leaves little room for creativity, curiosity and investigation - paramount in the early years of a child’s learning and development. At this age, children learn from experience and imagination. That’s why experiential learning - ‘learning by doing’ - is so important in


terms of children modelling real life situations and developing their understanding of the world around them. This level of development cannot be calculated in formulaic tests, nor achieved in an environment that could


22 www.education-today.co.uk


make young children feel school is a judgemental place. Instead, government should be thinking about how we can immerse children in these experiences and expose them to environments that promote this level of creativity. Dr. Ger Graus OBE, Director of Education at KidZania, says it best with his


belief that children “can only aspire to what they know exists”. At KidZania, we see imagination discovery and role play as key to learning. Pupils can independently experience more than real-life activities including the bank, hospital, police station, fire station, airline and theatre. The experiences are so lifelike because we work with real-life brands in many different areas. If you’re going to be a pilot with us, then you’ll be a British Airways pilot. If you’re going to maintain Formula E cars, it will be with Renault. Not only does this expose them to expansive career options from a young


age, but it means pupils are able to develop a wide range of real-life essential skills and attributes - from independence and team work, to communication, entrepreneurship, digital literacy and emotional intelligence. Through real play, learning is tangible, and its outcomes have a purpose


and a reality, results I struggle to see achieved through testing on such a young age group.


May 2018


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