As a parent reviewing schools I look with interest at what has changed, what has been gained and what has been lost in a generation. There is an air of moving forward in the teaching community, that schools are better than they have ever been.

As an amateur historian I watch how mnemonics two thousand years ago allowed students to remember an entire book word for word, whereas I, thanks to smart phones, can’t recall an 8 digit phone number. Reading the speeches in parliament in the 18^th century we see articulate and deep debates that have not been present in Westminster in my lifetime. In the casual ruminating of Einstein in the Austrian Alps or the young punting graduates of Cambridge in the 50’s, who gave birth to most of modern Physics, we see how our connectivity has shut out the digestive element of learning in quiet contemplation. 90 minute football matches in the snow replaced by cancelled 40 minute matches in the rain. We see students pasting Wikipedia, as if it were the laws of god himself. Elegant powerpoints have replaced scruffy blackboards, but do they contain more knowledge or instead waste time on presentation rather than substance? Much as a gilt-edged book gave farmers a thousand years ago the impression of the word of God, today a sleek presentation can silence questioning minds. There is much that has improved and much that has been sacrificed in return. Also much has remained remarkably the same.

As a parent looking at boarding schools you have to say what learning and living environment would I wish for my child, for his or her secondary education? It is with this in mind that I write the following wishlist for core subjects where some either don’t yet exist at secondary school, are taught with a different emphasis, or are currently optional extras.

Contextual Learning

Civilisation, our collective past of knowledge, is a cyclical environment, not a linear journey of progress to a final destination. Cycles are repeating themselves constantly with periods of liberalism followed by conservatism, prosperity by collapse, peace and war, creativity and militarism, secularism and fundementalism. Within the stories are contained the answers and tools that can equip us for these cycles within our own lifetime.

History is currently taught within a framework of kings, dates, and battles which, without context, offer almost no life lessons. I would like to see such an important area as history given more time and more relevance by constantly referencing forward to our present, our society, rather than a chronological story of the power struggles of a few ‘nobles’.

1. 1.       CIVILISATION

Economic History

The drivers of most of the battles, empires, and social movements has been the acquisition of resources. So much has been the result of seeking energy or food security, and cheap labour supplies. Hedge funds have existed since the 17^th Century, Britain’s empire, the largest in history, was the product of aggressive companies rather than an ambitious monarchy. Economic battles rage even when the guns are silent, through currency wars, customs unions, and even the drugs trade, legal and illegal.

Most investment bankers today would be embarrassed to admit that they know little economic history beyond the previous decade. As the structures of our economy remain largely unchanged for millennium and the mechanics are largely cyclical, a great store house of relevant and prescient knowledge sits known only to a few marginal scholars and amateur enthusiasts.

Economic History should be a core unit in Secondary School.

Social History

As mentioned earlier, we are taught that we are a society that is gradually evolving and progressing. This gives a false sense that progress painfully won cannot be easily taken away. Whether it is freedom of speech, women’s rights, democracy, a meal on the table or the rights to an education itself, if students are not shown the cyclical process of these social elements they cannot understand how precious they are and how vigilantly they must be protected.

Social History should be a core unit in Secondary School

Archeology and Religious Studies

Most of the religions of our time were born more than a thousand years ago, some even more than 3000 years ago. In fact most of the younger religions incorporate important elements from these more ancient religions. Judaism, for example was a religion that existed surrounded by many others in Canaan, the Levant, Egypt, and the rest of that region. Without knowledge of the other religions, without context, its birth and evolution are confusing. As a second example, Christianity rapidly spread West and North entering regions with long existing religious traditions. As Christianity expanded it absorbed many of the ideas and much of the cultural symbols of these regions. Without understanding these earlier religions, this iconography and evolution of the creed cannot be understood.

As much of these important events occurred so long ago they exist in a time which is poorly documented, or where few documents have survived. It is a time where history and myth become blurred. Archeology attempts to read the landscape where no written history remains. It is an important tool in understanding religious history.

I believe this much wider and deeper version of Religious studies should be a core unit in Secondary School.

These 3 units Economic History, Social Studies, and Religious Studies would be added to the standard History curricula.

1. 2.       APPLIED STUDIES

Applied Economics

On leaving University with a Business Degree in hand, many students arrive at the work place with no real grasp of what or how business activities are performed. People may recall making their first business phone call, strangely uncertain of what tone to adopt, or in wishing to set up a small company, no idea of the steps involved. These processes rather than the underlying economic system within which they sit, receive short thrift even at university, let alone at school. One way to address this would be to have a micro-version of the economy on campus. This would include a central bank, an investment bank, a commercial bank, a bond and stock market, a factory, a distributor, a retailer, and a government department for documentation. Students would cycle through each ‘desk’ dealing with the real issues and real paperwork that this entails. Whether its applying for a loan, amending Articles of Association for an imaginary offshore company, preparing a business plan for venture capitalists, or managing working capital as your factory brings a new product to consumers, all of these activities would be performed in as real an environment as possible. Visits will also be made to real institutions, and units hosted by people who have worked in each sector.

The introduction to the processes of business would a core unit in Secondary School

Apprenticeship

Many parents seeking a private education for their children do not imagine them ever seeking work as a plumber or electrician and would not consider an Apprenticeship program necessary. Schools have however continued to recognised the benefits of this area of applied studies, by maintaining elements of carpentry, electronics, and metalwork in their schedules. However the ability to do one thing well is lost in the generalism of modern education. Learning one skill to a level where you could enter that profession, even as a manager, cannot be underestimated. Living in a world where a business degree does not guarantee a job, life skills remain important. Children would choose one of several specific apprenticeship courses, electrician, plumbing, building, garments or agriculture and carry out a unit which involves 100% practical application rather than reading.

Food

While urban life has drifted away in the past century from the core skill of feeding ourselves, each adult should have one skill within the chain that feeds the community. The fact that my parent’s gift to me on going to University was the book “How to boil an egg” is abhorrent to me. Units would be made available in Farming, Hunting and Survival, and Cooking. All students would take one unit in their secondary education.

These three units of Applied Studies would be added to the Secondary Curriculum

1. 3.       LANGUAGES

If we look at the top 8 languages spoken in the world there are a few surprises Mandarin, English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Russian, Bengali, and Portuguese. Currently in English private schools the dominant secondary languages taught are French, Latin, Spanish, and German. The correlation between those taught and those most needed has slipped. When these languages were selected for the curriculum of most schools, most first born sons were expected to enter the church and most services were still conducted in Latin. France was the leading world power and England still had provinces there. The royal family was and is of German descent and there were numerous marriages with royalty in France and Spain which were also key trading partners and competitors. Language departments have focused on retaining their positions by switching their raison d’etre to representing an understanding of the history of England. To sacrifice the ability to do business or form friendships with the new large and powerful neighbours that the age of aviation, telecommunications, and new geopolitical realities have created, for the sake of an indirect support to history, does not appear satisfactory.

Language units would be taught in proportion to size and economic significants. Mandarin would be a required unit. Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian would be available.

If you combine Java Script and C++, these two new languages represent a very significant language base themselves, as the most popular programming languages of our age.  Programming is an extremely useful way of learning how to structure a process that can be applied in many other areas. These would also be a unit in the Secondary Curriculum.

1. 4.       SPORTS AND ARTS

Business executives with a few decades experience soon realize that the three most important skills of a manager are not learned in the class room. The first is applied creativity, the ability to have a fresh idea and implement it. The second element of this creative process is important. Another is interpersonal skills. Almost no economic activity today can be achieved without being able to remain on good terms with and interact effectively with a group of people. The third is self-motivation or discipline, the ability to be a self starter and put in the effort required to complete a task, elements of which may be very tedious. Presently these skills are taught within the cultural framework of the Arts and Sports departments. There is little reason for this to change other than perhaps their importance, and the importance of cultivating these three elements, be recognized, so that the activities can remain focused on these educational goals.

Only team sports would be available at the school during normal school sports units. Children less inclined to the physical side can cultivate important roles in coaching, statistics, and strategy. All teams would be coached by a coaching staff of three students. This would help students understand the importance of the strategic elements of the game, incorporate the more academic members, and give students the important experience of teaching and leading itself.

The creative, therapeutic, and immersive learning environment of theatre and orchestras or bands cannot be overstated. Theatre and musical groups, rather than individual instruments would have a key role in school life, with a focus on the international music of the day rather than an obsession with music from the narrow period of early 19^th century Europe.

1. 5.       TRADITIONAL CORE CURRICULUM

Again, contexts need to be weaved into every element of the curriculum not just so that examples remain as relevant as possible, but to capture the enthusiasm of the students. For example, if Physics could begin with the question of how is the physical universe manifest, instead of approaching this issue only at university, physics would come alive as the quasi-religious quest it is. The latest on string theory should be hardwired into the program rather than mentioned in passing. Teachers need to be up to date with the latest movements in the fast evolving subjects.

It is clear from the first 4 sections of this document that some areas of the traditional curricula must either be removed or in some measure suffer if the equivalent of 25% of the week is taken up with the new topics of ‘Applied Studies’ and the broader scope of History under ‘Civilization’. Changes in the language department would be more of a reorganisation of language priority, but Latin could be sacrificed to make some space. Religious studies already exists and would simply be broadened and contextualized. Mathematics could also see derivations and geometry find their place within the Applied Studies rather than being methodologies that most of us never use again after we are 15 years old. Much of the curricula of Economics is frankly untrue or irrelevant in the business world where the neat patterns of demand and supply are overshadowed by intangibles. When we looked at the collapse of the German Mark when a laborer earned more than a skilled professional. Where even today, with free labour movement in the EU, there is no correlation between wages and supply of skills by sector. The teaching of these simplistic models causes more confusion than good. However these tweaks and shifts to traditional topics within the mainstay of the curriculum can only perhaps offer 2 or 3 hours in a week for all the additional study implied above.

The fact that boredom is such a prevalent experience of even the A grade student suggests that the structure of the way we teach has a great deal of slack that can provide most of the 25% of extra time this new curriculum would require. Such a high ratio of student’s time is still being spent in the environment of 20 – 30 students per class with one teacher when the advent of the internet and the obvious inadequacies of the lecture format cry out for reform. I recall attending just one lecture on Human Resource Management in my first year at Business School. I came 3^rd in the exams, because I was able to learn the course infinitely faster through books.

Master Classes on conference call with leading thinkers and teachers around the world need to be instigated faster. Websites with playful mechanisms for learning maths and other highly structured subjects need to expand, with smaller study groups afterwards to coalesce the sessions or lectures. Questions texted during lectures so they are answered later would also ensure less wasted time for other students. Students can study texts with teachers available online if a question arises. I believe the single large class should gradually be removed and replaced by the online inspirational talks to thousands, or podcasts that can be listened to on the way to a football match, and be replaced by meetings of groups of 6 to 8 students to read together or have a designated question time with a teacher.

These changes to the teaching system would make space for more applied learning modules.

1. 6.       PASTORAL CARE

When looking at boarding schools there is the additional item, pastoral care, as this is past from the parents to third parties. There is a wishlist here too.

Traditional schools take the view that school should mimic society so that students can learn to navigate the hierarchy and structures that they will meet when they leave. Liberal schools try to create an ideal society within the school, with the hope that the experience of its worth will see the students keen to improve society when they leave. Both approaches have their merits. Some children at traditional schools react against the system and learn what they wish to change in society as adults. Some children leave a liberal school and struggle when they meet the glass ceilings of society at large. I repeat, both approaches have their virtues and I don’t know which is better. The key issue from the parents’ and teachers’  perspectives is which structure will ignite or snuff out a student’s passion for learning. While parents should do their best to choose the system that best suits their child, not everyone can get it perfect. It is the main job of Pastoral Care to constantly check on how brightly each student’s enthusiasm for learning and life is glowing. If it is waning the school needs a system to notice it quickly, and ideas on how to brighten it.

Pastoral care sometimes confuses this central role with policing good behaviour. This needs to be the job of others in the staff structure. The role of guardian of the enthusiasm to learn needs to be enshrined at the centre of pastoral care’s process. Very few schools do this. At boarding schools, where the role of parents has been somewhat replaced, key care givers, housemasters, matrons, and tutors or mentors need to meet once a week to discuss each student so that they understand deeply each student’s journey, and can discuss any ideas for improving it. While communication between key care givers is essential, good communication with the student is also essential. Teenagers will swiftly close real lines of communication if housemasters or teachers role is seen as policing. Much as when an adult meets a policeman he is unlikely to bare his soul and will seek to end the encounter as swiftly as possible. It is essential therefore that some staff have the role of friend to the students. This involves trust and respect. Trust means confidentiality and respect is treating each other on equal terms. Students need to know there is at least one person in the triumvate of the social carers who can be told anything. Sadly most schools give this trust role to one councillor who does not have the day to day relationship and can only handle problems once they arise, rather than avert them. This contract of trust and friendship needs to be clear and developed. This may be the role either of the tutor or matron or a senior student, but it needs to be formalized and very active. The second issue of respect starts with equality of salutation. If the boy is called by his first name then the carers should be too. While a hierarchy between teachers and students can be kept if it is part of the philosophy of the school, the team responsible for the student pastoral care needs to have a very different relationship.

Coeducation

Schools need to be coeducational for two key reasons. Boys and girls need to learn early how to work and socialize together. These skills are subtle and take years to cultivate, some students who have been to single sex schools never are able to develop these skills. Secondly, single sex groupings, whether they are social or business are generally more extreme and less intelligent in content or conclusions. Much research bears this out. I wish my children to be at ease in all setting with the opposite sex. Most of my sister’s best friends are men, and this is because she went to a boys school as a sixth form girl.

Conclusions

As my children get ready for secondary it is with a sinking heart that I find no establishment that offers this mix of emphasis on applied and contextual studies; innovative teaching schedules with few classroom style sessions; and an intimate pastoral philosophy. Many have pieces of the puzzle, such as strong arts and sports programs, or rudiments of applied learning, or a thoughtfully structured pastoral care program; but none have all of it. Much blame lies at the door of the custodians of educational licenses and curriculae, there is no doubt that a large swathe of educators see these shortcoming far more clearly than I do.

In the past, pioneering groups of teachers would head out into the educational wilderness and stick a proverbial finger at the authorities. In England with Bedales opening the first coeducational college more than a century ago; or Atlantic College heading off to Wales, for an idiosyncratic outward bound experience. Many of the ideas they started with have been incorporated into many other schools credo, but I think this has meant real innovation has stalled. There is a lot of the language bandied around by even stalwarts like Eton College, and this prevalence of the language of change persuades many educators that they are working in an innovative environment. But look under the bonnet and it’s the same old engine and mostly just a bright shiny new paint job. Unfortunately parents are also to blame, waving a touchy feely brochure and feeling secure that the school lives and breathes the deluge of cosy adjectives. When educators believe their own propaganda is when true innovation dies and unfortunately in this generation technology has drawn a very bright shiny shroud over the archaic process of passing on to the next generation aspirations, and the thought processes to make them happen.