Effective schools?

To know if something has been effective, we have first to know what it ought to be doing, and in the light of that, what counts as success.Crude and superficial measures produce crude and superficial education. Our definition of effectiveness must go far beyond these to address social, moral and emotional issues, aspiration and equity, conflict and anger management, personal responsibility and pupil engagement. For an educational institution to be adjudged effective it has to meet the whole needs of each pupil or student, preparing them for a worthwhile adult life appropriate to their potential (which should never be underestimated). Since what counts as knowledge is constantly changing and we live in a world of information overload, it is more important to be able to test and apply knowledge than simply remember it. Thinking, philosophy and values should grow out of a healthy use of the word ‘why’. Education should enthuse and set up interests for life. The material will not do this by itself but requires adults who are themselves enthused. This enthusiasm may come from teachers, and from adults other than teachers that schools network with. This will provide role models to imitate, and encouragement to aspire. Non-authoriarian positive role-models are of great importance.

Educating the whole person encourages and enhances personal development as an individual, emotional control and maturity, social skills and attitudes, moral awareness of other people’s feelings and rights, cultural appreciation of ways of life different from their own. Education should encourage thinking, reason, rational argument and scrutiny of evidence, encouraging problem-solving, research, investigation and generally thinking things out. Pupils need to become critics in the best sense of that word - media critics, advertising critics, literary critics. Criticism means appreciating the good and recognising the weak, a long term task, not a quick target.

Education should encourage thinking about what sort of people we are and want to be, both in terms of qualities and aspirations. This has to do with personal qualities such as honesty, kindness, generosity, calmness, diligence, patience, resilience, reliability and openness. It also explores attitudes and values, those aspects of life we hold dear which are hopefully more positive than negative. Students need to be encouraged to reflect on these in ways which helps them to reassess the past and their behaviour and performance in the future. The problem-solver is likely to become a dynamic citizen. None of this can be measured by league tables.