? The value of education

If you weren’t already depressed over the calibre of educational debate then look no further than the news stories and political reaction to the latest reports from the Office for National Statistics.

Taxpayers get worse value for money in schools than in 2000 – Telegraph.co.uk http://tiny.cc/yeDhh

School cash worth two extra GCSEs – BBC http://tiny.cc/ymFsC

Productivity in schools stalls – Guardian http://tiny.cc/ZPnho

Damning indictment for Labour’s record on schools as grades barely improve – Daily Mail http://tiny.cc/AtJAJ

…and these are just a fraction of the reaction. Thankfully around the globe there are those freethinking individuals, families and educational settings who do not allow themselves to be immersed in this state controlled nonsense. They understand deep learning, undertaken by motivated, self-directed and co-created learners. They support personal educational pathways and journeys, they take from the natural and catalogue curricula what they need and not what they are coerced into. They learn when they are ready, at times and in places that are best with a range of peers, mentors, families, and teachers of their choosing. They don’t often appear in official statistics because they’re too busy learning and living and making puposeful contributions to the families, communities and society they live in. The value of education of course lies not in the paper chase for grades but in the character, qualities,  contributions and happiness of our citizens.