Category: involver blog

Categories
involver blog

The Children’s Commissioner wants your views

The Children’s Commissioner would like to hear from children and young people on what they think are the best things about being a child or young person and what could be better.

Please help us promote this short survey to the children and young people you know and work with. We have three questions and it should only take a couple of minutes to complete. It will help us to understand what is important to children and young people in England and help to improve lives.

The survey is open for 7-21 year olds, time is crucial we want to start this debate now and will be pulling together first findings on TUESDAY 30 JUNE MIDDAY!

https://www.snapsurveys.com/wh/s.asp?k=143499061448

This survey is just one of the many ways that the Children’s Commissioner will be encouraging us all to think about, talk about and share what childhood means to children and young people today. Children and young people can be helped and supported by peers and adults to ensure accessibility with this quick straw poll and look out for our other engagement methods on this topic over the year.

Anne Longfield signature

Anne Longfield

Children’s Commissioner for England

Categories
involver blog

What’s the purpose of schools?

My wife is going to the ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders) conference later this month and been asked what question she would like to ask the keynote speakers:

Friday 20 March

  • Tristram Hunt MP
  • David Laws MP
  • Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI

Saturday 21 March

  • Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP

She was interested to find out what I would ask. I think it’s really interesting to try to ask something that would get them to reveal what they think the purpose of schools and education is and to try to get them to show up some clear policy differences.

These are the first things that came to my mind. What would you ask?

  1. What plans do you have that will increase stability for pupils and schools to allow them to focus on their core function, learning and teaching, rather than being distracted by the constantly moving goal posts of curriculum, assessment, inspection, school structures and funding formulas?
  2. Without using a cliché, a political sound bite or educational jargon can you say one concrete thing that your policies will do that will help a child to enjoy learning?
  3. In fact, can you say anything without using a cliché, a political sound bite or educational jargon?
  4. How will your policies ensure that Citizenship is well-taught in all schools? (Could do background on votes at 16, Prevent, etc. – evidence suggests this has to be as discrete subject with well-trained, specialist teachers.)
  5. If you had to make a choice, would you prefer to raise a child’s attainment or raise their love of learning?
  6. What role should the future economy of a country play in how it structures its schools?
  7. What role should the well-being of pupils play in how schools are structured?
  8. Can you say why attainment is important without reference to economics?
  9. Can you say why attainment is important without reference to future prospects (in which attainment may realistically only play a minor role)?
  10. Do you believe there should be more secondary moderns?
  11. When everyone has to stay in education until 18 why have high-stakes exams at 16?

Obviously these questions reveal a lot about my own views on education and frustration with how our current crop of politicians view it and talk about it.

Categories
involver blog

Greg helps to judge the Speaker’s School Council Awards 2015

Alongside students from Corelli College, the Speaker of the House, Valerie Vaz MP and Edge Watchorn, Greg helped to judge the Speaker’s School Council Awards 2015.

After looking through some amazing entries, the winners were:

  • 4-7:      St Francis de Sales – Intergenerational Ladies and Gents do Lunch
  • 8-11:    St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School – Dementia Friends 
  • 12-16:   Inscape House – AUWARE- Raising Autism Awareness in Local Schools
  • 17-19:   Ysgol Y Deri – School Construction Ambassadors 

Find our more on the winners and the competition here.

 

Categories
involver blog

Student-led institutions: an academic workshop

We’ve been asked to promote this very interesting looking event to “schools, colleges, educational charities, policy forums, trade unions”. I’m intending on going.

Theme: Autonomy and Freedom in schools and universities: a focus on pedagogy and curriculum

Date:     Thursday 12 March 2015

Time:     12noon-5pm

Venue:  Executive Meeting Room JHB 128, Oxford Brookes University, (Headington, Gipsy Lane site), Oxford

We have confirmed two keynotes speakers who will share experiences of working in innovative student-led institutions in Denmark. These are Prof Martin Bayer (Roskilde University) and Mr Jørn West Larsen (Hellerup School). There will also be opportunities for smaller discussions and workshops which will be confirmed nearer the time.

A website (www.freedomtolearnproject.com) and a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/freedomtolearnproject) are also available to view. These include information about a new PhD scholarship which is currently being advertised at the University of Hull. This is attached to the Freedom to Learn Project and will focus on exploring autonomy and freedom in the tertiary sector. Please help us by passing on the details of this scholarship to any potential applicants. The deadline is 2 February 2015.

Please do email Clare McKinlay (c.m.mckinlay@hull.ac.uk) if you would like to reserve a place at this or future project events.

Categories
involver blog

Involver running Europe House visits

We’re very happy to have been asked by the European Parliament and European Commission to run education visits to Europe House in 2015.

These are free sessions for secondary schools or colleges which help students to learn about the European Parliament and European Union. To find out more, and sign up for a session, click here: http://www.europarl.org.uk/en/education/school_visits.html

 

Categories
involver blog

‘Why Machiavelli would love school councils’ Asher at Tedx Tottenham

Asher giving a talk at a TEDx conference

On November 1st 2014, Tottenham held its first Tedx Conference! Asher was invited to speak about our approach to working with young people. You can see his fantastic talk below: