March 2011

The know zone

  • Setting parameters
    Goggles to play conkers, candy floss caution and banning flip-flops are some of the myths attributed to health and safety. In the end, says Richard Bird, there’s no danger in acting responsibly and thoughtfully. More
  • Hotline
    The ASCL hotline is a completely confidential service available to answer members’ questions on issues that arise in school/college. More
  • Pressing numbers
    Sam Ellis unveils a new spreadsheet to help leaders calculate their affordable pupil-teacher ratio. More
  • Lead vocals
    Quotes from Albert Einstein, Marry Browne, Anton Chekhov, Winston Churchill and Alan Autry More
  • A richer mix
    Whole Education brings together almost 30 charities and other bodies whose joint goal is to offer students a broader, deeper learning experience. More
  • Adding value
    Most of us look forward to spring and putting our clocks forward. Unfortunately our biological clocks take a little longer to reset. More
  • Smart choice
    Allison Crompton is headteacher of Middleton Technology School, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, which was singled out by Ofsted as one of 12 outstanding schools which excel against the odds. She was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours List 2011. More
  • Sticking with CPD?
    With renewed emphasis on sharing good practice around the system – and with budget cuts to make – leaders share their thoughts on how they are ensuring value for money in CPD. More
  • Leaders' surgery
    The antidote to common leadership conundrums... More
  • The challenges ahead
    With the appearance of a Curriculum Review and Education Bill already in 2011, ASCL Council had a packed agenda in February. Not surprisingly, pensions, funding and the English Bac were high on the agenda. More
  • The gap years...
    Steps by the government to dismantle Connexions, abolish the EMA and allow universities to raise tuition fees threaten to lock the middle classes out of university, says Brian Lightman. And it undermines the coalition’s aim to improve social mobility. More
  • Busman's holiday...
    It requires team-working, careful monitoring, effective skills development and strong leadership. So how would Ofsted assess a joint family holiday asks Catherine Szabo. More
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Whole Education brings together almost 30 charities and other bodies whose joint goal is to offer students a broader, deeper learning experience.

A RICHER MIX

Whole Education is a not-for-profit organisation made up of almost 30 bodies that offer engaging curriculum resources for schools, colleges and other learning sites.

This summer it is launching the Whole Education Network which will offer a range of free benefits to schools across the country, including regional events, networking sessions and conference calls, in which participants can share and learn from stories of best practice.

What is Whole Education?

A ‘whole education’ is based on the principle that young people need a balance of knowledge, skills and attributes if they are to be properly prepared for life and work.

“Some of this is, rightly, in a core National Curriculum, but there is much that should be left to local discretion,” says Douglas Archibald, director of Whole Education.

“Schools and colleges know their pupils, their parents and their local communities and are best positioned to help construct a curriculum appropriate for their own context, one that engages young people in their learning and gives them the knowledge and skills that they need to make a success of their life and career.”

Whole Education brings together leading education organisations which are committed to these goals.

Who is involved?

Whole Education’s partners run projects throughout the country to help schools equip young people with a wider set of skills, qualities and knowledge.

For example, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Learning Futures project aims to achieve better engagement in learning, producing improved outcomes and developing a commitment in young people to learning for life.

The RSA Opening Minds project focuses not only on a core of knowledge, but on developing the ability to understand and do through five areas of competence: learning, citizenship, relating to people, managing situations and managing information.

Another partner, Speakers Trust, supports schools and other young people’s organisations in developing the important skills of communication and public speaking.

And the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has funded a project at Clacton Academy in Essex. It focuses on developing ‘human scale principles and practices’, aiming to personalise education and tailor it to individuals’ needs, as far as possible.

Resources and events

The Whole Education website features stories of young people who have taken different pathways through education, including volunteering, work-related or other ‘practical’ learning, and learning skills workshops.

A sell-out conference in London last December titled ‘What Are Schools For?’ brought together leading figures from the education and business worlds offering insight and guidance on ways to help support young people’s development.

It was followed by a series of events in February titled ‘Whose Curriculum is it Anyway?’ in Bristol, Newcastle and Manchester. They gave opportunities to see examples of projects and programmes taking place in their region as well as networking and discussion sessions.

A further event will be held in London on 16 May – visit www.wholeeducation.org for further details.

LEADING READING