There are so many people from varied backgrounds calling for change. Teachers. Headteachers. Parents. Educational experts. Early years organisations. Authors. Business leaders. University VCs.
If the movement is strong enough, that’s, in the best sense of the word, a revolution. And that’s what we need.
The problems involved in the school system are extensive and the children and young people going through it are paying the price. There are lobby groups campaigning on every aspect of our school system. There are reports and government committees which call for change. The teaching unions have commissioned research on topics such as the exam system and the curriculum which lay out possible paths for change.
There are calls for change away from a hierarchical top down model which mistakes telling children facts as the point of education. There are calls to look at how we learn, what the world needs from us, and to move towards education that allows creativity and problem solving to flourish. Away from the arbitrary subject areas and to recognise the need for thinkers who are learn and think across art and science. There are calls for more fundamental change, from different academics and writers, to move away from a system of school altogether.
We know that change is needed, that school is not fulfilling our needs. Ken Robinson’s TED talk ‘Do schools kill creativity?’ has been watched over 52 million times and remains the most viewed TED talk of all time.
The need for change is a truth that speaks to us.