BECOMINGX
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THE EDUCATORS : Helping young people to flourish
In a new series of videos and podcasts by BecomingX and Capita , leading figures from education articulate what they believe is needed to help young people realise their potential — and why it needs to happen now .
VIDEO
or careers leaders and teachers , whose role it
F is to help prepare young people for the world of work , it is clear not only how much pupils have to offer , but that many face challenges which undermine their potential . Barriers to success have proliferated during the COVID pandemic and associated restrictions , widening the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers , and closing down opportunities .
In a bid to pinpoint these issues at a time of unprecedented disruption to education and exponential societal change , BecomingX and Capita interviewed eight of the UK ’ s top educators and commentators , unearthing four key post-COVID priorities and some creative solutions . Collectively , they argue that education must change now , in order to meet the needs of young people — and of our future economy .
Here , we provide a taster of each , with links to the full videos and podcasts , which are collated on Capita ’ s website .
LORD MICHAEL HASTINGS OBE
Member of the House of Lords and chancellor of Regents University , on Investing in the future :
Very bright children from low-ambition communities struggle , not because they don ’ t have the ability , but because the community around them doesn ’ t respect differentiation
ANDRIA ZAFIRAKOU MBE
Winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2018 on Inspiring creativity in learning :
It ’ s the creatives who are coming up with the problem-solving solutions , who are finding the way out , the new . That ’ s why it has to be core in every single curriculum . Not just in the ‘ little ’ arts subjects
VIDEO
JOHN MURPHY
CEO , Oasis Community Learning , on Leading on personal development :
Our education should be about passions , about lighting fires . It should be about turning round to young people and saying , ‘ I ’ m going to find out what you ’ re good at , and I ’ m going to drive that passion with you and for you ’
VIDEO
PRIYA LAKHANI OBE
CEO , Century Tech , on Innovating in the digital age :
Children are learning the skills that a robot or a machine will be able to do very much better in 2030 . So we need to think about the curriculum , about mental health , about social media , about automation — and radically transform the system
DR SUSAN JAMES RELLY
Director of SKOPE , University of Oxford Department of Education , on Building skills for life :
If I was given free play to redesign the education system , I would bring in more vocational aspects ; I would bring in more play for our young people ; more time for their imaginations to run wild . I would try to develop a curriculum that was more focused on doing
VIDEO
BRETT WIGDORTZ OBE
Founder of Teach First UK and chairman of the National Citizenship Service , on Bridging the educational divide :
Every young person has something excellent inside of them that needs to be unleashed on the world . It has to be a priority of any just society to ensure every child gets a great education
PROFESSOR CRAIG GASKELL
Founder of University Academy 92 ( UA92 ) on Creating new models :
Students will study aspects of character development ( team working , resilience , communication , problem solving ) formally , and that ’ s integrated into everything they do
MEG ZEENAT WAMITHI
Founder and CEO of My Mind Matters Too , on Enhancing wellbeing in learning :
We had over 75 % of young people tell us that the thing they are looking for the most is for mental health to be embedded into the curriculum . Young people are intrigued about what mental health is , how it affects them , how they can deal with it ; how they can support those they love
Collectively , The Educators identified four key priorities for ensuring every young person is able to realise their potential :
• The need to ‘ level up ’ in education
• The importance of personal development , skills and creativity
• The need to invest in technology to drive efficiency and enhance quality
• The necessity for greater mental health and wellbeing support
ABOUT BECOMINGX
BecomingX is a learning and development organisation that aims to create a world where everyone can realise their potential . becomingx . com