David Price OBE: A Legacy for Young Lives

16th July 2025Website Admin

David Price OBE: A Legacy for Young Lives

Valerie Hannon

Paying tribute to an inspirational leader.

There are some features of learning that are a part of Gesher School’s DNA.

One is the way in which learning happens and is assessed–in and out of the classroom, within and beyond the school and connected to real-world activities, projects and themes.  A second is an emphasis on wellbeing, therapeutic support, independent skills development, and self-advocacy.

Learning at Gesher builds from the strengths and passions of young people, enhances self-esteem and efficacy, equips them to relate well to others and provides the purpose and ambition for fulfilment and success in life.

There are many strands of thinking and practice that have led to this end, but an important one is the work of David Price OBE, who died in May. David was a highly unusual individual, in terms of the breadth of his interest and influence; and the unconventional route he took to achieving them.

David left school early and made a living playing the pubs and clubs of the Northeast where he was born. A natural and gifted musician, he was largely (though not wholly) self-taught.  When a contract with a music company got cancelled (by Sharon Osborne!!) he decided to give formal education a go; so he took a degree and began teaching in community arts settings.

David understood deeply the barriers that many people encounter to becoming successful learners, and he set out to overcome them. This began with a seminal innovation programme for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Musical Futures, which leveraged the power of making music in groups and of young people’s love of popular music. The pedagogy he developed (driven by interest and passion, pulling on learners’ strengths) led to many young people moving towards formal music training and qualification. But above and beyond this outcome, it resulted in joyful learning and empowerment. Musical Futures lives on, in this country and many parts of the world.

 

At the Innovation Unit of that period, we were seeking a platform and framework for working with schools on a new model of engaging pedagogy. David helped us morph Musical Futures into Learning Futures which took some of the insights and ideas it had developed (together with those of several other thinkers and practitioners) and applied them to the way we design learning in all classrooms. A major focus was on how to make learning deeply engaging. Hundreds of schools were involved across England, and their work lives on in strands and tributaries that will never be traced.

From these beginnings, substantial work was done on codifying what good project-based learning looked like – David was the author of a series of publications and resources on this entitled REAL projects. He also authored books on related themes: OPEN – How we’ll work, live and learn in the future, and The Power of Us developed his ideas and illustrated how they were working in practice in many different settings. In systems around the world where the conditions were more conducive to a project-based learning approach, David was much in demand. His great sorrow was that it was so tough for teachers to embrace the approach in the English context.

Nevertheless, enterprising teachers, leaders and entrepreneurs saw possibilities – the “gaps in the hedge” as Tim Brighouse used to call them. Thus the School Design Lab was born as a way of translating high-level principles into workable strategies that could be realised in English education. Out of this came the principles set out at the top of this article: the Gesher DNA.

As I reflect on David’s life, I think of the many children and young people, and indeed teachers, who will unknowingly have benefitted from the work that David Price did. It is a joy that schools like Gesher demonstrate that an approach that puts children at the centre – whatever their assumed capabilities and backgrounds – can flourish, and be a bridge to a different future.  

Valerie Hannon is a global thought leader, inspiring systems to re-think what ‘success’ will mean in the C 21st, and the implications for education. The co-founder of both Innovation Unit and of the Global Education Leaders Partnership, Valerie is a radical voice for change, whilst grounded in a deep understanding of how education systems currently work.

Formerly a secondary teacher, researcher and Director of Education for Derbyshire County Council; then an adviser in the UK Department for Education (DfE), she now works independently to support change programmes across the world.

What If…A National ‘Open School’ Became a Reality for Every Young Learner?

16th July 2025Website Admin

What If…A National ‘Open School’ Became a Reality for Every Young Learner?

Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith

This article is a little different.  Its focus is not on changes to existing school practices. It is about establishing a very different model of learning which, international evidence shows, can be much more accessible for some groups of learners who find the learning conventions of school difficult. 

This might include many of those currently long-term absent; or some SEND students with needs not well met in mainstream; or those with physical difficulties, or anxiety challenges.  Put simply, the Open University transformed learning for literally thousands of learners whose personal and/or learning needs were better met by its approaches and flexibilities.

Highly successful Open Schools exist around the world, working in harmony with and adding value to the mainstream system. On the theme of Reimagining School, here is food for thought.

The article sets out a vision for The Open School highlighting how, as with The Open University, its establishment could address many of the challenges and opportunities that exist in education by adding possibilities and value for all learners, without disrupting or competing with existing schools.

What if…

We can do so much better for our young people, can’t we? As Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said recently, education needs to be reformed so that “children have more control of their future”. Although actually, shouldn’t we go one step further and give children more control of what they do today, not just a future that sits on an unspecified horizon?

The article sets out a vision for The Open School highlighting how, as with The Open University, its establishment could address many of the challenges and opportunities that exist in education by adding possibilities and value for all learners, without disrupting or competing with existing schools.

 

What if…

We can do so much better for our young people, can’t we? As Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said recently, education needs to be reformed so that “children have more control of their future”. Although actually, shouldn’t we go one step further and give children more control of what they do today, not just a future that sits on an unspecified horizon?

What if… every young person – whatever their background or location – had access to vocational, recreational, creative, competitive and aspirational learning?

What if… we removed that arbitrary separation between curriculum and extra-curricular?

What if… we intelligently used contemporary technologies to make learning more personalised, more accessible, more connected, and more relevant to the world that young people actually live in?

If as adults, we embrace the benefits of on-demand, personalised, anywhere/anytime tools that help us with our tasks and priorities, why would we prevent young people from safely utilising those same tools?

What if… young people’s aspirations (not just our targets for them), were mapped to opportunities, coached, and nurtured through properly joined-up provision?

What if… the curriculum and qualification pathways available to young people could break free from the shackles of location, of teacher capacity, of time and local socioeconomics?

If a child attends a small school or a school that is not yet thriving, why would we accept that their subject and qualification options will be much narrower than a child in a neighbouring school?

What if… the career pathways for our teaching workforce were not constrained by the structures of time, place and imagination?

If we have an inspirational physics teacher in one school and a vacancy in another, why would we accept the inequality that creates for the children involved rather than use technology to connect the two together?

You know the saying that “it takes a village to educate a child”? Well, what if… we removed some of the unnecessary barriers and empowered young people to access the wide range of support networks that already exist – within, and beyond their physical or ‘home’ school.

A Clear Vision to Meet This Ambition

In their 2020 article in The Guardian, Tim Brighouse and Bob Moon spoke about the life-changing impact The Open University has had for adults – democratising access to learning through structured anytime/anywhere provision, and meaningful student/tutor relationships. 

However, when the idea of The Open University was originally proposed, it wasn’t welcomed by people whose identities were tied to traditional models. It took time, but The Open University has since helped to revolutionise the very idea of what ‘going to university’ can mean.

So imagine what impact an Open School could have for children and young people who struggle with traditional school, or cannot attend for a range of reasons, or for those who are eager to study something not offered by their home school.

What might an Open School be like?

An Open School would have learners of all ages at its core but would be especially targeted towards school-age children. It could function both online and in person through a regionally coordinated structure. Materials would be available 24/7.

Learners would belong to a cohort with a teacher/mentor, but also join wider large-scale learning sessions exploring big ideas and interest-led discussion groups with pupils from elsewhere.

The Open School would not replace but would complement existing schools.  It would have a parallel, interlinked school programme meaning school-based learners could draw on components, but The Open School offer would also be more extensive and varied, providing learning opportunities not widely available in mainstream schools.

It would draw in businesses, community and cultural organisations, providing a blend of learning experiences and building programmes around learners’ personal interests, aptitudes, passions and ambitions, supported by teachers who will point youngsters that they know well in the right directions for their individual learning programme.

Adapted from Tim Brighouse and Mick Waters (2022) About Our Schools: Improving on Previous Best Crown House Publishing.

From Vision to Reality

Over the last few years, a growing group of influential education leaders have been working hard in the background to make The Open School aspiration into a reality. Voices across the sector have fed into discussions and design thinking which has touched upon funding and operational models, governance and accountability, partnerships and communications. We are incredibly excited that seven regional pathfinder projects are about to be launched, which will build further momentum for this work.

Together, we can make this happen.

Together, we can give back control to the young people whose lives we are all ultimately here to serve.

Named in 2024 as one of the Top 5 Visionary Women in Education, Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith is an award-winning teacher, leader and academic with a passion for supporting those who work with children and young people. As Founder of PedTech and Director of One Life Learning, Fiona works closely with schools and trusts, professional learning providers and EdTech companies. She is also an Associate Lecturer, PhD supervisor and Consultant Researcher at a number of universities, and sits on the board of a number of multi-academy and charitable trusts.

Professional Prompts

This article is future-focused, so the prompts below are designed for conversation with colleagues:

1. Does the idea of an Open School make sense to you? Why or why not?

2. If a ‘regional hub’ of an Open School existed in your area, which of your students do you think might benefit? How? Why?

3. How might an Open School result in wider changes in the education system?

Four Shifts to Drive Real Change

16th July 2025Website Admin

Four Shifts to Drive Real Change

David Jackson

This article explores insights from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), which, in its 2023 report ‘Out of Kilter’, proposes four shifts, which together encapsulate the fundamental changes needed to rethink education.

Introduction

Conversations about rethinking education often centre on a long list of issues that need to be addressed, for instance funding, or school buildings, or teacher recruitment and retention, or admissions and so on….

But if you believe that all young people have the right to an education that builds their self- esteem and efficacy; that recognises and values their unique talents; that helps them to form meaningful relationships and sets them up for fulfilling progression pathways from school, then addressing these ‘nuts and bolts’ issues, while necessary, is woefully insufficient.

Education is in need of a transformational vision. Schools do a great job in the circumstances, but the system is broken and the model of schooling out of date.

There is no worse example of this than SEND provision. However, the fault lines in SEND are just one component of the system’s challenges. SEND is not the problem, it is the symptom of a more all-embracing set of issues.

Four Shifts That Could Transform Education

I listened recently to a presentation discussing the findings from a 2023 report called ‘Out of Kilter’ by the Institute of Public Policy Research. Not heard about it? There’s a surprise! The report was the result of a massive consultation exercise and proposed some very significant changes with huge potential, but it was released to a largely indifferent policy audience.

At the heart of ‘Out of Kilter’ sit four proposed shifts, which IPPR identify as necessary to create an education system that unlocks the potential of all young people, enabling them to thrive. If these four shifts resonate with you, that is unsurprising, since ‘Out of Kilter’ draws on the findings of a major consultation with young people, parents and employers.

Rethinking Education First Requires Rethinking Assessment

The order in which the four shifts feature is also important. The first shift, from a system narrowly focused on attainment to one that values a wider set of goals, is the ‘crucial cog’; the magic key that will unlock all others.

To question the current system is to be accused of undermining standards – ‘standards’ as a synonym for approaches developed many decades ago to sift and sort society, with assessment approaches that condemn 40%+ of young people to leave school feeling that they have failed, rather than that all can succeed.

Until the UK has an assessment system that is able to reward and recognise the diverse aptitudes, talents and passions of all young learners; one that values learning and achievement other than academic subject knowledge; one that recognises the wider interests and passions pursued by all young people, both within school and out of school, we will have a system that maintains the status quo and fails too many.

‘Out of Kilter’ was authored by Harry Quilter-Pinner, Efua Poku-Amanfo, Loic Menzies and Jamie O’Halloran, September 2023, published by the Institute for Public Policy Research and supported by Big Change and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.  The full report can be accessed here: Out of kilter: How to rebalance our school system to work for people, economy and society | IPPR.

David Jackson has been a teacher, a headteacher, a founding director at the National College for School Leadership and, for the last 15 years, has supported educational innovation projects in the UK and internationally. He is a member of the editorial team for The Bridge.

Professional Prompts

1. To what extent does your school’s assessment system “reward and recognise the diverse aptitudes, talents and passions of all young learners”?

2. Do pupils feel that the school recognises their culture, beliefs, wider interests and passions pursued within school and externally”?

3. What might need to change for this to happen and for every learner to feel that their beliefs, culture, ideology, talents and interests are affirmed?