Amid the attendance crisis, the education secretary tells English students they need a sense of belonging.
The education secretary says top grades will not transform children into happy and healthy adults. She calls on schools in England to replace the “tunnel vision” of academic success with wellbeing.
On Thursday, Bridget Philipson told leaders in Birmingham that they can respond to declining attendance rates and rising numbers of students with special needs by improving the sense of belonging.
She stated: “Exam results open important doors to opportunity for young people; they show what pupils know and can do; they are and will continue to be the anchor of our education system.”
“But A+s alone do not set young people up for a healthy and happy life. And where previous governments have had tunnel vision, we will widen our ambition.”
The education secretary’s speech came from the wide range of curriculum and assessment reviews launched this summer and chaired by Prof Becky Francis. It also aligns with the government’s plans for the children’s wellbeing bill to be published next year.
Philipson told the school and academy trust leaders that “wellbeing and belonging hold the key” to improving the lives of the youngsters. She stated: “If we want to tackle the epidemic of school absence, children need to feel like they belong in school.
“If we want to transform the outcomes of all youngsters with special educational needs and disabilities [Send], children need to feel like they belong in school. And if we want young people to leave our school system, not just with A+s in their pocket but with a sense of power and purpose, children need to feel like they belong.”
Claiming that a “sole focus on achieving is doomed to fail”, she added: “This government will always be strong on standards. But those standards will forever be used to pursue what is best for children.
“Because if we fall into that trap of chasing a narrow shade of standards, structures-driven rather than child-focused, then children with Send get swept to the side and attendance crashes.”
The review announced in July is set to encourage a more comprehensive curriculum that includes art, music, sports, drama, and the core subjects of maths and literacy.
The education secretary announced on Monday that undergraduate tuition fees for students in England will rise from £9,250 to £9,535 and pledged other measures to improve access to higher education for less privileged students.
According to records released by Ucas, there is a slight decline in the number of 18-year-olds applying for spots in the October deadlines, Oxbridge and medical schools.
Anne Murdoch of the Association of School and College Leaders stated that it was “disappointing” that applications to selective schools from less privileged students remained static.
She stated: “Increased tuition fees are hardly conducive to improving this situation, particularly while the level of maintenance loans remains so low as to not sufficiently cover living costs in many cases.” “This effectively puts these prestigious courses out of the reach of many disadvantaged families.”
