INTRODUCTION the Thirty First Gordon Cook Conversations Took

1 INTRODUCTION The Thirty First Gordon Cook Conversations took place at Dumfries House, by kind permission of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Duke of Rothesay. The welcoming environment of the fine House with its wonderful furnishings and the beautiful gardens proved an excellent back-drop to The Conversations and directly inspired at least one of the Reports printed here. The various initiatives which His Royal Highness has undertaken around the Estate, many creating new opportunities for the people of the deprived local communities, are very much in the spirit of the Conversations. I am also very grateful to our facilitators and to our two speakers, Sir Sebastian Roberts and Professor Paul Brown. We met at a time when the United Kingdom was in the early stages of a Referendum to decide whether or not to remain in the European Union. Elections to the Scottish Government were less than a month away, and The Scottish National Party was expected to do well again. In another part of the United Kingdom, the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales were threatened with closure by their Indian owner, and a major campaign was under way to see if thousands of jobs could be saved. Further afield, the turmoil in the Middle East continued. The so-called Islamic State was under attack from a variety of forces in Syria and Iraq. A brief ceasefire in the years-old Syrian civil war seemed to be on the point of collapse. A few months earlier, the Russian military had intervened on the side of President Assad. The refugee crisis provoked by the Middle East conflicts, and earlier wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continued; there were almost daily heart-wrenching scenes of desperate migrants attempting to reach Europe in overcrowded boats. Those who had already reached European shores continued their desperate attempts to get through borders in Greece and the Balkans in order to reach more prosperous countries further north. In the USA, the political establishment was beginning to reconcile itself to the maverick property tycoon Donald Trump becoming the Republican Presidential Candidate, and going head-to-head with Democrat Hilary Clinton later in the year. In Brazil, there were moves to impeach the President shortly before the country hosts the Olympic Games. The Pope published a 60,000 word document, Amoris Laetitia, demanding greater tolerance towards the divorced, remarried and to homosexuals. Meanwhile The Archbishop of Canterbury disclosed that following a DNA test, it had been shown that his father was Churchill's last Private Secretary. Also, during our week together, HM The Queen celebrated her ninetieth birthday, and we toasted her health in champagne donated by Dumfries House. All of us who joined the Conversations wish to express our thanks to our sponsors: The Gordon Cook Foundation, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Lansdowne Partners. These special opportunities are entirely due to their generosity. Matthew Butler, Acton Turville, May 2016 2 GROUP ONE Starting from a blank sheet of paper, the group identified its hopes and fears for 10 years hence. Casting the net wide, the list quickly grew and two characteristics emerged. 1. Each hope or fear is a two-sided coin. One face represents an opportunity to enrich society, the other a risk of diminishing societal advances, or even regression. For example: An aging population places an ever-increasing financial burden on the youth as a larger proportion of the population draws pensions or requires long-term medical treatments. This older generation are, however, able to share a lifetime of learned wisdom and provide guidance for the emerging generations. Rapidly advancing technology is seen as invasive, detrimental to direct personal relationships, and an enabler for transgressions such as cyber bullying or cybercrime. It can also bring together disparate communities, provide access to vast amounts of information, and allow people to travel and directly experience foreign cultures and customs. Immigration is an emotive issue. As the non-indigenous population increases, pressure on public services could increase which would lead to tensions. This may push people further toward political extremes. Immigration is a source of new talent and diversity. 2. All hopes are catalysed and fears tempered by tolerant relationships. Open and tolerant relationships lead to a shared understanding of today‘s problems both within social groups and between them. A virtuous circle where ―understanding‖ promotes tolerance, which in turn creates the environment in which to learn and share knowledge Intergenerational contact is vital for the effective sharing of knowledge Technology employed by tolerant and open communities is less likely to be used deliberately for the harm of a person or the society 3 Understanding the benefits of diversity for society will aid the integration of immigrant communities The group discussed options for improving tolerant relationships, and concluded that the foundation for such a change is to provide effective and rounded education. Although it was agreed that education is an ongoing process which occurs in many places and at many stages of life, the group chose to focus on a school educational setting as the most effective intervention point. It was agreed the testing of students would continue to be a necessary part of their formal education; however, testing alone will not produce the rounded young adults needed for society‘s collective prosperity. A child‘s experience of education is just as important as his or her ability to pass tests: the group discussed research, conducted by The Literacy Trust, which found that reading for pleasure during childhood is the single most important indicator for future success. Having identified the school system as the chief subject of discussion, the group organised its hopes for the future around a single question: What should education look like in 10 years? The group proposed that by 2026, schools should: Employ fabulous teachers who are held in high regard both within and outside the school Ensure pupils‘ literacy is in line with age expectations Focus on learning over tests Institute accountability measures which focus on the child‘s destination, be it work or further education Expose pupils to inspirational examples and role models from all walks of life, be they figures from the local community or astronauts broadcasting from space Make use of teaching practices informed by research and best practice, incorporating good ideas from other professions (consult airport staff on speeding up the lunch queue) Promote cultural enrichment and help children be inspired by ideas, rather than simply accumulating knowledge Engage with all members of the school community – parents, older generations, community groups Encourage children to act as school ambassadors (e.g. by inviting guest speakers) Find pupil-centred ways of measuring achievement: talent management rather than performance assessment Reconfigure their relationship with higher/further education—make children aware from an early age of the paths available to them Use technology to promote an ethos of ‗education without walls‘ How is this to be achieved? The group acknowledged evidence that literacy skills were inadequate, and that many students achieve a reading age of below their actual age. There should be a spotlight on literacy aiming to give all students the opportunity to read for pleasure. This is a quick win, but would be a continuous engagement lasting throughout the school year. It would include: 4 Organising book banks for the use of students - encouraging people to donate their books as they clear out houses Book amnesties Reading partnerships with local organisations to develop reading skills In order to support good teaching, it is necessary to give support to teachers. An award scheme for excellence in teaching will recognise and reward great teachers for their efforts and achievements. A formalised teacher mentoring or ‗buddy‘ system will be established to support teachers as they develop their skills. Potentially the ‗buddies‘ could come from outside the education sector, ensuring that good ideas from the business world can make their way into schools, and vice versa. In recognition that students learn at different rates and respond best to different teaching methods, peer-to-peer teaching will be used to encourage the students to share knowledge. The group felt the need for a national network for organisations to support schools in providing additional learning experiences over and above the traditional curriculum. Consisting of a technology platform and administrative support, the network would help local ambassadors and the wider business world to connect with schools; the leader of the local council could come and talk about events in the area, for example, or a lawyer come and talk about potential careers in the law. The school would be responsible for clearing time in the schedule for the additional experiences, thereby minimising the impact on teacher time and the school calendar. Alongside this national network, children should also be given a hand in making contact with the world outside the school. They should be empowered to represent the school in the search for support from the local community (for example, when seeking local business sponsorships) and in events at a regional and national level, from charity fundraising to competitive sport and debating. A short-termist focus on yearly results means that

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