So many voices from a broad range of organisations . What’s refreshing is the collective commitment to building better futures for all children.
Intrinsically woven into this is that our educational institutions need to be resourced well , with a range of staff and services , and supported to develop a culture free of blame, stereotypes and high stakes accountability frameworks.
We are all accountable for our children’s futures. Let’s focus on building relationships of trust across our communities for a fairer system, an inclusive culture where schools , parents and communities work cohesively to equip our children for their best lives.
It has been universally agreed today that the current system works for the few and there are too many barriers, with the pace of change rolling too slowly that we are at risk of defaulting to the norm.
This is not good enough .
We need to look outwards to where it works better and learn, support integration of ideas, services and systems to transform the world of learning. It is not enough just to put a device in their hands or to replicate past teaching online, it is about using all of our resources and tools to enhance and transform our children’s lives.
I love the idea of community hubs where learning across the community is valued, where youth and community services are valued and champion solutions, empower, and offer enrichment and joy, where stereotypical views are challenged and it is expected that every child can succeed.
Maybe then , we can create a new story of growth, where children know who they are, who they are becoming and how they want to interact with the world.
This is the business of civic renewal, rebuilding an inclusive community with collective responsibility where we are not tied to a narrow set of accountabilities focusing on core achievements, the key compliance and preparations for an industrial society that is now gone. We need to look at what we value for our children’s futures and search for new ways to learn and a new way of measuring success in terms of all our children , equipping them with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours in terms of enabling them as people-the future of humanity.
We must be courageous because we need to serve our children well on every step of their journey .