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 Schools do a great job in the circumstances, but the system is broken and the model of schooling out of date.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?
In the Spring term, Zayit and Seorah class worked on an extended project across the two half terms. This focused on the topic ʻTransport and Spaceʼ and was linked with learning related to our big question ʻHow could we journey to space?ʼ In this project, the children designed their own alien friend who came to Gesher to visit us, and in return, invited Zayit & Seorah to visit them in space. We explored the theme of a journey to space and examined the different transport we would need to use to go and visit our alien friends. The different weeks were sectioned into the various parts of the journey. Within this project, the children looked at mapping different sections of the journey, identified different types of transport, wrote descriptive captions, created freeze-frame images of their journey, used a range of materials to create a rocket, and wrote a non-fiction report about space.
Teacher’s Reflections
“I think overall the project went well! I think it worked really well using the iPads for
creating journey maps and planning our space non-fiction writing. The rocket launch and
junk modelling rockets was certainly a highlight. At the end of the project we used the screen screen and I think next time it would have been good to do more learning around what the green screen is, how it works and getting the children to do some filming
– Lucy Robinson
Students’ Reflections
“ My favourite part of the project was making the junk modelling rockets.” Harrison
“It was very good and we had fun making space art” – Seth
“I learned about about different transport.” – Leora
This term, the students in Chitah and Tamar classes will explore the states of matter and
their impact on the world around them. They will consider how natural disasters affect
their environment and the communities that experience them. The students will be
researching and collecting information about a wide range of natural disasters and
reporting in their own newspaper reports about their findings. They will be interviewing
real life journalists to find out how to be a good fact finder and how to write a cohesive
newspaper report. Alongside this they will be exploring ways to present their findings to
their peers and parents with a range of different science experiments that they will present
in a science workshop! Finally the students will be finding ways to raise money to support a charity that helps people who have been impacted by a natural disaster to help them in
their time of need.
Teacher’s Reflections
This terms projects was so much fun and the kids really engaged with having a Science
link to the project. They were able to complete a wide range of projects and deliver their findings to their parents and other students in the school by creating their own science
workshop. It was great to see them pick up on so much new vocabulary and be able to
apply their correctly in their learning. I also really enjoyed seeing them work so hard to
design something to sell and to raise money for a charity of their choice. We did have to
change our original idea as we wanted to create our own newspaper at the start but this
became challenging to fit in around all of our science experiments and teaching them so
many different natural disasters. Overall, I really enjoyed this project and so did the kids!
– Emily Bacon
Students’ Reflections
“My favourite part was The Natural History Museum and ice experiment.” – Efe
“My favourite part of the project was painting the volcanos.” – Olivia
“I would like to go on more trips linked to the project” – Leon
This term Gefen and Rimon had an exciting look at different journeys and what they need
to go on different journeys. The first half term we focused on our school, looking at the
position of places within school and planning and creating 3D maps. We also looked at
famous journeys such as journeys across the desert and Shackleton’s journey to the
Antarctic. In Spring 2, we planned and went on our own trips within the community and
then wrote in our travel journals on our return. The students used life skills such as
travelling safely as well as learning many geography skills like using maps and
compasses. The students really enjoyed this practical and useful project and we were
excited with their learning!
Teacher’s Reflections
This has ended up being one of my favourite projects I have ever done. I think this is due to the fact that all of the skills were so life skills based and therefore I could see clearly how this learning could support the pupils in the future. One of thehighlights was learning to use the 3d printer, the childrenʼs creations using it are amazing and fit perfectly into the lego model of the school. I am excited to see this displayed as a long term reminder of this project. The most challenging part of this project was teaching the pupils how to use a compass, I think if I were to do this project again I would dedicated more time to this and go on expeditions using the compasses. Overall, I have throughly enjoyed this project and I am excited to showcase Rimon’s hard work at the exhibition.
– Kathleen McEnallay
Students’ Reflections
“My favourite part of the project was learning about maps” – Eli C
“I thought the project was interesting and I learnt a lot about travelling” – Eli F
Our students have been working hard on a cross-curricular PBL project exploring the theme “How Can I Develop Self-Discipline in My Everyday Life?” In humanities, they researched and created Olympic timelines, while in English, they wrote detailed athlete profiles, which were later brought to life through role-played interviews. Building on this, students wrote and recorded narrative videos exploring self-discipline in sports, drawing on their own reflections and storytelling skills. The project culminated in the creation of a Vimeo channel, where their Olympic timelines, athlete interviews, and self-discipline narratives were shared a fantastic showcase of their learning, creativity, and collaboration.
Teacher’s Reflections
“The project was a great success, and it was fantastic to see students engaging so well across different subjects. A real highlight was the athlete interviews, where students brought their profiles to life and developed their confidence in presenting. I was also really proud of how they tackled the narrative videos, especially those who find writing challenging, as it gave them a chance to share their ideas creatively.
The most challenging part was keeping the project’s focus clear as students moved between subjects, and some needed extra support with the recording and editing process. Next time, I’d build in more time to practise these technical skills and allow more opportunities for peer feedback earlier on, particularly during the writing stage. That said, I wouldn’t change the collaborative and creative elements of the project, as these really helped students stay engaged and take pride in their work. Overall, it was a rewarding experience, and the final videos on the Vimeo channel were a brilliant showcase of their hard work and creativity.”
– Aymane Hamidi
Students’ Reflections
“The project taught If I’m having big emotions I can ask some one to help me and we like having good fun and I will might need some help if i need.” – Zac
“The project was great but a bit stressful when the internet was a bit funny and laggy and i almost lost my whole entire work.” – Bobby
“My highlight of the project was making my video because it was incredible and really fun. This is because it taught me a new skill of how to use stop motion which I have never used before..” – Aaron
Our first project this year was looking at the Stone Age. We looked at how people lived in the Stone Ages but also thought about how this compared to the way we live now. We learnt about the different lives of stone age people including how they dressed, the food they ate and the houses they lived in. We used all this information to create our own stories. The stories were then made into a simple coding programme called Scratch Junior. The children were able to add and change the characters, the background and move the characters around. The children were therefore able to use modern technology to present their knowledge on the lives of people in the past. We also used this idea in Jewish Studies looking at stories from the Torah and how we can use the messages from these stories in our day to day lives. In Life Skills the children were also thinking about how they can survive by looking at basic everyday skills of making their bed, washing their hands and hanging up their clothes.
Teacher’s Reflections
“I feel that this was a successful project as the children were able to learn about the lives of people who lived a long time ago and how they survived and compare that to our lives. I feel the trip to Chiltern Open Air Museum was a success as the trip was very practical and interactive and the children could try out skills they would have used in the Stone Ages such as making a fire and making a basic shelter. The children also enjoyed transforming their Stone Age story into a Scratch Junior coding project and using the different coding techniques although I feel this was a bit tricky for the less able students who just wanted to play rather than create a specific coding project!”
– Stephanie Sungtong
Students’ Reflections
“My favourite part of the project was the fossils” – Adam
“I felt really happy with my sone age story” – Kingsley
“My favourite part was using Scratch Junior for my project.” – Eli
“I would create longer pieces of work next time.” – Eli F
Our project was based on two themes: fairy tales and global warming! We looked at different fairy tales, thinking about the characters and their emotions and looking at alternative perspectives to traditional fairy tales. We then looked at global warming looking at what it is and the impact of climate change on our society, particularly focusing on local issues. We learnt about how we can participate in projects to protect our environment, linking the two themes and each child wrote a ‘not so’ fairy tale about global warming issues. The pupils then voted on Sami’s to turn into a performance. It should be a fun, thought-provoking project which we are really looking forward to!
Teacher’s Reflections
“I feel that all the children were able to explain the basic concepts of climate change. They could explain why it happens and what it affects. The children were all able to think of different ways we can save the planet and help prevent climate change even further. The fairy tale side was a good way to incorporate climate change and enable the children to think of tricky issues in a fun way. The play as the exhibition was a good way for the children to present the information and to use their work. They enjoyed performing for their parents. I think climate change was a hard concept for the children to understand but an interesting and challenging issue for many of the students.”
– Stephanie Sungtong
“It was one of my favourite projects to date, as the children were really engaged in the whole project and became really interested in the climate change aspect of it, I saw a change in how they have started to behave ie turning off the lights when we leave a room, asking if items can be recylced etc. They loved making their own stories, and using the technique of Talk for Writing was a great way to support them in this.”
– Leah Wright
Students’ Reflections
“My favourite part was reading fairy tale stories” – Avi
“I learned about different types of fairy tales and adventure stories.” – Jonny
“I favourite part was rehearsing the play and then performing in the play.” – Poppy
For the Spring term, the Year 8ʼs project will focus on electricity and electrical circuits through a science-focused project. This project is linked with our big question “How can I use past scientific inventions to shape my future?”In Robotics, students will be exploring coding and putting electrical units together to begin getting comfortable with a range of electrical circuits and how electricity runs through an object. In Science, we are exploring the world of electricity and how over time, our scientific knowledge has developed and the world of technology has advanced. We will dive into the history and progress of electrical advancements through a range of experiences and activities. As a class, we will begin our project with an electricity escape room where students will explore past inventions in fun and exciting ways. Throughout the term, we will participate in experiments, experiences such as the science museum, and creations. For their exhibition, Gevurah will be hosting their own science fair where they will display the scientific inventions they have created. We are so excited to begin exploring the fascinating world of electricity!
Teacher’s Reflections
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the project was the high level of student interest and engagement. Students were genuinely excited about the hands-on nature of the project, which allowed them to explore their creativity fully. They enjoyed the opportunity to design and create using various technologies, including the 3D printer and laser cutter. This exposure to advanced tools not only heightened their enthusiasm but also provided them with practical skills that are increasingly relevant in today’s technology-driven world. One significant challenge was embedding the project within a cross-curricular framework. Instead of being integrated seamlessly across different subjects, the project was often taught in isolation during specific subjects, which limited its potential impact and the opportunity for interdisciplinary learning. Student behaviour affected both the input and output phases of the project. Behavioural difficulties sometimes disrupt the learning process, making it challenging to maintain a consistent and productive classroom environment. Students struggled with the critique portion of the project and found it difficult to engage in this process effectively.”
– Tianna Maciver
Students’ Reflections
“My favourite part of the project was the escape room” – Jack
“I learned about using the 3D Printer and laser cutter” – Ivy
“My favourite part of the project was the science fair” – Yitzi
Over the Spring term, Keren looked at how we as a society have learned from our past. To zoom into this theme, we focused on the Black Death, comparing it to Covid-19, and what lessons we have learned from the past. Our English focus was persuasive writing and poetry; thus, we decided to use these skills to contribute to our “Horrible Histories” episode! We used our poetry skills to write our own rap battle between the black death and coronavirus, a rap which we were able to record a music video for at a professional studio. Then we used our knowledge of persuasive to create two adverts selling the cures to the black death and coronavirus, demonstrating the difference over the years. These all contributed to our episode and resulted in an amazing final product!
Teacher’s Reflections
“This Spring term, Keren embarked on a fascinating exploration of how society learns from historical events, focusing on the Black Death and its comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic. This project allowed students to delve into historical analysis while honing their English skills, specifically in persuasive writing and poetry. The culmination of this project was the creation of a “Horrible Histories” episode, showcasing students’ creative and analytical talents. The final “Horrible Histories” episode was a testament to Keren’s hard work and creativity. Their contributions, from the rap battle to the persuasive adverts, played a significant role in the success of the project. The episode was not only informative but also entertaining, demonstrating a deep understanding of the subject matter and an ability to communicate it effectively to an audience. Keren’s work on this project was outstanding. They demonstrated a high level of engagement, skill development, and creativity, resulting in an impressive and impactful final product. Their ability to draw lessons from historical events and apply them to modern contexts, combined with their persuasive writing and poetry skills, made this project a significant success. Keren should be very proud of her achievements, and I look forward to seeing them continue to excel in future projects.”
- Aymane Hamidi
Students’ Reflections
“I really enjoyed my mindfulness workshop and I was really performing for everyone. I used my script and I really enjoyed playing my classmates games and having all the parents here.” – Moshe
“The rap was so much fun to do, especially the recording.” – Josh
“I learned a lot about the Black Death and persuasive techniques.” – Daisy
