A ‘Big Education’ for leaders

Ellie Lister, Project Lead, Big Education, UK Liz Robinson, Co-Director, Big Education, UK The world is changing beyond recognition, but arguably, schooling is not (Burns and Polchar, 2019). At Big Education, a multi-academy trust formed of three schools - School 21, School 360 and Surrey Square Primary – and a social enterprise, we believe that the ever-increasing challenges regarding politics, technology, conflict and inequality, to name a few, signal a need for an education system that recognises the importance of educating the whole child, rather than solely looking at academic success. This will involve a paradigm shift – new thinking about the very purpose of schooling, through to the values of the system, the curriculum, pedagogies, culture, assessment and the leadership. Through our philosophy of the head (academics), the heart (character and wellbeing) and the hand (generating ideas, problem-solving and making a difference), we believe that we can prepare children to thr