Head, heart and hands: Cognitive science casts new light on some old words of wisdom

Over the 30-plus years of National Curriculum, balance and breadth have largely been a debate around the amount of time allocated between core and foundation subjects, with attendant concerns for standards of achievement in the former and quality of provision in the latter. In the context of high-stakes accountability, balance is skewed by attention to those aspects that contribute directly to school performance measures. The consequent narrowing of curriculum has led to a counter-revival of interest in the holistic tradition of educating the head, heart and hands. The ‘trivium’ of thinking, feeling and doing is once again the clarion call for a return to a more balanced and rounded education (see, for example, Hyman, 2017). Evidence from cognitive science speaks to this debate in two distinct ways. Firstly, developmental studies of the brain add grist to the rationale for continuing breadth in learning experiences into adolescence and beyond. The key neurodevelopmental context