Young people’s poor well-being has hit headlines this year, with talk of crisis and a lot of soul-searching about why many children seem to be unhappy. We've brought together a panel of experts to share their views. Thankfully, serious mental health problems remain comparatively rare and it’s important to remember that childhood and the teenage years, in particular, have always been a difficult time of transition. But something else seems to be going on today, from an earlier age. Blame has been laid at the door of many things – from neoliberalism, to social media, to excessive testing in schools. What's changed to impact on young people’s well-being to such an extent, and what can schools, parents and carers, and policy makers – do about it? Are we doing enough, early on enough, to respond to modern-day pressures – whether through mental health training for pupils or mental health first aid training for teachers? #IOEDebates

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12/11/2019

We use maths in every aspect of our lives. We need numeracy at work, as citizens to make sense of economic news, as patients to understand risks, as consumers to work out the best deal; the list goes on. We've asked leading experts: if you were schools minister, what steps would you take to resolve this problem? Maths is something that as a nation we're not good at, and poor numeracy costs individuals and the UK dearly. And despite this, it remains acceptable to say - boast even - 'I'm no good at maths'. Why do so many of us struggle with maths at school, and what can schools and parents do so that more children grow up enjoying this subject and confident in their use of numbers? Can we learn anything from other subjects, or other countries? #IOEDebates

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12/10/2019

The rise of neuroscience within education has been dramatic; accusations of 'neuro mania' and warnings about 'neuro myths' have become common place. Are we correct to pin our hopes on this field as a means of improving learning and attainment? In this debate we bring together leading neuroscientists and educationalists to reflect on the 'state of the art' in (educational) neuroscience, future prospects for the field in providing insights into the learning process and the likely timescales for that, the ethical questions we could be considering now, as well as how we can collectively avoid the worst excesses of 'neuro-nonsense'. #IOEDebates

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12/6/2019

The Warnock Report marked a pivotal change in the provision of education for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) - encouraging these children's inclusion in mainstream classes, and introducing the system of 'statementing' that set out a child's needs and entitlement to additional support. But much has changed in the intervening years - not least the increase in the number of children with SEND and the complexity of their needs, wider policies of parental choice and school accountability and, now, funding constraints on the availability of special school places and SEND support in mainstream classrooms. More recent years have also seen challenges to the bias towards inclusion. In this context we have brought together reflections from Baroness Warnock herself and a range of perspectives to take stock of the Warnock Committee's recommendations - their underlying principles, their implementation, and their relevance for the future. #IOEDebates

8

12/6/2019

In the age of robots and artificial intelligence, what kind of education will young people need to prosper, and can our current curriculum and testing regime deliver it? There's a lot of talk at the moment about robots and artificial intelligence and how they are bringing about a 'fourth industrial revolution' in which occupations and the labour market, right up to the top professions like medicine and law, will be transformed. The debate over whether schools should focus first and foremost on developing pupils' knowledge or pupils' skills is a long-running one; do current technological advances add a new dimension to that debate? Is it time for a more radical rethink of what and how we teach, or can a classic 'liberal education' - introducing children to 'the best that has been thought and said' in science and culture - continue to conquer all? #IOEDebates

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12/6/2019

Some schools have made a name for themselves in performing 'against the odds', their pupils chalking up impressive achievements in national tests and exams. But still there remains a link between schools' circumstances and their performance, and some glaring geographical disparities. Breaking that link has been a focal point for education policy and many high profile organisations in education over the past two decades. There are occasional signs of progress, but they have often been modest and faltering. How far can we get with school-based interventions, and are there any such interventions, existing or hypothetical, that we should pursue with greater vigour? Come and debate sector leaders' views on which policies and interventions we should prioritise in order to cut through this problem once and for all, and what wider reforms would best help more schools in challenging circumstances. #IOEDebates

5

12/6/2019

There's been a big push to get classroom practice shaped by evidence of 'what works'. This has been largely inspired by advances in healthcare, where the use of research trials and national guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes is more established. This approach has not gone uncontested in education (or health) and 'evidence-informed practice' is still to be firmly embedded across all schools. Why is this, and do we even have a shared understanding of what we're aiming for when it comes to teachers' engagement with and use of research? In this debate we heard from leading commentators about whether, in their view, this is the correct agenda for education and, if so, what evidence-informed practice should look like and the steps needed to realise that vision across all schools.

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12/5/2019

We've accepted that teaching may no longer be a lifelong vocation, and even made a virtue of that. We're in the midst of trying to reduce teacher workloads, and there's been talk of using technology to work around teacher shortages. But this is defeatist and piecemeal. Is it time for a more radical rethink of what the teacher's role and remit should be in order to make the most of this vital profession? How can we combat the continuous challenge surrounding teacher retention? Let's explore how technology and best practice from other professions can be used to transform teaching. Speakers • Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers • Jonathan Simons, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Varkey Foundation • Lucy Crehan, International Education Consultant at the Education Development Trust; • Martin Mills, incoming Director of the Centre for Research on Teachers & Teaching • Chair: Professor Becky Francis, Director of the IOE

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12/5/2019