Education, education, education

Education Charter strikes a chord

The Fellowship response to the Charter for Education in the 21st Century has been phenomenal, with around 1500 individuals signing up since December. As well as prominent educationalists such as Howard Gardner, Sir Mike Tomlinson, Sir Ken Robinson and Alan McMurdo, individuals from a wide range of disciplines have put their name to the Charter, from philosopher Julian Baggini to designer Paul Smith, social entrepreneur MT Rainey to TV presenter Johnny Ball.

Dozens of organisations have also signed up, including Oxfam, the Edge Foundation, the National Union of Students, the Family and Parenting Insitute and the University of East London School of Positive Psychology.

"A growing number of schools are doing fantastic work through initiatives like Opening Minds among many others, and our goal is to use the Charter to ensure that this work is represented in the ongoing education debate, and spread more widely in our schools," explained Ian McGimpsey, senior manager of RSA Education. "We need all the support we can get, so if you haven’t already read the Charter or signed up, please do."

The RSA and its partner organisations will be conducting a national campaign in 2009 to create an active, networked movement of people who share the values of the Charter. Sign up to the Education Charter and become part of the campaign.



Collaborating over curriculum


RSA Education last month launched the Opening Minds Schools Community Platform, a virtual space for schools to turn to each other as a source of advice and support on implementing the innovative curriculum framework.

As the curriculum framework continues to be adopted by more and more schools, demand has grown for a platform enabling teachers to share resources, ideas and experiences with other Opening Mind Schools. The RSA believes that the website will help facilitate a strong networked community by providing valuable peer-to-peer support.

The move has already been welcomed by Opening Mind practitioners. “Collaborative planning has been at the heart of all the Opening Minds work we do,” said Mariéa Christodolou, deputy head teacher at Tideway School Newhaven. “We are excited by the potential for sharing ideas and practices with colleagues from across a much wider geographical area. We hope that we will be able to team up with colleagues in other schools to develop our assessment of student progress through the competencies.”

Sign up to the platform to find other schools using Opening Minds, get in touch and learn about how they are introducing the curriculum framework.


RSA Academy recognised in Design Week’s Hot 50


The RSA Academy has made the Design Week Hot 50, the publication’s annual hotlist of influential designers. Located in Tipton in the West Midlands, the RSA Academy opened its doors in September 2008, replacing Willingsworth High School. The Academy is leading the way in developing the Opening Minds curriculum framework, in which young people are encouraged to develop life skills or ‘competences’.

The Academy was recognised for its innovative approach to teaching and learning and it’s commitment to contributing to the social and economic regeneration of the area. The Academy building itself, set to open in 2010, was designed with the principles of the curriculum framework in mind and with significant input of its students.