I would be interested in finding out the different approaches to an Opening Minds Curriculum and the impact on learning. Are there any plans to disseminate good practice through learning networks?

And please do spread news of the Charter on to the many people you work with!

Ian

It is useful to reflect on Education Epidemic’s contribution. As I remember it, Hargreaves was arguing that we needed to stimulate speedy local innovation in schools so it could keep pace with social and economic change, unlike centrally driven initiatives. Amongst other things this was about a combination of explicit permisson; schools’ awareness of systemic priorities; resources; networks to share knowledge rapidly.

We are currently doing some mapping of the degree of practitioner take up of initiatives which are responsive in some way to notions of a changing context for education. Indications are that the degree of spread is encouraging. However the sense of critical mass is limited, I think, because we lack a unifying narrative about why change is needed.

That may be our emphasis now, but your challenge to make that narrative powerful with robust evidence and support for implementation is clearly an important one.

I’m delighted you enjoyed the Ken Robinson lecture here. I agree that the debate about the appropriate role of knowledge could well be a defining one over the coming years. The outcome is by no means certain, and that is why the RSA have, with others in the sector, sought to, as you say, nail our colours to the mast by developing the Charter for Education in the 21st Century.

Anyone can sign up to show their support by visiting http://www.thersa.org/educationcharter

I look forward to continuing the dialogue with you. If you want to drop me a line, you can at ian.mcgimpsey@rsa.org.uk

1. Context and future role of education – I think we are in a different place to where we were 8 years ago where an institutional and initiative-focused response to major social challenges in education was the only model on the table. In the same way that Hargreaves describes in Education Epidemic, there are not enough peer to peer types of interventions or small, adaptable organisations in the system, with official ‘sponsorship’ – who could act as real delivery partners and become enablers of genuine change. There is also a major strategic disconnect between the current accountability structures and the kinds of innovations in the curriculum that Opening Minds represents and the emerging consensus about pedagogy and space in the design of future schools, through the work of people like Dr Kenn Fisher. Until this is more aligned, there will be a lot of professional resistance.

2. Schools and narratives for change – in the early days of agendas like Extended Schools and the preceding work on out of hours learning, it was exactly because there was scope for local solutions that made its take up so rapid and led to its adoption across the system. In previous roles on both agendas, we created a robust evidence base, an expert team who got their hands dirty in the delivery as well as the planning of the agenda and invested heavily in no nonsense ways of finding solutions to problems as they arose. Real change happens not just with a strong policy narrative but also a view of how the book and pages are constructed and can be turned, with minimum effort.

3. Knowledge – traditional vs learner voice and skills development – I think this is a debate that has just started. It may also be the axis upon which education policy is framed after the next election. I think every system needs a reason for being and British educational policy has yet to nail its colours to the mast on this topic. The new diplomas should have been more radical, 14-19 is often the poor cousin to 5-14 in the school policy debate and preparation of young people for an unknown future has to be a much higher priority. I was really taken with the debate you had about this in the new statesman with Edge and the Ken Robinson lecture. If only we had the kind of response to the climate change in the education sector – the challenge is certainly on the same scale.