Schools are in a unique position to shape our nation’s future leaders. We want to equip young people with the skills they will need for wider life, the workplace and for life-long learning. Rather than focusing predominantly on knowledge acquisition and high-stake exams, young people’s education should develop the whole individual and a range of skills such as team work, resilience and empathy. These essential skills should be woven into the fabric of our education system.
A report by the Learning and Work Institute predicts a shortfall in England of 2.5 million highly skilled people by 2030; this will potentially cost the UK £120 billion in lost economic output.
We need a schools education that is coherent, unified and holistic, supported by a broad and balanced curriculum. This should be achieved though:
- A clear, long-term strategy - The education sector has experienced significant churn over the years. So more than anything, we need a clear cross-party 15 year strategy to invest in our human capital and give individuals the skills they need for life and the world of work. This strategy needs to learn lessons from the past and collectively plan for change over decades rather than the lifetime of a single parliament or ministerial post.
- Developing a curriculum that brings learning to life, links it to the real world and allows students to gain knowledge whilst also developing skills such as creativity, problem solving, teamwork and leadership. A curriculum which values and promotes each individual students talents whilst enabling them to fulfil their potential, and giving opportunities to develop resilience and a positive mind-set. See our proposals for curriculum and assessment reform here.
- Making the curriculum relevant to real life skills and the workplace by putting it into context through e.g. cross-curricular project-based learning with a series of planned employer interventions across the education system.
- Weave enrichment opportunities into the curriculum and encourage alternative ways of learning - Build the cultural capital of all young people and create an entitlement for every young person to a broader range of enrichment opportunities including curated artistic, dramatic, cultural and sporting opportunities.
- Focusing apprenticeships on young people for example, by echoing the Scottish foundation apprenticeships model and providing high quality pre-apprenticeship opportunities and Young Apprenticeships from 14. Read our proposals for apprenticeship reform here.
- Reimagining our assessment system to reduce the weighting of knowledge focused high-stake exams in favour of a holistic approach which considers individual skills and strengths. In 2022, a quarter of GCSE results ended in a fail grade. This experience can be damaging to a young person’s confidence and future prospects. By assessing pupil in a variety of ways we will be able to celebrate the strength of all young people. See our proposals for curriculum and assessment reform here.
- Bring out the best in teaching – with support and more freedom for teachers to plan and collaborate. This should include clear career development, more training in new teaching approaches and opportunities to work directly with employers, including through externships.
- Creating an accountability system focused on outcomes by placing a detailed set of destination measures at the centre of performance tables at both KS4 and KS5.
- Embed careers advice as part of the curriculum by building on the Gatsby Benchmarks and work of the Careers Enterprise Company to create a statutory entitlement for all young people to workplace experience and a range of pathways.
There are numerous examples of education institutions that are putting many of these elements into practice. Some of these include – Schools of Tomorrow, School 21 and XP School. Find out more in Our Plan for Schools and our network of innovative schools and colleges.