Whole Education

The Nuffield Foundation funded a six-year independent review of 14-19 education and training from October 2003 to September 2009. The report concludes that, "There is a need in policy, and in the provision and practice of education, for a clear vision of what all these interventions and investments of money and effort are for. What is the overall purpose? The Review addressed this concern from the beginning. It was, therefore, shaped throughout by the answers to the following question: What counts as an educated 19 year old in this day and age?"

The Review argues that education for all young people should provide:

"The knowledge and understanding required for the ‘intelligent management of life’;

Competence to make decisions about the future in the light of changing economic and social conditions;

Practical capability – including preparation for employment;

Moral seriousness with which to shape future choices and relationships;

A sense of responsibility for the community."

"Such knowledge, capability and qualities are potentially important for, and (in different degrees) accessible to, all young people, irrespective of social, religious and cultural background. All learners will have to become more rounded, resilient, creative and social, if they are to help shape an increasingly unpredictable and demanding world."

"Therefore, what matters, as argued in the Review, is how this essential knowledge, capabilities and qualities are translated into the learning experience of young people, into the curriculum, into the role and training of teachers, into the ‘indicators’ by which schools and colleges are judged, into the qualifications framework, and into further training, employment or higher education."

A copy of the report can be accessed here.

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Website
nuffield14-19review.org.uk
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