In June 2024, I realised a dream I’d had all my adult life – to see Pompeii. Not a big dream, you might think. Easily realisable, you might say. But it just hadn’t happened for me. Finally, when the planets of money, time, work, family, and an agreeable husband all aligned, I got there.
I struggle to verbalise what it meant to walk along those streets, through the houses and gardens, and to sit in the Forum. It was everything I’d read about and imagined. It was fascinating. It was emotional. It was mind-blowing. You’re walking through what looks like a crumbling old building and round a corner to find a vibrant room with a colourful mural and an intricate mosaic floor, it’s as if the occupants have momentarily stepped out to get more wine. I’m filled with joy every time I remember it.
And then, 2024 brought me something else. A new start in my professional life. 1st Pillar Limited, as the name of a new business (no doubt influenced by my recent Roman experience) offering operational support in education, felt right immediately. The name would link to the four pillars of social justice:
- Access to resources (food, shelter, education, healthcare etc)
- Equity
- Participation
- Human Rights.
as well as indicating the cruciality of business operations in supporting the delivery of education and the pupil experience.
With the positivity and optimism typical of a SBL, I registered the company name, bought the domain and only then thought “Yikes! So what now?”
During the years of studying for my MBA, I fell across a fascinating book by Janet Finch, ‘Education as Social Policy’. Published in 1984, (my copy had spent many happy years in Bedford College Library with its date stamped loan records still glued into the inside and lots of scribbled notes in the margins) the book looks back to when education policy was used to achieve social change immediately after the Second World War and considers how education has changed since then.
Of course, you have to acknowledge the context of the book, written 40 years on from WW2, and it’s now exactly 40 years on from then. 80 years in total since the 1944 Education Act. Language, attitudes and demographics have changed but the observations made are sound in that it can still be argued that education is provided more for the benefit of society, rather than the benefit of the recipient. A final sentence in the book inspires me to action…
“Engaging with issues of social policy cannot be other than a political activity, even if it is given a gloss of objective neutrality.”
So, like getting to Pompeii, I feel like now is the right time for me to get involved, to focus on improving the operational delivery of education to the individual child in the UK (don’t be shocked by the enormity of this declaration – I did title this blog “Dream BIG”!)
Here are my starter manifesto beliefs.
- Review the fundamentals of per pupil funding, to incorporate the additional requirements of the individual enabling them to maximise their access to education. What does the school need? What does the pupil need? Are these separate funding streams?
- Move away from the accepted ‘traditional’ and ‘the norms’ – let’s not ever say again “this is how it’s done”. We all know that there is a lot which is not working. Let’s set up a working party (teaching and operations) of experienced practitioners to rethink and identify impactful change strategies.
- Recognise, and appropriately remunerate in a clearly defined whole staff structure, the contribution of all job roles in our schools.
- Work (and fund) to get school estates up to a basic standard of performance (safe, watertight, energy efficient etc.)
- Consider ways in which we can improve the learning environment and resources, with a pinpoint focus on the needs of the pupils.
- Think about the skills our children are actually going to need as adults, including self-care, sustainability and technology, and how schools can best provide them.
Yoko Ono is quoted as saying “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” Maybe 2024 has made me a dreamer, but I know I’m not dreaming this alone. We stand at point in the history of education in the UK, with a new Government, where together, we SBLs now have the skills, experience and clout to influence the changes so desperately needed in our education operational systems.
To drive forward our manifesto I think we need to start by putting aside our different views on the best vehicle on which to do this and all get behind one.
To my mind this is the ISBL.
Arguments I’ve heard against this recently, still don’t negate the fact that the ISBL is considered to be the voice of our profession in the circles who would actually convert a manifesto into change.
I know there are a lot of strong SBL voices in the UK, if we bring all those voices to one table…Wow! Loud!
So, my questions for you,
- What would you add to the starter manifesto?
- Would you sign it?
- (Apart from the cost) what would stop you joining ISBL to enable the delivery of a manifesto?
“Yikes! So what now?
Emma
