How can we create a better balance in the education system?

We know many teachers feel they’re spending too long on the ‘chores of education’ – ensuring commas slope the correct way – instead of focusing on how to capture children’s imaginations and allow the curriculum to come alive.

But what can be done in schools to create a better balance? I am hosting The Inquiry Conference at the beginning of September which will look at how schools can develop a broader curriculum, bringing the focus back towards meaningful and interesting learning for pupils.

I believe it’s a great opportunity to think about what we can do together to improve things.

For the last 10 years or so, the school curriculum has slowly but surely narrowed more and more. First in Year 6, because of SATS tests and now across the whole of primary education.

It’s not enough just to complain about it. We have to be able to come up with alternatives and say why they’re better. It’s about regaining our confidence to speak up and say what’s important, what needs to change and what we know helps children to learn better.

Ofsted has recently announced a focus on a broad and balanced curriculum and there are even (very) small signs that the government is prepared to bend on assessment.

It’s time to delve further into the issue of balance – a balance that creates learning environments that stimulate, excite and engage our students, while still ensuring that they develop the necessary knowledge and skills to excel when it comes to sitting the SATs.

There will be four key speakers to the event, each with something different to offer the understanding of the current debate:

Ex-police hostage negotiator Richard Mullender who brings an outsider’s view on interactions and what really matters; how to really listen to what children are saying.

Author Hywel Roberts who specialises in using imagination in the classroom; how to create a curriculum that is interesting and meaningful for students by using stories to connect to a child’s imagination.

Author, teacher and blogger Debra Kidd who focuses on insight and analysis; what’s wrong with the current system and what can be done to correct it.

Speaker and advisor Mary Myatt who looks at leadership in schools; how to concentrate on what’s actually going on in classrooms, despite the agenda outside.

Several schools are sending their entire teaching staff to the event on September 5th, a school training day in some parts of the country, with the hope of making a whole-school change to curriculum balance.

The conference takes place at St Williams Primary School, Williams Loke, Thorpe St. Andrew, Norwich, NR7 0AJ on September 5th. For more information or to buy tickets, please email me on timtaylor4@me.com.