Calls for Royal Commission to overhaul UK “education system not fit for purpose”
A coalition of MPs, educationalists, entrepreneurs and teachers’ leaders has called for a Royal Commission on education to sweep away the “factory model” of teaching and learning currently taking place in schools.
The group, led by Robert Halfon, chair of the all-party Commons education select committee and David Davis MP, and includes EDUCATE Ventures’ director Professor Rose Luckin, has written to the government urging a “radical re-engineering of the classroom” with “the effective use of technology, including AI”.
The overhaul would include the scrapping of GCSEs in favour of a “broad baccalaureate, incorporating academic and vocational education at age 18”.
In an open letter entitled Education system not fit for purpose, and published in the Sunday Times on January 11, the campaigners said the education system needed to nurture “talent and create opportunities for everyone”.
Previous reforms, it said, tended to focus on the two opposites of knowledge and skills which created a false divide. “Knowledge is only relevant alongside the skills to interpret it; skills are only useful when there is knowledge to draw on”, the letter stated.
It pointed to the out-of-date technology in schools, and the lack of teachers who were “sufficiently incentivised to integrate it into their practice”.
The group said that the “factory model, where each pupil advances at the same pace in every subject regardless of ability and interest” must be swept away in favour of “personalised education through the use of new technology”.
“Clearly, the growth of AI and robotics will have a profound impact, so we need a special royal commission on education, AI and exam reform that would include experts and report within nine months,” the letter continued.
“It is essential we understand and prepare the nation for the impending changes in our economy and society.”
Professor Luckin said the Covid crisis and school lockdowns had exposed the challenges facing schools and families. EDUCATE Ventures is to release its own research into the lessons learned from the Covid pandemic in February.
“The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the real difficulties that many educators and families have when it comes to benefitting from the use of technology — it is essential that ALL learners are given the vital learning lifeline that technology can provide,” she said.
“AI has huge potential to support educators and parents to ensure that all learners receive high quality education that meets their needs. The Exam algorithm debacle, misused AI and risks damaging people’s willingness to engage with what is a transformational opportunity for a huge improvement in our education system that will benefit learners and teachers.
“The shameful lack of engagement with innovation, data and AI by the Department of Education is depriving young people of the opportunity to a high-quality education that can weather the challenges of pandemics and school closures and restrictions. Worst of all, in this scenario those most in need are also those who miss out most.”
The calls for reform come at a time of growing concern about reduced social mobility between different socio-economic groups, and the lack of training and growing skills gaps among adults.
During the first lockdown, which began in March 2020, an estimated 2.3 million children did no, or hardly any, schoolwork at home.
Britain also performed poorly in the latest PISA rankings. Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education, OECD, said greater recognition was needed that the world is changing: “The kind of things that are easy to teach, easy to test are now all too easy to digitise, to automate…. If Britain wants to do better on PISA it should probably teach fewer things at greater depth, focus more on conceptual understanding” he said.
*The signatories to the letter included: Sir Anthony Seldon; Priya Lakhani; Professor Rose Luckin; Geoff Barton, general secretary, Association of School and College Leaders; Damian Green MP; Flick Drummond MP; Mark Pawsey MP; Christian Wakeford MP; Lord Baker; Lord Puttnam; Lord Knight; Lord Clement-Jones; Professor Julia Buckingham, vice-chancellor and president, Brunel University London; Professor Mary Stuart, vice-chancellor, University of Lincoln; Professor Steven West, vice-chancellor and president, University of the West of England Bristol; Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, economist and principal, University of Glasgow; Sir Michael Barber, educationalist; Dr Eric Addae Kyeremeh, head of School of Innovation, Open University; Sherry Coutu, chairwoman, The Scale Up Institute, entrepreneur, investor; Timo Hannay, managing director, School Dash Limited; Bob Harrison, chairman of governors, the Northern College; Tom Hooper, founder, Third Space Learning; Nick Kind, senior director, Tyton Partners; Luke Johnson, entrepreneur; Margaret McCabe, chief executive, DebateMate; Alistair McConville, director of learning and innovation, Bedales School; Deirdre Medler, director of initial teacher education, University of East Anglia; Professor Simon Thompson, head of education, University of Sussex; Professor Chris Wilkins, head of school of education, University of Leicester; Karine George, educational consultant and former headteacher.
