‽istis sat, remembered and whispered: education, education, education. At the start of a new academic year just perhaps, possibly, maybe:
‽ leaked
information about a potential £4billion boost to schools in England might reverse
the fall of 8% per pupil since 2009[i]
and level out the playing-field (or at least the ones not yet sold)
‽
a
proposed pay rise for teachers might help reward all, help recruit and retain
the best and drive public good to public outstanding
‽ a
renewed commitment to even just education, education… may be more than a
softener and harbinger of a possible General Election
‽ education
could indeed be as much about ‘lighting a fire’[ii] in
the minds, hearts and souls of children, young people and all of us – at every
age and stage – as it is about ‘filling a pail’ (waiting to be weighed and
measured by GCSEs - or apparently unreformed, seemingly private school favoured
IGCSEs[iii]).
And if that fire kindles
curiosity, critical thinking, the pursuit of evidence-based approaches; prizes and
promotes technical and practical skills; inspires an appetite for the arts, gives an opportunity to play a musical instrument, to sing and dance, to paint and draw;
nurtures one’s own and others’ health, wellbeing and respectful and compassionate
social relationships; promotes equality and celebrates both what we have in
common and what makes unique; and meets the specific needs of every child and young person – then just think what else might be possible
and how different this world could be!
References/further reading…
© Pistis
[i] IFSA
analysis, BBC website accessed 29.8.2019)
[ii] After
W.B.Yeats
[iii] See
DataLab research by Dave Thompson (https://schoolsweek.co.uk/study-suggests-igcses-are-easier-than-reformed-gcses/
)
