21st Century Schools

One key plank of our priorities and vision for children is to agree the approach to learning for children born in this century. How, when and where do children best learn? And how do we know learning works? Profound and vital questions for us. It’s been good to debate these issues over the last few months and identify, the key elements to be on offer across Medway to enable us to meet these challenges.

The hallmark of a 21st century school system is collective responsibility for all outcomes and all children in their local area, not just those inside their walls. No school working alone and in isolation will be able to provide the full range of services but through a genuine partnership with all agencies (not just solely between schools) I’m confident that children and their communities will get the ‘Every Child Matters premium’ that will enable every young person to develop and succeed.

Our 21st century learning centres around:

- a commitment to listening to children, valuing what they say and acting upon it, as well as involving them as active members of the school community

- personalised and stimulating teaching from a highly qualified, valued and committed workforce, deploying ICT to best effect to maximise learning.

- assessment for learning which systematically monitors pupils’ progress and achievement

- targeted interventions for those encountering barriers to their learning;

- a focus on health and wellbeing that encompasses sex and relationships education, healthy food, and high quality physical activity;

- accessing a range of support services – the team around the child – which are timely and targeted, for those who need it most;

- an extended curriculum, part compulsory, part voluntary, that is delivered before, during and after normal school hours, and encompasses social, cultural and sporting activities, together with the NC;

- community leadership that fosters community cohesion, high expectations of children and young people, and involvement in learning from the cradle to grave;

- social and economic regeneration including access to services which support employment, such as childcare, care to learn and Job Centre plus.

The 21st Century Schools pdf - Your Child, Your Schools, Our Future