What will help to develop well-rounded children and young people?
What is the aim of education today? What positive attributes need to underpin everything that happens in each place of learning that children attend throughout their school careers?
A well considered starting point can be found in the 12 aims set out in the Cambridge Primary Review’s award-winning Final Report entitled Children, their World, their Education (www.primaryreview.org.uk). Here the proposed aims are broken down into 3 categories:
- The individual
- Self, others and the wider world
- Learning, knowing and doing
Sadly, a significant number of young people are at risk of not reaching their full potential due to a range of factors throughout their development, including poor parenting, inadequate diagnosis of learning difficulties, addiction, mental health problems, strong negative influences and the lack of meaningful values education. Resulting feelings of unhappiness, frustration, isolation, low self-esteem, anger, poor health, hopelessness and so on manifest in many ways, including truanting, underachievement, lack of wellbeing, anti-social behaviour, crime, violence, drug abuse and possibly exclusion from school.
One powerful antidote that can help to improve the prospects of such individuals is practical, systematic and engaging values education, which develops essential personal, social and emotional life skills. It is a particularly effective strategy when schools and parents/carers work in partnership, consistently modelling and reinforcing positive values. The transformational effects provide a foundation and important reference points for everyday life, well beyond schooldays.
Aiming for success, setting and achieving goals
Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector from January 2012, has been impressed by the outlook of students at Wellington College. An ‘education for life’ philosophy lies at the heart of the eight aptitudes that inspire all that takes place in this progressive school (see www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk).
An innovative system that encourages everyone, be they teachers, pupils or parents, to unlock their potential and realise their dreams is Goal Mapping. (See Lift International www.liftinternational.com.)
It’s one thing to ask: What are the school’s values? The real benefits stem from a vibrant, values-driven culture that is continuously driving up standards, aspirations and performance, the quality of teaching and learning and the quality of leadership. An interesting and informative Culture Transformation Tool for Education has been developed by Barrett Values Centre (see www.valuescentre.com). A Schools Values Assessment could prove helpful in maintaining authentic experiences for the whole school population, including governors and parents/carers, so that collectively and individually life-enriching visions, values and victories can be achieved and enjoyed.
