THE Church of England’s Education Office, the National Society, has released a joint report with the Catholic Education Service (CES) and Confederation of School Trusts (CST) seeking to “transform” education in England.
The document, Flourishing Together, is focused on the concept of the “flourishing” (the word appears 78 times in 17 pages) of children, adults, and schools — which, it says, “prioritises the other, pursues equity, diversity, inclusion and justice, and understands flourishing as an inherently social and relational construct”.
This vision, the report says, applies to all schools, not only faith schools, and is “centred on serving the common good, relentlessly prioritising the most vulnerable in every classroom, corridor, school and community”.
Flourishing is not only about “academic excellence”, but “making long-lasting life-enhancing contributions to the flourishing of society through mutuality and solidarity, the pursuit of peace, the pursuit of social justice and prioritisation of the environment”.
Changes, even positive ones, have, the report says, been made in the past through “short-term changes of policy or procedure, frequently done to, rather than developed by and with, the school system”. Sometimes this approach has had “‘deeply problematic’ effects”, including “chronic de-prioritisation of resources for the most vulnerable, comparative judgement accountability, fear and anxiety, workload challenges through the demand to do ‘more with less’” and competition over “systemic collaboration”.
The document gives a theological model for flourishing in schools which is connected to purpose, relationships, learning, resources, and well-being. It presents ten “seeds”, which, it suggests, are needed for a flourishing education system.
The first two are to build a coalition of partner organisations to inform best practice and to eradicate child poverty by “seeing education as a primary lever of social change”, including lobbying the Government on this.
The third is to celebrate diversity. “We cannot tolerate the current structural inequalities in the system, and we recognise our own parts in reinforcing inequality for generations. This journey requires long-term commitment, and short-term urgent action, involving representation at all levels.”
Next are steps “to deepen integration with communities”, prioritise the voices of children and young people, and to bring long-term resourcing and “urgent reform” to the “broken” system for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Related to these, the final seeds are to “generously resource” well-trained professionals across educational bodies, reform accountability of schools and trusts to professional standards, develop “evidence-informed” professional qualifications, and champion adults who choose a career in education.
The National Society’s executive director of education, Andy Wolfe, said that the report “urges us all to take the long view, shaping decisions today that will nurture lives well beyond the typical political cycle. This report is about building a narrative of hope and opportunity for every student in England’s schools, a narrative that invites every community and educator to the table.”
The chief executive of CST, Leora Cruddas, said: “Flourishing is about creating a culture where every child and adult can develop their potential. But this isn’t something we can accomplish alone. Flourishing Together invites leaders across the sector to come together around this shared goal, for the good of all.”
Family resources released. The Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households has produced a set of resources for children and young people based on feedback concerning its 2023 report, Love Matters (News, 26 April 2023). The Commission has also worked with schools in Gosport and Fareham, in Hampshire, to inform resources, which include an eight-page guide to the report, and videos and work sheets for schools and youth groups.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “One year on, the Commission’s findings continue to ring true: we must prioritise families and households, in all their diversity. I pray these resources will inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to think about how we can support loving, caring relationships across our society — and take practical actions towards that.”