Every local authority will need to submit a Strategy for Change document. As part of this process they will need to explore what learning might look like in 10-15 years time and how their BSF schools will reflect the future of education.
There may well be changes to..
- Curriculum subjects
- Timing of the school day
- Scheduling of school terms
- No. of pupils in classes and format of lessons
- Grouping of pupils in year groups and classes
- Teacher - pupil relationships
- Vocational learning
- Qualifications and assessment
- Real and Virtual Learning
- Pace at which students work
- Student choice and responsibility
- Boundaries between school and work
- Boundaries between curriculum and extended day
- Definitions of Adult and Community Learners
- The role of the school in the community
- The relationship between the school and other agencies (Health, Social Services, Police etc.)
- The definition of teacher and the role of non-teaching staff
- Size, shape and function of learning spaces
And the list goes on!
These are the sorts of questions you should be asking before formulating your local authority and school education visions:
How might your teaching and learning in these practical subjects look like in the future? How would the pupils (and future pupils from local primary schools) like to see their learning environments change? What image and identity does your school possess? What are its unique selling points? How can you make good creative use of ICT in the future of your school? What partnerships have your forged and how can you 'add value' to the facilities and services at your BSF school? How do the curriculum subjects relate to each other? What level of Community Access is required -include the potential based on community consultation, not just servicing the needs of the present? How can you make the most of outdoor as well as indoor spaces for formal and informal learning? How do you intend to develop your teaching and learning styles to complement the new learning environment that will be created?
What other strategies and policies should a local authority refer to when creating their Education Vision?
Most local authorities should have an Arts Development Plan or Arts Strategy which may feed into a wider Cultural Strategy. Your Chief Cultural Officer will be able to share with you the priorities for culture, they may also hold a database of independent arts organisations with whom it would be worthwhile consulting.
Your Local Strategic Partnership may also have a Cultural sub-group or a Cultural Strategy as part of a wider Community Plan that it would be important to refer to.
For guidance on cultural strategies and listings of regional cultural plans visit the Yorkshire Cultural observatory website www.yco.org.uk
There will also be sports-related strategies in place, which the Education Vision should relate to. These include the Local Authority Green Spaces Strategy, Sports and Recreation Strategy (often incorporating a Facilities Strategy), and at a local level, Club and Sports development Plans. Please contact your Sports Development team for further details.
Your local authority may also have a 'Percent for the Arts' policy - a scheme whereby developers devote a percentage of development costs to the installation of a work or works of art. Artwork can add distinctiveness to development , inspire and raise aspirations of users and can also raise commercial appeal. If your council do not already have a 'percent for the arts' policy it may be something you could consider introducing through BSF. For example, development costs that total £500,000 or more, developers could be asked to devote up to 1% of those costs to a work of art to be displayed within the development and visible to the public.
Innovative Approaches
There is lots we can learn from how other
countries approach to education and also a range of innovative learning
projects happening in the UK.
Dr. Stephen Heppell has a good website which documents his international work as an educational advisor and his research on personalised learning, learning environments and innovative projects such as the non-school virtual learning project. www.heppell.net
NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, is working to increase the UK's capacity for innovation. www.nesta.org.uk. Their Futurelab project www.futurelab.org.uk is pioneering ways of using new technologies to transform the learning experience.
In the South Yorkshire region, the Sport Engineering Research Group (SERG) in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University have been working to engage KS3 and 4 pupils with the Science Curriculum through sport. Their cutting edge research into the fundamental science of sports equipment design has given SERG a unique ability to develop and deliver engaging activities that link sport to the science and technology curriculum. The work has included practical lectures and workshops on a range of subjects including the science and technology of the Olympic Games. Wherever possible they focus on career opportunities within the sports engineering sector and also make links with Universities, Science Centres and Museums. Their work also extends to the professional development of teachers in partnership with the National Science Learning Centre in York. The work of SERG may prompt you to consider the relationship between your curriculum subjects and the links your school can make with your local Universities and Colleges, Museums and Private Sector Companies. Visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/mecheng/sports/
Creative Partnerships www.creative-partnerships.com Based at Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships has a unique approach to working with schools. It first helps schools to identify their individual needs and then enables them to develop long-term, sustainable partnerships with organisations and individuals including architects, theatre companies, museums, cinemas, dance studios, recording studios, orchestras, film-makers, website designers etc The idea behind Creative partnerships is to animate the national curriculum and to enrich school life by making best use of the UK's creative wealth. The work of Creative Partnerships may inspire your school or local authority to consider formalising partnerships with local public and private sector organisations to enrich your vision for education.
Discover how Chafford Hundred School's vision for creating a personalised learning environment works on a practical level: www.chaffordhundredcampus.thurrock.sch.uk