The Bridge - Newsletter Edition #5

Newsletter June 2024

Welcome to The Bridge In this issue we explore Innovation in Education, reflect on the Leadership for Flourishing conference, celebrate our newest Global Leaders in Education and highlight some of our upcoming events.

Innovation in Education An increasing number of schools have appointed, or are recruiting for, a Director of Innovation or similar title. For many armchair observers, this seems long overdue: the education sector being dragged kicking and screaming out of the late 19th century in which it was languishing. We are told that it is time for schools to stop killing creativity, time for teachers to do some proper work instead of just filling students’ heads with facts, time for the end of the Victorian system of factory schooling, time for schools to prepare students for the jobs of the future that haven’t been invented yet.

And yet…..?

Inherent in the rationale for innovation is that there is a direct causal link from innovation to improvement. Not only that, but that all innovations are beneficial.

But what we know about most innovations in education is that they simply don’t work.

Innovation is an extremely lazy magic bullet: it sounds enticing, with its connotations of forward-thinking and active exploration.

But children have one chance at that part of their life, which is too priceless a chance to squander through reckless or groundless

experimentation. The fallacy of the too-oftenquoted argument is clear: if the future isn’t known, how can the system guarantee to prepare young people for it? The reality is that education is partly a means to an end – in which regard, we have been preparing for a future that is unknown forever – and partly a joy in its own right, developing selfefficacy and a passion for growth and ongoing learning that will serve anyone in any era.

Hence, The Bridge is committed to identifying and developing innovation that has evidential benefits.

It bears re-emphasis to revisit The Bridge’s initial rationale and concept, which was shaped by the following principles: 1.

It would have to work at least in part by partnering with existing excellent organisations and people, because creating things from scratch would take too long and

This last point is crucial: Integrity is one of those 5 values and arguably it is first among equals here.

there is too much good stuff out there for us to ignore it.

The Bridge has already formed productively collaborative working relationships with numerous excellent people and organisations that are already doing great things in education.

2.

It would connect existing work together – within Wellington College, at all of our international family, at our partner schools locally, through the Festivals of Education, and in the wider sector. It would provide coherence to those activities; it would provide opportunities both to benefit from The Bridge’s work and to contribute to it; it would become a recognised source of thought leadership for the sector.

The Bridge is being launched in China and in other Wellington locations in 2024 and beyond, to mirror this impact in region.

3. It would be a balance between: emphasising those things that we already know about education that are fundamentally timeless in principle, (eg including, but not limited to, things like how memory works, cognitive load and the science of motivation) developing those new ideas and yes, innovations, that would actually make a positive difference.

The Bridge is embarking on various initiatives both in CPD and research, about which you will be able to find out more on our website in the coming weeks.

4. It would have Wellington values embedded and prominent throughout.

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Research that The Bridge engages in must be ethical, grounded, valid and robust; it must have nuanced understanding of its significance, reach, applicability and it should completely avoid the pitfall of making weak correlations into causations. We are so excited to have Dr. Karen Taylor joining us next term to drive this work, and that we have such a close link already with Evidence Based Education.

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CPD created, signposted, provided or promoted by The Bridge must have a sound basis in evidence. https://educationfest. co.uk/agenda/keynotes/

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Too much of the educational conversation is still shaped by voices with little domainspecific knowledge. The Bridge should help to lead the conversation by identifying and providing a platform for the best educational expertise.

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The Festivals of Education, likewise, should seek to explore and showcase the diverse range of ideas, solutions, initiatives and strategies that are used to tackle equally diverse problems or issues in an almost infinite variety of settings: context-sensitivity being the key.

Leadership for Flourishing Conference 2024 Organised by Katy Granville-Chapman and Emmie Bidston Wellington College | University of Oxford

From Thursday 13th - Friday 14th June, many of us were lucky enough to attend the 2024 Leadership for Flourishing Conference, organised by Katy GranvilleChapman and Emmie Bidston. The first day took place in Wellington College’s Great School and the second in Worcester College, Oxford, both places the quintessential example of flourishing environments!

Trying to distill the alchemy of fascinating ideas from educators, neuroscientists, professors, olympians, policewomen and UN officers (to name a few) into a concise piece of writing is nigh-on impossible.

But perhaps the two overarching takeaways came through both keynote speeches.

‘planting trees in whose shade you will never sit’ The first, from Lina Tori Jan, a formidably impressive Afghan social entrepreneur and human rights activist, who shared the story of her mother who was only able to leave Afghanistan through the help of a kind stranger who lent her a watch with which to pay border control.

The stranger told her ‘if you can’t pay it back, pay it forward’. Lina has embedded this principle of handing on the kindness of someone before you to someone after you into her organisation ‘Onward Network’ protecting and raising up the voices of women fighting for equality in Afghanistan. Flourishing, she says, is ‘planting trees in whose shade you will never sit’.

The second takeaway, from Sir Anthony Seldon’s keynote speech on day two, was that ‘we matter’. In a world in which ideas of ‘flourishing’ and well-being are noticeably absent in the political manifestos of world leaders, it is crucial to remember we matter. As Raja Karthikeya, who works on the Global Flourishing Goals pointed out, understanding the nuances of language is critical to communicating the idea of flourishing effectively. He wants us to think of flourishing with a capital ‘F’, as something we are, not just something we do. Coming back to Sir Anthony’s timely reminder that ‘we matter’, then, it’s important to think of the nuances of this word. ‘Matter’, as something scientific, means we are a physical, tangible part of things; an assertion of existence. ‘Matter’, as a verb, means having a purpose and impact on the ecosystem you are a part of.

‘we matter’

It was fascinating to witness all the different angles and perspectives on flourishing and what ‘Leadership for Flourishing’ looks like across different disciplines, from neuroscience, to Olympic sport, to education, to political campaigning; how to learn to flourish, how to help others flourish and how we can measure or reflect on the amount that we and our wider ecosystem are flourishing.

We cannot wait for the next Flourishing Conference to hear about the developments made by all the inspiring people in that room and to no doubt welcome in many more interesting thinkers who are committed to flourishing!

Particular thanks go to Jamie Lunnon (OW) for this special report.

The 2024 Festival of Education is only a few days away!

The Festival of Education returns for the 14th time to Wellington College next Thursday and Friday, 4th and 5th July. We look forward to welcoming even more people than last year to enjoy the rich variety on offer.

Content strands this year include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

AI from the classroom to the boardroom Great Teaching Cognitive Science Weaving the golden thread of CPD Pride in Education Coaching Sustainability Shaping stronger governance Oracy Wellbeing and Retention Rebuilding a culture of attendance Human Rights across the curriculum Race to the top SEND Engendering equality Assessment

We have an incredible variety of keynote speakers, details of whom can be found here: Keynote Speakers

Tickets are still available here: Edfest tickets

You can find more details about the festival here: https://educationfest.co.uk/ For the best and most accurate view of the programme as we approach the Festival, it is best to download the dedicated Festival of Education app from your preferred provider. It has the added benefit of serving all of the Festivals around the world.

The Festival LinkedIn profile is here: https://www.linkedin. com/company/the-festival-of-education/ follow us for regular updates of content.

You can also get updates on X at: https://twitter.com/EducationFest Instagram we are here: https://www.instagram.com/educationfestuk/ Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/EducationFest/

Global Leaders in Education Well done to Conor McKee and Simon Hamilton for completing the Global Leaders in Education Certificate this term.

Upcoming Events •

Jim Knight Instructional Coaching Summit - 3rd July 2024 with special thanks to St Crispin's School for hosting

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The Festival of Education - 4th & 5th July 2024 at Wellington College, Crowthorne

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Jan Dubiel: EYFS training - 26th September 2024 at Eagle House School

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USA Festival of Education - 28th September 2024 at St Andrew's Episcopal School

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Tough Conversations - 2nd October 2024 at Wellington College, Crowthorne

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New and Aspiring Middle Leaders - 9th October 2024 at Wellington College, Crowthorne

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Leading for Impact - 16th October 2024 at Wellington College, Crowthorne

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Matthew Savage Conference on the Ecology of Well being- 21st & 22nd October 2024 WCI Bangkok

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Thailand Festival of Education - 9th November 2024 at Wellington College International Bangkok

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Shane Leaning, Haili Hughes & Iain Henderson: Leading Responsive PD - 10th November 2024 at Bangkok Patana School

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Foundational Coaching - 13th & 14th November 2024 at Wellington College, Crowthorne

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Advanced Coaching - 27th & 28th November 2024 - at Wellington College, Crowthorne

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Parental Engagement Conference - Date tbc

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Instructional Coaching - Date tbc

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Public Speaking - Date tbc

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Subject Masterclass - Subject/Date tbc

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Mobile phones in schools conference - Date tbc

Connect with The Bridge on LinkedIn to see new events as they are added: Here

Further information and booking links for the above events can also be found: The Bridge CPD and Events

The Bridge Wellington College Dukes Ride Crowthorne RG45 7PT Phone: +44 (0)1344 444 238 Email: thebridge@wellingtoncollege.org.uk Website: thebridge.wellingtoncollege.org.uk