Shaping the future of learning in England

Why change?

Creating confident, resilient, independent learners should have long since been a core purpose of schooling. But a near complete focus on the standards agenda has, thus far, sidelined this core purpose. The curriculum in England is in stark contrast to many other countries, like Wales, Scotland, USA, Australia, New Zealand, who are moving, or have already moved, to a curriculum based around learner competencies rather than a body of knowledge to be acquired.

But the 2019 Ofsted Inspection Framework heralds a shift of focus. Standards are still there, quite rightly, but henceforth Ofsted will also make a judgement on the personal development of learners by evaluating the extent to which ‘the curriculum and the provider’s wider work support learners to develop their character – including their resilience, confidence and independence’.

It should always have been a core purpose of schooling. Ofsted are now intending to judge it. Moreover, in the information-rich and fast moving world, knowledge alone is no longer the reliable source of advantage it once was: it must now be partnered by the development of learning dispositions or habits. —  This means helping students build up the mental, emotional and social resources to become confident, resilient, independent learners. That’s why.

What change?

The curriculum prepares students for the changes they will need to embrace in their lives after school. Preparing for a complex life involves the development of the habits or dispositions of learning…those attributes of character that make you more or less likely to; persevere and learn well with others; check out and change you’re learning as you go along; think carefully and question things critically. These are the ‘hows’ of being a successful learner. Research shows these learning habits having strong effects on educational attainment and additional positive effects on life outcomes beyond school. Dispositions aren’t fixed at birth, they change over time in response to the environment. And so it’s the school and it’s classroom cultures that will have a major influence on developing students’ learning character. It is learning cultures that make the difference.

How can we make it work?

As a Headteacher you are now involved in shaping the future of learning in your school. Proposed new content combinations and approaches to assessment will help structure the future of learning but much is left for the school to shape. At the heart of it all, the engine that will make it work, will be your learning friendly classroom cultures; cultures that will ensure students intentionally learn how to become increasingly confident, resilient and independent.

By broadening the framework to include learning character, Ofsted have, in their own terms, expanded the Intent of the curriculum. This resource begins to explore how schools might Implement this expanded intent and what the Impact might be. It goes to the heart of the Quality of Education.

This short resource raises eight key questions which, as a Headteacher, you will want to consider in the run up to adapting the curriculum to intentionally develop learning character, including confidence, resilience and independence. The questions revolve around growing learning habits and creating classroom and school cultures strong enough to nurture those ambitions.

This is NOT a resource about the content of the curriculum. Instead it goes to key aspect of any change strategy…that of developing positive learning dispositions in students, staff and the school more widely. It simply opens the box and offers you a map of the territory, food for thought, ideas to try, and tools to use to make a confident start on your journey.