THE KNOWLEDGE CORE AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

the education system, it failed to take explicit account of the nuanced yet profound impacts of social inequality in education. It fails to, as many have in the past, acknowledge the marked impact inequality can have on the core and character skill development of those for whom education has been disrupted and disturbed because of deprivation and disadvantage.

Implications for FE

In further education (FE), this is significant in relation to our decisions surrounding the curriculum we offer, wider support services, learning pedagogies, and our staff and leadership development.

Research suggests that those operating in areas of high deprivation frequently face vigorous challenge, and it is necessary for them to employ compound approaches and concentrated strategic methods, at the same time as exerting a multifaceted and responsive set of social, emotional and personal skills (Harris, 2002).

It is arguable that the entire FE sector is operating in a highly disadvantaged state given the changeable and uncontrollable climate we navigate.

But what does this mean for learning, particularly in the context of deprivation? The process of learning starts at birth; it is shaped, influenced and nurtured by the world around us.

Learning is multi-layered and encompasses processes of remembering, reasoning, general intelligence and aspects of discipline (Bloor, 2018), all of which depend on conditional circumstances enabling productive engagement in the subject matter.

The fundamental principles of Maslow’s hierarchy suggests that our most rudimentary needs of physiological, safety, love and

If you've been working on an interesting research project and would like to write about it, let us know! Email nick.martindale@ redactive.co.uk belonging, and esteem must be met to reach a basic level of selfactualisation where motivation increases (Mcleod, 2022). When our hierarchy of needs is neglected, motivation decreases.

Investigations by education and sociology research shows that young people and children living in deprivation experience cognitive and physiological barriers to learning.

Inequalities early in life appear in parenting practice, the quality of childcare, access to healthy and nutritious food, and living conditions.

The intersection between the process of learning, basic human needs and socio-economic development offers direct intersection with educational attainment and deprivation. Those experiencing deprivation may be further impacted by feelings of isolation, inferiority and failure.

Persistent engagement in situations of low perceived success experienced by children and young people results in them adjusting and lowering their aspirations (Calarco, 2011; Morris, 2012).

Core and character education

Education is about something more than subject knowledge alone. There is an increased focus on wider skills. What were once considered soft skills have become primary to education and in the job market.

The development of these skills dates back as far as 1959 when the Crowther Report recommended a focus on general studies for late secondary education (Education in England, 2010).

The 1970s and 1980s saw further vocational initiatives such as the Youth Training Scheme, followed in the early 1990s by the introduction of core skills units within the GNVQ, such as problem solving, communication, personal skills, numbers and IT. BTEC assignment requirements changed to include cross-modular skills, and general studies shifted to a core knowledge programme.

The wider skills agenda has remained persistent, which is unsurprising in an evolving world. This thinking continues in the current qualification landscape, with core skills being developed holistically or delivered as an ‘addon’ to existing programmes.

In today’s modern society core skills have evolved and changed. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report (2020) suggests that complex problemsolving, self-management, working with people and technology use and development are the four primary types of skill areas needed in 2025, notwithstanding more advanced areas of skill such as sustainability and the green agenda.

In an advancing 21st century economy, qualifications are one aspect of a strong workforce, and we are seeing a marked shift towards core skills being considered as important to the job role as the subject area itself.

The message is undeniable: core skills enable individuals to successfully navigate the world around them and are important for successful graduation into working life, career progression, the workforce economy and society’s future prosperity.

Character education, on the other hand, looks at more complex human dispositions. To seek a unified definition of character education is challenging since character involves multiple domains. Character is connected to our ‘virtue’ and regards our moral, civic, performance and intellectual being (Baehr, 2017).

Core and character have been separated in educational settings but recent advancements in practice have seen the two areas intertwine more freely. Adopted mostly in schools, character education is not as explicitly developed in the FE sector, although we in FE develop this in droves.

Framework for character education

The 2019 framework for character education provides six benchmarks for evaluating the work of a school and four character features to be used to inform the way a school shapes its wider provision (Department for Education’s Character Education Framework Guidance, 2019).

Although school-centric, the framework offers valuable influence when applied to any education setting; there is synchronicity between the character education framework, what research says and Ofsted’s current Education Inspection Framework.

We ought to ask ourselves more often how core and character education might be applied in FE colleges to enable students to flourish in life and work. If we are to impact the wider development of students in a way that enables them to progress and engage in the highlevel opportunities around them – particularly where disadvantage is an issue – then I’d suggest that core skills and character development must be a priority.

The political landscape puts both demands and challenges on the sector. Funding is complex, changeable and minimal; there is a lack of political will to tackle the inequalities that exist in FE; and the system is highly metric-driven and formulaic.

In conflict with this, core and character development are deeply personal, unscripted, differentiated and often steeped in physiological and psychological impacts (Bloor, 2018; Calarco, 2011; Morris, 2012).

Operating in areas of high deprivation demands a concerted effort to ensure equity in the face of challenge. In order to establish longterm effects in this area, we should develop frameworks that place core and character education at the centre of curriculum and college development. These skills can be prioritised in our teaching, learning, enrichment and assessment, and in the support services we provide. We ought to look at design, delivery and evaluation through a critical disadvantage lens.

We might improve organisational capacity and capability towards the most recent educational methods of neuroscience, therapy and psychology – and continue to develop our own narrative, which clearly articulates the wonder and challenge that is the FE sector.

Academic references and further reading

Angus A et al. (2020) How do essential skills influence life outcomes?: Anevidence review. Available at: bit.ly/3H5JUzl (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Baehr J. (2017) The varieties of character and some implications for character education. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 46(6): 1153-1161.

Bloor C. (2018) The Process of Learning: Some Psychological Aspects of Learning and Discipline in School. Oxon: Routledge.

Calarco J. (2011) “I need help!” Social class and children’s help-seeking in elementary school. American Sociological Review 76(6): 862-882.

Department for Education. (2017) Improving social mobility through education. Available at: bit.ly/3wx6Nad (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Department for Education. (2019) Character education framework. Available at: bit.ly/3HuMLTS (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Education in England. (2010) The Crowther Report (1959). Available at: bit.ly/2DIdTA6 (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Elliot Major L. (2012) The role of education and skills in driving social mobility. Fiscal Studies 33(2): 155-158.

Elliot Major L and Machin S. (2018) Social Mobility: and Its Enemies. London: Pelican.

Harris A. (2002) Effective leadership in schools facing challenging contexts. School Leadership & Management 22(1): 15-26.

HM Government (2022) Levelling up the United Kingdom: Executive Summary. Available at: bit.ly/3R7oOWb (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Jerrim J et al. (2016) PISA 2012: How do results for the paper and computer tests compare? Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice 23(4): 495-518.

Kashefpakdel E et al. (2021) Better prepared: Essential skills and employment outcomes for young people. Available at: bit.ly/3HsyRSm (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Mcleod S. (2022) Simply Psychology: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Available at: bit.ly/3HxrrNS (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Morris DS. (2012) Actively closing the gap? Social class, organized activities, and academic achievement in high school. Youth & Society 47(2): 267-290.

Ofsted. (2022) Education Inspection Framework. Available at: bit.ly/3wvIjhm (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

World Economic Forum. (2020) The Future of Jobs Report 2020. Available at: bit.ly/3JfoEds (Accessed: 25 January 2023).