No.6
Dukes is a family of schools, teachers, learners, and parents connected by our pursuit of an extraordinary life for every member of our community. We believe that education is a journey to be enjoyed and shared at every stage of life. Insight is testament to this ongoing commitment to learning: a termly publication of articles written by some of the extraordinary educationalists in our schools and organisations. dukeseducation.com
No.6
Curious Learners | Independent Thinkers | Happy Children At Broomfield House we are academically ambitious for your children. We aim to unlock every child’s potential, foster their independence and encourage them to love learning, and confidently articulate their own opinions. Come and visit us in the heart of Kew to find out more.
www.broomfieldhouse.com
Contents In the digital age, great storytellers 6 still hold the power Scott Giles, Group Sales & Marketing Director, Dukes The medium may be different but storytelling still matters in the 21st century. Telling tales 12 Magoo Giles, Principal, Knightsbridge School Our shared narratives have the power to educate and connect us.
How do we manage change when change is thrust upon us? Claire Little, Director of People at Dukes Education, says how we cope with the changes of the past year could define us for the next generation
Time to serve 18 Andrew Hall, Knightsbridge School As the world opens up once more, it is important our students take part in community service. We must build them up 23 Helen Rose, Assistant Principal (Boarding), Rochester Independent College We must help our students gain confidence and self-esteem. How do we manage change ? 27 Claire Little, Director of People, Dukes Education How we cope with the changes of the past year may define us for a generation. Set free from Foundations Candida Cave, Principal, Hampstead Fine Arts College Entry requirements are changing for Art degrees.
36
Life in the margins 42 Adam Anstey, Head of School, Broomfield House School Just as in elite sports, the pursuit of the smallest adjustments can result in excellent results. Fast forward to the future 48 Hayley Bendle, Head of Higher Education, Cardiff Sixth Form College The working world is changing rapidly, so we must prepare our students with the best career counselling. Everyone's an expert 56 Tom Arrand, Head, Cardiff Sixth Form College In a shouty world of binary discourse, wisdom must triumph in modern education. Quote... unquote Darryl Wideman, Head, Radnor House Twickenham A lifetime's collection of favourite quotes.
60
The last word Wit and wisdom from some of the world's great thinkers.
64 3
Insight No.6
Tim Fish Editor’s letter
P
ʻ
Tim Fish, editor of Insight, is Managing Director for Dukes Education’s colleges, and founded Earlscliffe, a co-ed, international boarding school for students aged 15-19, in Folkestone, Kent.
Bringing Insight to a coffee table near you…
lus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’, said Jean-Baptiste Karr in ‘Les Guepes’ in 1849, a satirical journal he founded whilst editor of Le Figaro. The publication’s name left no prospective reader in any doubt of the waspish sentiment within. We bandy about this French (para)phrase all the time, as a sign of irritation with the notion of change, or as Karr intimated, the feeling that the more things change the more they stay the same, which implies a triple disenchantment: with change itself, the imperfections of the status quo, and the failure of the change to overturn these. Since February 2020 we have been grappling with changes, both macro and micro, in our personal and professional lives, as have our students and children in the way they learn and interact. Karr’s phrase is rooted in pessimism, and we have no place for that dubious quality in education, indeed we must ensure that our attitude to change is underpinned with optimism,
for the future cannot be secured without it. In Insight No 6, the core pieces focus on change, anchored by Clare Little’s article on change at work and how both employee and employer can help each other by following a ‘Three C’s’ mantra: communicate, collaborate and commit. Candy Cave discusses changes in the art school application approach, and Hayley Bendle looks at the evolution of careers development. The counter-point is offered by Tom Arrand going ‘back to basics’ (without John Major) in his personal discourse on the significance of expertise and mastery in helping us overcome the biggest of challenges as individuals, communities and nations. Meanwhile, Scott Giles and Magoo Giles (no relation) have written hommages to Aesop. As ever, the range of content offers something for all, to accompany ristretto or latte….
Tim Fish Editor 5
In the digital age, great storytellers still hold the power While marketing delivery platforms are ever-evolving, humankind still looks to the great storytellers, says Scott Giles, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Dukes Education
6
W ʻ Marketing in the digital age is about a billion tiny whispers, rather than mass interruption.ʼ
hy did some people in the 1950s pour cheaper Pepsi Cola into glass Coca Cola bottles when they entertained friends? Why do people pay nearly £70,000 for a Porsche Cayenne when a VW Touareg costs £45,000 and they are both made in the same factory and have similar specifications? It’s because Coca Cola and Porsche each told a powerful story. A story that fits with the worldview of the people who buy their products. A story of quality. Great brand stories make a promise. They promise us something — fun or prestige or reliability. Great stories are trusted. They are true because they are authentic and consistent. And most of all, great stories can support or even alter our ideas about the world. So, what is the story of your nursery, school, college or business? 7
Storytelling in 2021 When we consider digital marketing, we sometimes go straight to thinking about technology platforms, algorithms and audience segmentation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data enable companies and political parties to reach us with surgical precision. Sky AdSmart technology can beam a different ad into each house on the same street, based on data that predicts our propensity to buy a particular product. Google can serve up different digital ads to each member of the same family based on the devices we use and our browsing behaviour. While society grapples with the ethics of these practices, machine learning keeps getting smarter at delivering advertising messages. Technology advances show no sign of plateauing. You might be familiar with a concept known as Moore’s Law. In 1965 computer engineer Gordon Moore predicted that the capacity of silicon chips — in other words, computer processing power — would 8
double every two years, while the cost would halve. That’s one reason why the latest mobile phones have infinitely more processing power than early NASA spacecraft. Moore’s prediction continues to apply today, although eventually there will be a ceiling. Yet, despite this rapid change in digital technology, great content is still at the heart of digital marketing. Social media brands will ebb and flow in popularity, but the adage coined by Bill Gates that ‘content is king’ is just as true for digital media as it was for print, television and radio. Indeed, if we boil down the elements of digital marketing, they essentially consist of two things: 1) F inding the audience that is looking for what we offer 2) Telling them great stories Author Seth Godin said: “Pure marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem, and either we tell stories that spread, or we become irrelevant.” The pleasure of sharing stories is a deep human desire. Ancient storytellers would gather villagers around the campfire and captivate them with myths and legends. Often the story would last for several nights. While
the storytelling medium has changed over the centuries, is that campfire experience really any different to someone listening to a podcast series in 2021? Primitive sketches on cave walls depicted the journeys and travails of early civilisations. They were a visual record of their daily observations and social structures. Today Instagram allows us to leave a modern visual legacy, in a similar vein to our ancestors. Why are stories so meaningful? “Great stories, when told well, are memorable, impactful and personal. We are drawn like magnets to great stories”, said Matthew Luhn, Story Artist at Disney Pixar.
ʻ Bill Gates’ adage that “content is king” is just as true for digital media as it was for print, television and radio.ʼ
Stories help us remember Marketers, teachers and trainers know that storytelling is effective. When we share data and statistics without a story, most people only retain about 5% of the information when asked about it 10 minutes later. If you tell someone that same information wrapped in a story, they are 22 times more likely to remember it. Students memorising facts for exams use mnemonic devices — take the simple example of the colours of the rainbow — Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. By adding a story element to the facts, we find it easier to remember. 9
about the effect he was trying to achieve and told him about an innovative photography technique that he could look up on YouTube. For a prospective parent, witnessing Alistair ‘walking the talk’ becomes the story that they will remember. Steve Jobs said: “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an Show, don’t tell In telling people about our nurseries, schools, entire generation that is to come.” With a founder like Steve Jobs, a master storyteller colleges and consultancies we will be more effective if we use stories to create memorable with legendary product launches, is it any coincidence that Apple is now the most connections. We should show, not just tell. valuable company on the planet? They created Instead of just telling people the percentage a story that is worth telling, and in doing so, of pupils scoring well on 11+ exams, we can talk about a specific student who thrived at the got millions of us to pay a premium price for their devices. school because of the individualised teaching So, how do we become powerful storytellers she received, what she went on to achieve, and in the digital age? how happy she was at the school. Firstly, we need to shift our thinking away Instead of simply telling people that the from interruption advertising. Historically, unique selling point of the school is that staff there was an unspoken contract where know the students personally, it is far more audiences would tolerate advertising — in powerful to show this in action. I recently went on a school tour with Alistair Brownlow, return for free, or subsidised content. Radio ads were tolerated because listeners got the principal of Rochester Independent to enjoy free music. TV commercials were College. As we toured the school grounds, we tolerated because they paid for enjoyable came across a photography student setting shows. Advertisers had to interrupt the up a camera shot using a reflective surface content to grab attention. Madison Avenue in the courtyard. Alistair greeted the student executives used clever techniques such as by name, engaged him in conversation 10
ʻ While the storytelling medium has changed over the centuries, is that campfire experience really any different to someone listening to a podcast series in 2021?ʼ jingles and taglines to convey their client’s message and created a golden age of advertising. It was an environment where advertisers could speak to large audiences just by buying some ad slots during primetime TV or running a large print ad in a national newspaper. Stories had to be told in 30-second sound bites, or with great copywriting. The problem with the interruption model is that the ad slots became overcrowded. Over time, advertisers had to go to extremes to grab attention. They started putting messages on billboards and buses to interrupt our journeys. Instead of just ads in our magazines, sponsored articles appear alongside editorial stories. Pre-roll advertising in movie theatres is not enough, so they push ads into movies themselves in the form of product placements. In the UK we are exposed to around 5,000 advertising messages per day. In the internet age, our media has become even more fragmented, and the interruption model has been completely disrupted. On the
internet we expect our news content to be free, we want cheap access to music and films, and we want to be able to skip ads. So, marketing in the digital age is about a billion tiny whispers, rather than mass interruption. We must use the most popular social platforms and media channels effectively to reach our audience and we can no longer force people to pay attention. Our challenge then is to use technology to whisper to the students and their parents, and the way we do that is to: 1. Create an authentic experience worth talking about 2. Tell stories about what we’ve created Our schools are brimming with wonderful stories. Are we telling them well enough and often enough? Are we looking at our school from new angles? How do we make room for this in a busy school day? Sometimes the same person is left to capture everything, and we lose the richness of the whole school perspective. How can we widen participation? As we develop a culture of positive storytelling, our community will spread our stories even wider. n Scott Giles is Group Sales and Marketing Director at Dukes Education 11
Telling tales The Principal of Knightsbridge School, Magoo Giles, explores the role of storytelling as a powerful tool for education and connecting people
T
his is a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was a job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody
12
realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. This story may be confusing but the message is clear: no one took responsibility, so nothing was accomplished. What is a good story? What is storytelling? Well, people love a good story, whether it's a life journey, a lesson, or a joke.
ʻ When it comes to a good story, it is often how you tell it that brings the learning and keeps the subject alive.ʼ
13
Stories teach us all about life, about ourselves, and about others. In a unique way, they help us to develop an understanding, respect, and appreciation of other cultures. They also help us build our own stories as we go along, with any luck, educating, influencing, and inspiring others. Remember, we are all different learners. 40 per cent of us are visual learners who learn through watching — videos, illustrations, diagrams; 40 per cent are auditory — lectures, discussions; and 20 per cent are kinaesthetic learners — that is, ‘hands on’. As a result, it is important to remember all three categories when telling a story. The best course I ever attended was about inclusion. The speaker was an ex-teacher who asked his audience to turn to each other and devise a lesson suitable for Roger Federer (sport and languages), the AA Man (skills), Beethoven (music), the Princess of Wales (showing my age, but an empathetic champion), William Shakespeare (English specialist), Christopher Wren (architect), and Claude Monet (artist). After a few minutes of ideas, he said: “This is what any teacher has in their class — each with the potential to be the best in their field.” As teachers it is important not to close doors to incredibly gifted children just because they are late developers or cannot learn the way we teach. Good teachers adapt and teach children according to their way of learning. All 14
those who are celebrated in their fields were once children and look at them now. When it comes to a good story, it is often how you tell it that brings the learning, keeps the subject alive, and creates the immersive experience that allows different learners to engage, enjoying the dynamism and style of an entertaining tale. I always remember what my General in the British Army used to say to me, “A minute of speech takes an hour of rehearsal,” and, “If you are not good at it, keep it short and memorable.” A sound piece of advice. When it comes to, ‘What makes a good story?’, often, it’s quitting while you are ahead. Keep the audience guessing! If the audience feels a glow and departs wanting more, then your story has been a success. Or, as one related piece of advice I live by daily suggests, ‘Remember that it is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it and remove all doubt.’ When it comes to the things in life we all hold in high esteem — our family, friends, community, country — the stories we all hold in common are important in the times that test us. Even in business, storytelling is essential to set the scene, to tell the history, to prepare the team for the future, the tough times, so that the high standards or quality of both output and delivery can be maintained. When Dukes Education started, it was important to find a way to bring different
ʻ When it comes to the things in life we all hold in high esteem – our family, friends, community, country – the stories we all hold in common are important in the times that test us.ʼ
15
schools and individuals together to build up trust and teamwork. Stories played a crucial role. When the leadership teams were first brought together for training, each person was asked to work out their own story and be prepared to deliver it to the rest of the group. This included Heads, Principals, Bursars. Why? Well, it helped us to work out who we are and learn to articulate our own journeys, where we have come from and what has made us who we are. My mother’s poignant, final words to me resonate with me always, “Never forget what made you who you are today!” The process was powerful. It enabled all of us to begin to connect in a way that transcended daily work life. In telling our stories and hearing 16
those of others, we began to realise how important the tough moments are in anyone's story. It is as if good storytelling unlocks feelings. A story is a way to open up to others. They can learn about us through the power of words, often laughing, crying, and sharing time together. It creates an opportunity for understanding and empathy for each individual and his or her situation. It is a reciprocal process — a chance for each of us to share and learn why we are who we are and what qualities or standards we aspire to role-model. n Magoo Giles is Principal of Knightsbridge School, a happy, vibrant, and community-focused school in the heart of London educating girls and boys from ages 4-16.
A small, independent school for boys and girls aged 3 - 11 in the heart of London. The Lyceum is a non-selective school in an amazing location. We believe in providing a well-rounded education, where each and every child has the chance to shine. Discover more at www.lyceumschool.co.uk
Time to serve As the world slowly opens up once more, it is important our students participate in some form of community service outside the school walls, says Andrew Hall, of Knightsbridge School
ʻ The confidence I gained from that first work experience helped me grow more independent.ʼ
18
T
he phrase ‘community service’ often evokes images of people in orange jumpsuits, picking up litter on the side of the road. The fact that it is so often used as a punitive measure, may explain why many students see it that way, rather than appreciating the opportunities for enjoyment and personal growth that community service offers. The statistics are quite shocking. A census in the USA in 2018 found that ‘across every age group, volunteering has declined since 2005’, even though ‘young adults have expressed the most interest in community engagement in a half-century’. We have had over a year of closed doors and been forced to keep ourselves separate to stay safe. Isn’t this the perfect time for schools to make a positive outreach into their local communities, for the benefit of young people and those around them? I don’t recall being offered community service opportunities when I was at school, but I do remember 20 years ago, as a fresh-faced Year 10 student in North Yorkshire, going out on my compulsory work experience placement to a local animal feed supplier. I turned up on my first day with my lunchbox and my (far too clean) steel-toe-capped boots. Little did I know, I would end up working there for the next four years on weekends and holidays. I had my first encounter with customers (apparently always right) as well as the responsibility
of handling money. I spoke to members of the local community who I would never have normally met, and I worked alongside adults who were not my family. The confidence I gained from that first work experience helped me grow more independent. Sadly, when I became a teacher, I discovered that my first school in Leeds had to stop their work experience programme, as they could no longer find suitable placements for all their students. A survey of teenagers in 2018, found that, ‘83 per cent of UK teenagers would like work experience to be made a compulsory part of the school curriculum; however, over a third (37 per cent) have done no work experience at school.’ This is a story that is playing out all over the country. Could a fresh, integrated, community service programme be the key to filling this void? Can embedding an ethos of community service throughout our schools benefit not only our young people, but the local community? It could allow our students to see the value of donating time, and not just money, to local causes. My siblings and I would frequently be shipped off to Grandad’s farm on the edge of the North York Moors, at both harvest and lambing time. It was not just the farming trade I was learning, it was the long afternoons sat in the tractor with my Grandad, or the stolen moments eating homemade cakes with my Nana. It was time spent with a generation I would eventually 19
ʻA survey of teenagers in 2018, found that 83 per cent of UK teenagers would like work experience to be made a compulsory part of the school curriculum; however, over a third — 37 per cent — have done no work experience at school.ʼ
lose forever. My Grandad would regale me with stories about his experiences, working war agriculture with the prisoners of war from Eden Camp. My Nana was never as forthcoming with her experiences in the munition factory. What a gift my parents gave us by sending us there. I learnt the value of early mornings, teamwork, and hard work at lambing times, I experienced the realworld beauty of life and the heartbreak of death. Community service placements, work experience and even trips are becoming more frequently tied up with the red tape of risk assessments and police checks. Although the safety of our young people will always be our first priority, we also run the risk of letting our school walls become far 20
thicker, and higher, than we ever imagined. By keeping children rooted in the classroom, behind their desks or screens, they grow more disconnected from the society that surrounds them. We teach them about Victorian society whilst depriving them of the opportunity to experience the modern, growing, culturally diverse city that exists on our own doorstep. As our city starts to reopen, our parents can (and should) be our first foot in the door to a world of community service opportunities. Charity shops, food banks, libraries, community gardens, pet shelters, nursing homes, all provide safe opportunities for children to learn new skills that will benefit them in the future. With the lack of job opportunities for young
adults, it means any chance for our students to gain real world skills, outside of the classroom, could be more important than ever. Schools could encourage community service in their cohort by creating student committees that work together to source opportunities and encourage their peers to take part. Awards can be created to honour students who go above and beyond to support their community. Weekly school assemblies can be used to highlight work that has taken place that week. If we reward acts of service to the community, like we do our school athletes, we may begin to foster a culture of giving back that truly benefits our local community. The Duke of Edinburgh
Award is a true leader in encouraging volunteering activities for our young people. A quick glance at their website will link you to a wide range of opportunities such as Beanstalk — a national reading charity that provides one-to-one support to children aged 3-13 who would benefit from extra reading support. Reading Leaders volunteers can be proud of the fact that they’ve supported a younger child with their reading skills. You could also volunteer time with The Countryside Restoration Trust which states it is, ‘the UK’s leading charity promoting wildlife-friendly farming and campaigning for a living, working countryside. Support Group working parties help with tree and hedge planting, painting gates, clearing scrub, erecting nest boxes, etc.’ There really is something for everyone. So, let’s get out into the community, let’s encourage our students to volunteer, and let’s start to open the doors that have been closed for too long. Remember the words of Steve Jobs: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” n Find out more at: careercolleges.org.uk https://bit.ly/3h7gV2E dofe.org https://bit.ly/3x6CNR9 edweek.org https://bit.ly/3hirZbP Andrew Hall is a teacher at Knightsbridge School, a happy and vibrant prep school in the centre of London. 21
22
We must build them up Helen Rose, pastoral lead and Assistant Principal (Boarding) at Rochester Independent College, offers a new analogy for self-esteem and asks... If confidence is born of positive experiences, what can we, as educators, do to influence this in our pupils?
ʻ Imagine poker chips are the currency of selfesteem. How do we get to fill our bag of chips? Positive experiences, no matter how small, generate poker chips.ʼ
W
alk round your nursery, school and college. What do you see? Do you see the bubbly and laughing sociable characters that will always have their hand up in class engaging with life and learning? Pause to think for a moment. Ask yourself, what is that student feeling and experiencing? How are they able to make those connections with others and their learning? Look again… really look. Do you see a student sitting alone? Do you have students in your care that simply go through the motions of the day and not cognitively or emotionally engage in lessons?
Pause to think for a moment. What is that student feeling, sensing and thinking? Are you aware that one in 10 students between the age of 10 and 18 identify as lonely? We have a role to play in the lives of young people who we don’t just work with but who are part of our lives. We have a role in developing their self-esteem to enable them to engage and explore. I want to illustrate that role using poker chips. Imagine a bag full to bursting with poker chips; it is so full you do not think twice about gambling a couple a way as you won’t miss a few. Now imagine a bag with just a few chips in; I ask you now, how will you play? Will you play recklessly as you don't have much to lose, or do you feel you don’t have enough to even enter the game? Now imagine poker chips are the currency of 23
self-esteem. How do we get to fill the bag or only have a few in our possession? Positive experiences no matter how small generate poker chips. Imagine a child’s experience in the morning routine. Is it Mum and Dad at home cooking breakfast together as a family or is a team of close friends laughing and joyfully socialising over breakfast in the boarding house? Or is a child leaving the house hungry with no one to wave them goodbye? Which child do you think has the least poker chips? Meet Ben. He is the captain of the rugby team, eats with his family everyday and as he leaves the house that morning his family shout out, ‘Love you! Have a great day! We will be at your match later to cheer you on!’ He has just had a few more poker chips fly into his already full bag. Now meet Charlie, he leaves the house hungry and hasn’t seen his mum as she is still in bed. He is not captain of any team and, in fact, doesn’t feel he can be. He is a great artist, but no one knows it because he doesn't share his work, he doesn’t have the confidence to do so. His morning experience of leaving alone and hungry reduces what few poker chips he has. Imagine your Monday morning class involves Ben and Charlie. You enthusiastically ask the whole class a question. To be able to put themselves forward it’ll cost five poker chips. Ben’s hand shoots straight up as his bag is overflowing and he has the confidence to gamble. He wouldn’t miss a 24
few poker chips — besides his family will be there to cheer him on at rugby later and his chip collection would be replenished. Charlie on the other hand sits in his chair with hands in this lap; he thinks he knows the answer, but he only has five chips in his bag. He is not prepared to gamble these chips; they are all he has. He knows he needs them later in the day when he goes home to Mum who may not be in the best of moods and that negative experience will cost him five poker chips. We need to provide positive experiences to fill the bags of the students we care for with as many poker chips as we can to enable them to play the game of life. Boarding is a fully immersive life and educational experience. It is vital that these experiences go beyond the operation elements of keeping our students safe and supporting them with their academic progress. How can we expect our students to form a vision for themselves, if they do not know themselves or how to form authentic connections with the world around them? The boarding team at Rochester are embarking on a journey of self-care and self-discovery with our community in a vision to create experiences that support the students in building self-esteem. Our role is to hand out poker chips with a sense of generosity to help create positive experiences that build the self-esteem of our students and the young people in our lives; this will equip them
with the inner strength and sense of self-worth where they will be able to unlock their own potential. I’ll leave you with this question… How will you make sure the students in your care go to bed at night with more poker chips than when they woke? How will you help them build the self-esteem to play the game of life? n Helen Rose is Assistant Principal (Boarding), at Rochester Independent College, a co-ed, non-selective boarding and day school in Kent for students aged 11-18, with a creative buzz and rigorous academic culture.
Welcome to Miss Daisy’s Nursery Schools A family of nursery schools with a strong sense of community and a place where lasting friendships are formed, fun is shared and curiosity celebrated. Discover more at: missdaisysnursery.com
26
How can we manage change when change is thrust upon us? This past year has seen greater upheaval than many previous decades. How we manage it could define us for the next generation, says Claire Little, Director of People at Dukes Education
ʻChange is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.ʼ John F. Kennedy
27
ʻ People aren’t stupid. We’ve seen they can take the pain but they won’t do it for nothing. They won’t take the pain with no gain.ʼ
The Kübler–Ross change curve
Denial
Morale and competance
Disbelief; looking for evidence that it isn’t true
Shock
Integration Changes integrated; a renewed individual
Frustration
Decision
Recognition that things are different; sometimes angry
Learning how to work in the new situation; feeling more positive
Surprise or shock at the event
Experiment Initial engagaement with the new situation
Depression Low mood; lacking in energy
Time
28
C
Create alignment
ed; ual
Maximise communication Spark motivation Develop capacity Share knowledge
hange management is a phrase most associated with organisational changes, often used to describe the stages involved in managing people or process change in a restructure or implementing a new IT system. Change, big or small, happens to all of us all the time, however, and never more so than over the past 14 months. In 2020 our ability to manage change affected every single aspect of our lives — how we work, how we live, how we engage with our friends and family, how we communicate. In a work context, our understanding of how we respond to change can have a fundamental impact on our performance and our ability to support others. Some of us are comfortable with change, we don’t mind if the goal posts move and we like to move rapidly. Others prefer time to reflect before making decisions, to consider all the details and weigh up the pros and cons. Whatever your preferences, if you can stand in others shoes and better understand their behavioural response to a changing situation, you’ll be better able to work with, manage and lead them. Many of you will be familiar with the Kubler-Ross change curve originally created by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969 to illustrate how people deal with the news that they have a terminal illness. Nowadays, this same model is used for any significant change that we as individuals go through. It can be used to gauge change and the effect this has on us all as individuals in organisational change management. As with all models and ideas, it has its detractors, but nevertheless, it is a useful tool to use to understand where people are in their journey through change. In turn this insight can help all of us to tailor approaches and effective communication to those individuals dealing with the change, helping them through the transition successfully. Typically, we move through the stages of the curve as we digest, consider and come to terms with change. This process enables us to deal with the change in the context of our personal circumstances and environment. When Covid and lockdown hit we went from Shock to Experiment and Decision superfast, there was no time to work through 29
Stage One
Denial, confusion
Stage Two
Frustration, anger, fear, distrust, sadness (depression)
Stage Three
Experiment, acceptance, interest, questioning
Stage Four
Commitment to the new situation / new world
30
ʻ When Covid and lockdown hit we went from Shock to Experiment and Decision super-fast, there was no time to work through the emotional reactions of each individual teacher, parent or pupil. It was fight or flight, and flight wasn’t an option.ʼ the emotional reactions of each individual teacher, parent or pupil. It was more fight or flight, and flight wasn’t an option. Perhaps this lack of time to digest and progress the period of change is starting to show itself in the increase in mental health concerns — we are potentially feeling the impact the loss of control we experienced. This underpins the value of understanding and managing our own and others emotional responses to change. The Kubler-Ross change curve can be broken down into four stages, Denial, Frustration, Experiment, Commitment. Think about a big change in your work life, what was your response — can you recognise these phases? How did you feel at the time? What was the impact on your performance at work? Research supports the view that individuals experiencing significant change in an organisation, including the educational sector, will result in a dip in performance — it’s a very human response. How long that dip continues will depend on how well the change is communicated and the individual supported. So, how can we support employees experiencing change? It comes down to three key areas, sometimes referred to as the three C’s, 31
Communicate — be clear about what is happening and the value of the change, Collaborate — build trust, treat people with respect and integrity Commit — deliver on the change, demonstrate the value and move forward Dr David Halpern and Professor Steve Reicher, two behavioural scientists gave evidence in January 2021 to a Parliamentary Committee to outline what had and hadn’t worked in terms of the Government’s management of people’s behaviour during Covid. Reicher said: “One area is the importance of the clarity of messaging. When we had the message ‘'Stay Home', 96 per cent of people understood it. When it changed to 'Stay Alert', 31 per cent of people understood. It wasn't clear what it meant. It wasn't clear what people were supposed to do with it. It violated core principles of messaging… which is the basis of building up that relationship of trust.” So, being clear about the change, communicating it effectively and building trust was key. A lack of clarity leads to confusion and distrust. Reicher said that the change will come if people really understand why the change is being asked of them. He added: “People aren't stupid. We've seen that people can take the pain, with huge suffering and difficulties, during the pandemic — but they won't do it for nothing. We won't take the pain with no gain. So, you need to show people that the measures that you're implementing are effective… there haven't been debates about whether we should have measures. They have 32
ʻ When we had the message ‘Stay Home’, 96 per cent of people understood it. When it changed to ‘Stay Alert’, 31 per cent of people understood. It violated core principles of messaging. It wasn’t clear what it meant.ʼ
Communicate
Be clear about what is happening and the value of the change
Collaborate
Build trust, treat people with respect and integrity
Commit
Deliver on the change, demonstrate the value and move forward
33
been debates about whether they're effective or not.” Demonstrating the value of the change is important, change is disruptive and, to commit to it, employees need to agree that the future is worth the short-term pain. The output of that commitment should be to achieve that gain, something that I would hope we are seeing now. Obviously, the context of risk in a school or college is vastly different to that of a global pandemic. But the same theories apply, recognise and acknowledge that our own — and other — experience of change may differ. Value those differences. Communicate effectively the need and value of the change, build trust with employees and stakeholders and deliver on the change when you say you will. In 2020 we all experienced rapid changes that we were not able to influence or control, we had to adapt and quickly. The education sector has experienced profound changes many of which could have a significant positive impact in the future. The overnight introduction of online learning would, in normal times, have taken many months if not years to implement. The removal of formal exams and a recognition (eventually) that the teaching profession can be trusted to be best judges of expected grades, is more of a giant leap than a step change. The question we need to consider now is whether we will be able to seize the moment and maximise those changes? n Claire Little is Director of People at Dukes Education
34
University Foundation Certificate STEM, Business, Creative Arts, Humanities
One-year residential course UK Year 13 for ages 17+ Four pathways: STEM, Business, Creative Arts or Humanities Includes English Language and IELTS preparation
Earlscliffe 29 Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone CT20 2NB, United Kingdom
Students complete the Extended Project Qualification All internally assessed – no public exams 1-1 UCAS counselling Leads to UK university entry
earlscliffe.co.uk
Set free from Foundations An Art foundation course is no longer the prerequisite to an Art and Design degree that it once was. Strong creative A-levels and a new emphasis on the quality of a candidate’s portfolio have changed entry requirements, explains Candida Cave, Principal of Hampstead Fine Arts College
M
ost colleges used to require students to complete a foundation course before embarking on degree course in Art and Design. This is no longer the case; universities are increasingly offering places to students fresh out of Sixth Form. A contemporary creative A-level is an ambitious and wide-ranging qualification which, in many ways, replaces the traditional Art foundation course. The range of methods and approaches, the depth of conceptual understanding and analysis mean that students are often ready and able to move straight to an arts degree when they complete their A-level courses. The emphasis now is on the quality and maturity of the portfolio — a collection of work that can demonstrate the rigour, creative independence and cultural awareness of a young person more comprehensively than a stark grade. Our students have this year been offered places on degree courses without a prior
36
37
ʻ The emphasis now is on the quality and maturity of the portfolio — a collection of work that demonstrates a student’s rigour, creative independence and cultural awareness more comprehensively than a stark grade.ʼ
38
foundation course in Painting, Sculpture, Illustration, Graphic Design, Fashion, Textiles and Photography. Fine Arts College (FAC) offers a choice of four stand-alone Art and Design A-level courses: Fine Art, Graphics, Photography and Fashion and Textiles. We advise prospective art students to take two of these alongside two academic subjects. This enables them to build up a portfolio of work over the two-year course, and also achieve outstanding A-level grades, a necessity for acceptance onto the most prestigious courses at, for example, the Ruskin, the Slade, Central St Martins and Chelsea. FAC students have been very successful in moving directly to degree even at the most prestigious colleges in the UK and abroad. Here are some of their stories: Nina came to FAC from New Zealand taking Fine Art, History of Art and Photography A-levels. She flourished in the open, ambitious atmosphere of the college and began experimenting with sculpture, video and performance taking her themes from personal experience and parallel historical biographies. The Slade School accepted her straight from Sixth Form on the basis of her powerful portfolio and accompanying commentary and her high A-level grades. Eliza will be starting her Fine Art degree at Chelsea School of Art after leaving us this summer. Her work combines the benefits of the regular life-drawing that we offer with an ability to make manifest her fertile dream life. Her paintings and sculptures share the narrative dynamic of much contemporary painting. Alice joined FAC when she moved to London from Trinidad. She is taking Fine Art, Textiles and History of Art and has won a place on the Textile Design degree at Glasgow School of Art. She wishes to bring together the expressive potential of Fine Art with the processes of craft. Klara is to study Fashion Design at the prestigious Kingston University; she has made exciting work at A-level in varied media including painting and video that casts a critical eye over her native Russia. Elena, who has excelled at Art and Graphics, is to study Illustration at Anglia Ruskin. Her work employs sensitive draughtsmanship to convey emotionally intense content. 39
Success is not confined to the UK. Imogen is moving from London to Parsons New York this autumn. Her work combines intellectual, even scientific subjects, with personal history. She uses a broad range of methods and media, from painting to customised furniture, and has made arresting objects that examine medical and emotional difficulties and challenges. Talented Textiles student, Saskia has won a scholarship to Parsons Paris to study Fashion. Since opening our fashion studios in 2018, fashion has become an increasingly popular career for our students. This year Mia and Afnan will study it at Central St Martins, Aimee at Nottingham Trent and Lola will join Klara at Kingston. Kingston is a popular destination for our leavers and it’s here that Livia will study Photography and Aisha, Fine Art. 40
Some students choose to follow a foundation course if they are undecided on their specialisation. This year students have been accepted at CSM, LCC, Kingston, Ravensbourne Morley College and City & Guilds. Entrance to art degree courses is extremely competitive and to produce a portfolio that is capable of opening doors takes commitment and hard work. Students are expected to be enthusiastic and highly motivated, visiting museums and galleries, keeping a personal sketchbook and attending our open-studio sessions and weekly life-drawing evening classes. n Candida Cave is Principal of Hampstead Fine Arts College, widely recognised as the leading preuniversity arts and humanities school in the UK
Radnor House is an independent selective co-educational day school enjoying a stunning location on the banks of the River Thames in Twickenham, where our pupils thrive in small classes with a strong focus on individual attention.
Visit www.radnor-twickenham.org to find out more.
Life in the margins The pursuit of marginal gains can result in excellent performance in elite sport, so why not in our schools, says Adam Anstey, Head of School at Broomfield House School
T
he world of high-performance sport is well known for focusing on the specific areas where marginal gains can result in exceptional performance. The general premise is that instead of pursuing big, unmanageable goals and expecting immediate results, improving incrementally, by just one per cent, in a host of smaller areas yields significant benefits. It is this approach which allows athletes to reach the top of the performance curve, the moment where all the preparation and training comes together at exactly the right time to give them the best chance of success. I have noticed an immediate correlation to this approach within education. More recently I have been reflecting on what it is that we actually do in schools which impacts not only academic performance, but on a child's development, well-being, and sense of belonging, in an entirely holistic way. It is ever more evident within the competitive London senior school market, that schools are looking for more than just
42
43
pure academics. Interviews now carry greater weight, references need greater breadth and a less conformist approach is being sought. Our success comes from recognising and respecting each child as an individual. Learning is personalised, each child is profiled, and we make time to adopt a ‘black-box thinking’ approach. We ask ourselves, what is happening? What can we learn from it? How can we do better? Any forward-thinking prep school should be focusing on creating opportunities for pupils not only to thrive academically, but also to access a well-rounded mix of character building and leadership opportunities. With the impact of Covid, senior schools are moving towards a less uniform assessment calendar. This not only adds further pressure to an already stressful process, but simultaneously erases preparation time. Therefore, the search for marginal gains is essential in finding solutions to equipping children with the skills needed to perform well at 11-plus, without it detracting from them receiving a first-class education. Baseline cognitive ability tests, when used effectively in comparison to previous benchmarks and cohort performance, allow school leaders to share with parents a trajectory for pupils. No child has a ceiling in terms of potential, but the kind and transparent use of key data allows parents to make informed choices earlier about where to apply and why. This avoids families going through the unnecessary rigour of applying for unsuitable schools. We use data to inform and focus our decisions on where we can make the most impact for our pupils. This enables us to carefully track and benchmark ourselves on a national level as well as within the London prep school world. The quote, ‘the future belongs to those who prepare today’, is something I have heard throughout my time working in schools. The question of what skills will be needed in the future should be explored before meaningful planning and preparation can begin for our children. The school curriculum is more than just lessons and subjects taught, it is the entire circle of learning opportunities, enrichment experiences and values which form this core philosophy. Many marginal gains can be made by putting in place a forward-thinking 44
curriculum which brings with it a focus not only on subject specific content but also on algorithmic thinking, advanced problem solving, leadership and responsible social influence, resilience, critical thinking and analysis, active listening and innovation; all skills highlighted by the World Economic Forum as the top 10 skills for 2025 (see page 51). What does that look like in a successful school? To focus on technology use as a fundamental skill, Broomfield recently opened a new IT lab. This space, which uses open-source software as a concept, allows all children to continue working at home with the same software without additional costs and pressures on families to buy expensive licences. It demonstrates our school's investment in skills of the future and across the entire school community. This new lab is the start of an innovative approach to computer science, where marginal gains come from bringing the curriculum down from senior-school level to much younger pupils. Coding begins earlier, graphic literacy is given space, digital literacy and the safe use of complex cloud-based networks linked to social responsibility, allows our children to learn the skills that will futureproof them for learning and life. Marginal gains come from not accepting the norm and not standing still. The children deserve the very best education and access to the highest level of teaching. It is teachers who make the biggest difference. A successful school must therefore invest in, and retain, an excellent staff body. We do everything we can at Broomfield to encourage and empower our deserving staff from providing them with the latest high-spec equipment to adjusting the catering menu to be more inclusive of vegetarians. Embedding a learning culture at the school helps achieve those marginal gains, too. A learning review which combines high standards, supportive peer-on-peer lesson observations, book reviews, pupils' feedback and data snapshots, all help to shine a light on exactly what gains can be made and where. I think the opportunity for marginal gains is all around us. I could fill this entire publication with small examples where we are seeing differences being made. In the end though, it
ʻ Marginal gains come from not accepting the norm and not standing still. They can be made by putting in place a forward-thinking curriculum.ʼ The Power of Tiny Gains
The1% Power of Tiny Gainsday better every wer of Tiny Gains The Power of Tiny Gains 1%The worse Powerevery of Tinyday Gains 1% better every day 1.01365 = 37.78 worse every day 0.99365 = 0.03 1.01365 =1%37.78 0.99365 = 0.03 1% better every day 1.01365 = 37.78
The Power of Tiny Gains
1% worse every day
Improvement Improvement decline orordecline
0.99365 = 0.03 1% better every day 1% worse every day
1.01365 = 37.78 0.99365 = 0.03
1
1
11 year
Improvement or decline
Improvement or decline
ry day ry day
1.01365 = 37.78 0.99365 = 0.03
1 year
1
1 year
year 1 1year
45
comes down to details, to spending time on simple decisions instead of rushing past them and to engage in healthy debate to stimulate new thinking. Some recent examples include, choosing paint colours for a classroom, adjusting timings of the school day, playing classical music over rap in the dining room, the length of lessons and choosing to make homemade (instead of shop bought) biscuits and vegan flapjacks to the children at break time. I do not believe I have ever read an education book which analyses the impact of every small gain which we as leaders make in schools. If it was possible, I believe we would all be surprised by the results and the positive impact on academic performance, well-being and the general feeling of happiness. n Adam Anstey is Head of School at Broomfield House, a thriving, independent, co-ed prep school for students aged 3-11 years in south-west London 46
ʻ The new IT lab at Broomfield House is the start of an innovative approach to computer science, where marginal gains come from bringing the curriculum down from senior school level to much younger pupils.ʼ
Ignite your future NUMBER ONE IN THE UK FOR A-LEVEL RESULTS OVER THE PAST 11 YEARS
Fast forward to the future The working world has been changed by Covid. Hayley Bendle, Head of Higher Education at Cardiff Sixth Form College, says it’s imperative to give students the best career counselling as they start out in life
T
he COVID-19 pandemic will leave a legacy in the educational sector for years to come — cancelled examinations, home schooling, and an absence of work placements. We may now be back in the classroom, but our students continue to feel lost, unprepared for their assessments, and confused about their futures. Whilst we must remain sensitive and empathetic about the challenges that all students have experienced in the past year, now is also the time to emphasise the need to not just carry on but thrive in the face of such difficulties that may linger on in the years to come. Just as students have been studying at home during the pandemic, professionals have been working from home, converting kitchens and bedrooms into virtual office spaces. The job market, one which our Sixth Form students will graduate into within the next four to five years, has never looked so uncertain. Many once-thriving sectors have been brought to their knees, whilst others have benefited from substantial technological shifts, including e-commerce and e-communication. Such
48
ʻ There is a disconnect between what 15,000-plus students believe blue-chip graduate employers rate most highly, and what such businesses actually value most.ʼ
49
Top skills most sought after by employers in 2025, as identified by the World Economic Forum
01
Analytical thinking and innovation
02
Active learning and learning strategies
03
Complex problem-solving
04
07 08 09 10
Critical thinking and analysis
05
Creativity, originality, and initiative
06
Leadership and social influence
Technology use, monitoring and control
Technology design and programming
Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation
ʻStudents need to prepare themselves for hybrid futures, with both the capacity to be independent, analytical, and innovative workers from home, with the human skills required to thrive in the office.ʼ
advancements in automation and Artificial Intelligence are only going to further accelerate and mitigate the losses due to physical distancing. This two-fold impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and COVID-19 restoration makes it very difficult in our role to predict just what possibilities lie ahead for our senior school students by 2025. The World Economic Forum (2020) reports that by 2025, 73 per cent of current workers will need to be reskilled or upskilled, 46 per cent of workers will be internally redeployed due to emerging opportunities, and 44 per cent of skills that employees need to successfully perform their role will also change. With such an unpredictable landscape for the already existing work force, how can we fathom preparing our students for their futures, when their current career aspirations may no longer exist by the time they graduate from university? The answer? Skills-focused learning. Gone are the days of traditional careers, where employees feel grounded in a long-term relationship with the same company and motivated by increased status and salary. Instead, in future careers, an individual's own motivation, agency and self determination will drive and reinvent their career path. By focusing on upskilling, students will be equipped with tools to navigate volatility and seamlessly move upwards, or laterally, between companies and professions. Effective career and higher education counselling is therefore a must in order to act as the bridge: one that connects the academic knowledge gained from school to the professional acumen necessary to be successful entrants into the world of work. Rather than the driving factor that most may think, the fixation with academic excellence may be more detrimental to success. Recent research by Bright Network underscores the disconnect between what 15,000-plus students believe blue chip graduate employers rate most valuable, and what such businesses actually value most. Students perceive a 2:1 at degree to be the number one factor when applying for graduate positions; admittedly, this may indeed be a prerequisite. Yet, more and more companies employ other recruitment processes such as psychometric testing, video interviews, selection centres, and even CV-blind interviews, where academic standing does not play a role 51
— in fact, employers rank this as seventh, after communication skills, passion for the business, problem-solving skills, resilience, commercial awareness, and teamwork. Being obliged to work or study from home has, in one regard, enabled students to develop a number of these more technical skills, such as active learning and digital skills. As McKinsey Global Institute foresee, with companies likely to remain partially, if not fully remote, students will need to prepare themselves for hybrid futures, with both the capacity to be independent, analytical, and innovative workers from home, with the human skills required to thrive in the office. It is critical that students and educators focus on the skills and learning lost during the pandemic whilst remaining isolated at home. Without the natural occurrences of water cooler chats where students can socialise and bond with peers, their interpersonal and communication skills risk atrophy. By focusing on the development of the following five skills, we will best enable our students to not only make up for lost time, but also gain a head start for the journeys ahead. Collaboration and communication In a year of Zoominars with limited interactivity, and mics and cameras typically off, effective teamwork has been lacking. Bringing our students back to a collaborative classroom is vital, especially for our more introverted students who may have relished the solitude and independence of working from home with minimal distractions. Resilience 2020 has been a challenging year for all. In the future, employers will want to ensure that new employees possess emotional labour and emotional regulation. Such stress management, tenacity, and ability to withstand adversity and setbacks are skills that employers expect to maintain productivity and high spirits at work. Initiative With schools and work all but closed, individuals have taken the opportunity to be in charge of their own career. Whereas previously, employees and students may have waited passively for tasks or opportunities to come 52
ʻ More and more companies employ other recruitment processes such as CV-blind interviews where academic standing does not play a role.ʼ
initiative
adaptability
emotional intelligence
collaboration & communication resilience
their way, now with the autonomy of working from home, many young professionals have independently sought their own online learning and upskilling opportunities on, for example, edX and Coursera. Such resourcefulness will, undoubtedly, become essential, not preferred. Adaptability The shockwaves caused by COVID-19 will be felt for years to come in the job market, and employees will need to become more adept at weathering and accepting change. At the same time as a global recession came an expedited technological jump; and in the future, companies will now expect to see proof that, not only are employees willing to change, but are also able to get ahead of the curve. Emotional intelligence The pandemic has created great challenges for us all. As such, with a return to the office underway, social awareness and relationship management is vital in (re)connecting with colleagues and peers on a deeper, personal level. An empathetic and compassionate understanding of human nature is more critical than ever before, as people bounce back into 54
personal, academic, and professional lives that will have significantly changed. The shift from school to university to employment can be daunting for any year group, but more so now for our current Sixth Form students on the cusp of graduating. The chasm of the unknown has only been further enhanced and deepened by the pandemic, and all educators, teaching and non-teaching, must be proactive in equipping students for skills-focused futures, not solely focusing on catching up on the classroom time lost. As Ahmed Madzhari, President and Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft Asia summarises: “There’s enough knowledge to be had between Bing and Google. What you cannot get is skills.” Skills, not solely academics or experience, will be the main currency of the future, and therefore, effective career and higher education counselling in schools is, in a post-pandemic world, especially critical in our role as a launchpad to students’ lifelong success. n Hayley Bendle is Head of Higher Education at Cardiff Sixth Form College, a world-class, co-ed independent school in south Wales for pupils aged 15-19.
A C A M BRI DG E ED U CATION
Small Class Sizes - Individual Attention - Personalised Support
WWW.STA NDREWS CA MBRIDGE.CO.UK
Everyone’s an expert In a world of shouty, binary discourse, expertise and mastery should not be undermined. Wisdom must triumph in modern education, says Tom Arrand, Head of Cardiff Sixth Form College
R
esponding to his concerns over the rise of fascism in Europe, Bertrand Russell noted in his 1933 essay, The Triumph of Stupidity, that, “The stupid are cocksure, while the intelligent are full of doubt”. His analysis, that people seek comfort in straightforward answers to complicated problems, resonates with us today and it can easily be suggested that the rise of social media exacerbates this problem, making everyone an expert, giving everyone a voice and condensing each proclamation into a limited number of characters or (for even greater impact) a wellcrafted meme. Debate over complex issues is reduced to the ‘hurrah/boo’ quality outlined by AJ Ayer, where ethics is little more than a shouting match.
56
How should schools respond? This question is asked whenever society faces a conundrum. Issues of significance over the past 12 months require no introduction into this discussion and at every juncture, schools are expected to provide the solution. The list of themes and content that schools should be teaching is endless and, if curriculum time were given to each of these, there would be none left to deliver academic syllabuses. That is not to suggest that schools do not play a vital role in the broader education of the next generation. They do. The question of educational aims, however, requires further thought. At the height of the Brexit debate in 2016, a leading Leave minister, famously asserted that, ‘the people of
ʻExpertise is where we should begin. Educating children to have an appreciation of — and a desire to aspire towards — expertise should be the foundation of academic learning.ʼ
57
ʻThe Good Friday Agreement was not achieved on social media and nor would it ever have been.ʼ
this country have had enough of experts.’ And he was correct. Expertise is not a desirable attribute when offering a solution to a complex problem. It has no place on Twitter and when it does, reducing it to the required character-limit offers no room for nuance or understanding. Besides, there was no box on the referendum ballot for, ‘I believe the EU is built upon an honourable vision yet is problematic and requires further reform but that leaving it is likely to cause disruption which may jeopardise the union, its economy and national security in a way should not be risked 58
given there is no clear exit strategy’. That wouldn’t fit on the side of a bus. Expertise is, however, where we should begin. Educating children to have an appreciation of – and a desire to aspire towards — expertise should be the foundation of academic learning. Knowing that we are on a journey of discovery but that the more we discover, the more complicated something becomes, helps us all to appreciate that rarely is a problem solved with a straightforward solution, or by shouting. A London Mayoral candidate (with a
large Twitter following), campaigning on the promise of mandatory five-year sentences for carrying a knife, may discover that the causes of social problems are rather complex and even if they don’t, they might learn that mayors don’t set sentencing guidelines. Questioning everything should also be at the heart of a learning culture. The quality of questions teachers ask impacts greatly on the quality of learning. Similarly, students should be encouraged to question, in order to discover. Questioning for knowledge, yes, but also for understanding — a far greater challenge. In gaining an understanding we must work with a willingness to be wrong, to adapt and to build greater understanding over time. After all, there is little benefit in having a mind if you never change it. Furthermore, some issues of current importance are not fully understood – research, analysis and academic discussions are required before we even begin to opine over things about which we know very little, either personally or collectively. One such topic could be the learning quality that online, or blended education facilitates. For years we have been told it is the future, mainly by tech companies, and early-adopters have willingly invested in hardware which is almost certainly now redundant. I look forward to reading the research and analysis
into this vital debate but would suggest that, from experience, one thing that our screen-obsessed lifestyles appear to stifle, is proper debate. To debate is not to shout. To resolve a debate, common ground must be found, and resolutions sought. Underpinning the discussion should be knowledge and understanding; fuelling it should be the willingness to change one’s mind and to question everything, including our own preconceived views. The Good Friday Agreement was not achieved on social media and nor would it ever have been. Wisdom is not a term often used in discussions about modern education, yet it should be. Wisdom is lacking in a society where the vox pop views of people force-fed a targeted diet of opinions via different media streams are regarded as equivalent to that of an expert. Expertise and mastery must not be undermined. Seeking understanding whilst being aware of one’s own lack of understanding; recognising that complexity is wonderfully real and discussing, rather than shouting with our fingers in our ears, should be the climate in which we all learn. After all, as Einstein cleverly noted: ‘Any fool can know. The point is to understand’. n Tom Arrand is the Head of Cardiff Sixth Form College, a world-class, co-ed independent school for students aged 15-19 in south Wales 59
Quote… Unquote Darryl Wideman, Head of Radnor House Twickenham, shares his collection of favourite quotations
T
he BBC Radio Four programme Quote… Unquote has been running since 1976 and there have been nearly 500 episodes, all of them hosted by Nigel Rees. While some people think it is the best programme on the radio, others find it less palatable, so its overall reputation has something of a Marmite quality about it. However, regardless of how one might feel about Mr Rees and his show, there is no doubt that quotations play a significant role in the world of education. Some schools have them as their mottos or straplines. They feature every day as part of the curriculum in English and Humanities classrooms, and it must be almost impossible to visit a school and not find a quotation or several on display in corridors, libraries and work areas. Colleagues send them to each other, and I do not think I have ever led a staff training day without someone else’s wisdom featuring at the start or the end. I have accumulated about 40 pages of quotations over the years. I must have somewhere in the region of 600 succinctly expressed ideas, but before now, I have never tried to narrow my selection to my favourites. Another Radio Four staple — Desert Island Discs — limits its castaways to eight chosen records. I could not bring myself to go quite so far, but I have reduced my list to just under 20 and tried to group them where I can. Soon after becoming a head teacher, I attended an inspirational training session with Sir John Jones, who started with Maya Angelou’s words: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what
60
ʻThrow off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.ʼ Mark Twain
you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” If you think back to your own school days and remember your favourite teacher, I am sure you will be able to relate to this. Most aspects of senior leadership involve problem solving. Sometimes you have the satisfaction of tackling an issue once and for all, but I am often reminded of US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, after whom the airport in Washington DC is named: “The measure of success is not whether you have a
tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.” If you are trying to implement change, consultation is always useful, though it is good to recall Henry Ford’s reflection on the introduction of the Model T and his rejection of the need for market research: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” Likewise, it helps to have a good team around you, as Ronald Reagan pointed out: “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate
authority and don’t interfere.” But you will not always get your way, so remember George Bernard Shaw’s wise advice: “Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig enjoys it.” Churchill and Einstein probably have the most quotations in my collection, but Winston did not make the final cut, with Albert pipping him to the post with something I find myself saying a lot: “The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Another scientist, 61
Isaac Newton, in his First Law of Motion, wrote: “A body will remain in a state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an impressed force,” helping leaders to remember that nothing is likely to happen unless they start things moving. Machiavelli probably does not set the right tone for a piece like this, with his overly cynical views about the perils of introducing change, so instead I will turn to my favourite author, Yuval Noah Harari, and his rather more reflective view: “People are usually afraid of change because they fear the unknown. But the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes.” We do not need to fear change, as highlighted by American polymath Daniel Levitin: “My own experience is that when I've lost something I thought was irreplaceable, it's usually replaced with something much better. The key to change is having faith that when we get rid of the old, something or someone even more magnificent will take its place.” If you are going to persuade people to change, you also have to motivate them to be willing to take on new challenges. John F. Kennedy’s speech at Rice University in 1962 could prove useful: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.” Or how about the often-inspirational French genius Antoine de Saint-Exupery: “If you want to build a ship then don’t drum up men to gather wood, give orders and divide the work. Rather, teach them to yearn for the far and endless sea.” Staying with a nautical theme, perhaps my favourite quotation, if you can ever have such a thing, is Mark Twain’s exhortation to live life to the full: “20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” We may sometimes need to remember why we became school leaders in the first place and to question what it is all about. I like the 62
ʻNever wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig enjoys it.ʼ
George Bernard Shaw
words of Hannah Holborn Gray, the American historian and university leader: “Education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think.” More flippantly, but always worth including in a speech or an assembly, are the thoughts of the first headmaster of Stowe School, J.F Roxburgh: “The ideal pupil will be useful at a dance and indispensable in a shipwreck.” Will it all be worth the effort? My response would categorically be yes. The Athenian general and statesman Pericles might inspire us to think about the right legacy, particularly at a time when statues are so out of favour: “What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” Whatever you are trying to achieve, do not forget Sitting Bull, who wisely pointed out: “You learn by experience, but mistakes teach you wisdom.” If you want to make real progress, try not to overcomplicate things, as witnessed by Spencer Tracy’s: “How to be a great actor? Learn your lines and don’t bump into the furniture.” I hope you have enjoyed this eclectic mix of other people’s wisdom. If your collection has different words from the same people or the same words from different people, it does not matter. Reading is helpful but actions almost always speak louder than words, so I will end with Thomas à Kempis: “On the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done.” n
Eaton Square Schools
Senior & Sixth Form
Preparation for Life. By popular demand, Eaton Square Schools are expanding. Eaton Square Senior School’s new Sixth Form unites academic excellence, unrivalled university preparation and a pioneering Preparation for Life programme. Set in an innovative educational framework in central London, pupils are fully equipped to make their mark in our ever-changing world. Discover more at our Sixth Form Information Evening on Tuesday 28th September. Book your place now: www.eatonsquareschools.com
The last word… Every week at Dukes, we share a ‘quote of the week’ offered up by one of the team. We’ve collected some of our favourites from the summer term “I understand that on this island, we have a desire to protect our values and traditions — as we should — but that shouldn’t come at the expense of introspection and progress.” Gareth Southgate, England national football team manager Chosen by Tim Fish, Managing Director at Dukes Education
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” Stephen Hawking Chosen by Mengqi Li, Regional Manager (Marketing), SE Asia, St Andrew’s College, Cambridge
“The deepest of all satisfactions comes from knowing that your short time here on this earth has been well spent, and that it mattered.” Jim Collins Chosen by Darryl Wideman, Head of Radnor House.
“Popcorn is prepared in the same pot, the same heat, in the same oil, and yet, the kernels do not pop at the same time. Don’t compare your child to other children. Their turn to pop is coming.’ Anon. Chosen by Becky Hayes, Head of Pastoral at Hampstead Fine Arts College
“ Addressing the National Press Club in Washington DC in 1990, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, said that he had been present in Tokyo when Japan surrendered at the end of the second world war. At the time this was ‘splendid’, he said — but subsequently was a source of embarrassment when he returned to Japan several years later with the Queen on a state trip. Asked by his hosts if this was his first visit to the country, Prince Philip said he diplomatically replied: ‘Yes.’ “I’m not always as tactless as people make out,” he said.
“If we operate with a belief in long Chosen by Tim Fish, Managing Director at sweeps of time, we build cathedrals; if Dukes Education we operate from fiscal quarter to fiscal “I know nothing in the world that has quarter, we build ugly shopping malls.” as much power as a word. Sometimes Musician Stephen Nachmanovitch I write one, and I look at it, until it Chosen by Darryl Wideman, begins to shine.” Head of Radnor House. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin Chosen by Claire Little, Director of People at Dukes Education 64
Emily Dickinson Chosen by Amanda Constance, Director of Communications at Dukes Education
Dukes Education is a family of nurseries, schools, and colleges based throughout the UK, in London, Cambridge, Kent, and Cardiff. Our schools cater to children from 0 – 18, serving them from their earliest years at nursery until they leave school to go on to university. Surrounding our schools, we also have a collection of complementary education offerings – day camps, international summer schools, and university application support services. This way, we create a wrap-around experience for every family that joins us. Dukes Education 14-16 Waterloo Place London SW1Y 4AR +44 (0)20 3696 5300 info@dukeseducation.com dukeseducation.com Founder and Chairman Aatif Hassan Dukes Board of Directors Aatif Hassan, Jon Pickles, Mark Bailey, Tim Fish, Glenn Hawkins, Libby Nicholas Dukes Education Advisory Board Glen Fendley, David Goodhew, Christine Leslie, Pam Mundy, William Russell
Dukes Education Group Ltd is registered in England and Wales number 09345899. Registered Office 14-16 Waterloo Place, London SW1Y 4AR.
