Drumming up the future

Professor Mick Waters shared his thoughts on the ‘pulls’ on schools and children’s centres from all directions around the curriculum, which means ‘marching to different drums’. He took us on a journey from the introduction of mass education to the recent focus on measuring schools to demonstrate success and how we support the weaker ones. This support focuses mainly on teaching and leaning to the neglect of the other aspects of life children need to develop, eg self image, developing networks. He went on to explore the needs for 21st century development of children and young people with these reflective questions:

• Who we think we are?
• What we do, where we go?
• What we know?
• Who we know and meet?

He proposed less lessons and more exploration, more opportunity to share what we know and think. An entire plan for learning experience, not a bag of lessons.

The challenge is increasing the professionalism of the system to provide for this future and engaging young people in its development.

He recommended the upgraded QCA and Every Child Matters websites and finding out about the launch of the Curriculum Foundation on 8 July 2009.