Opening Minds

What is Opening Minds?

Opening Minds aims to help schools to provide young people with the real world skills or competencies they need to thrive in the real world. It is a broad framework through which schools can deliver the content of the national curriculum in a creative and flexible way so that young people leave school able to thrive in and to shape the real world.

Opening Minds was developed by the RSA at the turn of the millennium in response to a belief that the way young students were being educated was becoming increasingly detached from their needs as citizens of the 21st century.

It is based on five sets of competencies, including Citizenship, Learning, Managing Information, Managing Situations and Relating to People.

What is the impact of Opening Minds?

Opening Minds is now being used in over 200 schools across the country and is growing rapidly. In 2008 the RSA opened the RSA Academy in Tipton which is the first school to be designed around the principles of Opening Minds.

Schools using Opening Minds tell us that their students are more engaged with school, more independent as learners, have developed real world skills and have higher self esteem.

Children are enjoying their learning - the effect on their engagement and behaviour has been profound. 

– Opening Minds Teacher 

The Opening Minds curriculum for students in years 7, 8 and 9 continues to have a positive influence on pupils' learning and their personal development

- Ofsted report on an Opening Minds school

For more information on the impact of Opening Minds download the Opening Minds Impact Update 2008 [PDF 457 KB].