WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.800
I'm Michael O'Sullivan and my role at Cambridge Assessment, where I've been for 18 months,

00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:12.620
is I'm Chief Executive of Cambridge International Examinations, the part of Cambridge Assessment

00:00:12.620 --> 00:00:20.260
that brings you Cambridge International A-Level, Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge Primary and so on.

00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:23.120
So we're a provider of school curriculum and syllabuses.

00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:29.720
Now this morning we heard a lot about the top-down view, the whole system view, the conceptual

00:00:29.720 --> 00:00:36.180
framework for international education. This afternoon we moved to look at this more from a

00:00:36.180 --> 00:00:44.620
perspective of how is it actually made to work in schools. And I have to say that in the last 18

00:00:44.620 --> 00:00:49.160
months that I've been with the organisation, as I've travelled the world and met different kinds

00:00:49.160 --> 00:00:56.160
of schools, one thing that strikes me amidst all this diversity as a common thread is that schools

00:00:56.160 --> 00:01:01.500
everywhere are ambitious to improve but they also feel under a lot of a lot of

00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:07.920
pressure to improve indeed we recently articulated a strategy in my

00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:13.140
organization that says our number one priority is helping schools improve so

00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:17.760
why this ambition or why this universal dissatisfaction with the way things are

00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:23.280
now I think the pressures come from a sense of responsibility to preparing

00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:30.780
children to thrive and succeed in a competitive, demanding world where economic and technology

00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:50.767
change means that jobs for life in many countries are no longer the prospect that they once were It comes top down from governments and we heard about PISA angst and such phenomena that drive ministries to seek to drive up standards to do better

00:01:50.767 --> 00:01:57.287
in a global competition. It also comes often from commercial competition between schools,

00:01:57.887 --> 00:02:04.627
not only in private education systems but also in many state systems and it certainly comes from

00:02:04.627 --> 00:02:11.167
parental pressure. Now we recognise that in Cambridge International Examinations. We also

00:02:11.167 --> 00:02:17.267
heard about the difficulty this morning of reconciling international education and national

00:02:17.267 --> 00:02:26.427
education. I hope we're providing quite a useful toolkit to contribute to resolving that kind of

00:02:26.427 --> 00:02:33.007
dilemma. After all we're quite well known for exams that are the same everywhere like IGCSE

00:02:33.007 --> 00:02:40.167
maths or international A-level physics. But it might come as a revelation to some of you that

00:02:40.167 --> 00:02:47.287
we provide Cambridge examinations in languages from Arabic to Zulu, with many in between, or that

00:02:47.287 --> 00:02:52.787
tens of thousands of children every year take Cambridge exams to assess their understanding of

00:02:52.787 --> 00:02:58.927
Islam. You would know that if you lived in Pakistan, but you might not be aware of that.

00:02:58.927 --> 00:03:03.927
We are of course very much involved in private education in many countries,

00:03:03.927 --> 00:03:07.927
but also in mass state education in several countries,

00:03:07.927 --> 00:03:10.927
notably in Singapore.

00:03:10.927 --> 00:03:12.927
But enough about us.

00:03:12.927 --> 00:03:15.927
We're going to get four very different perspectives in a moment

00:03:15.927 --> 00:03:29.555
on how to make international education work in schools We be hearing from the managing director of a southern hemisphere private education company that owns and runs schools

00:03:29.555 --> 00:03:36.435
where his job is to expand into the northern hemisphere. So it's a sort of reverse export

00:03:36.435 --> 00:03:41.055
of international education into the north from the south. I think it's very interesting.

00:03:42.055 --> 00:03:47.495
We'll also hear from the head of the first state school in England, not far from Cambridge,

00:03:47.895 --> 00:03:51.575
to adopt the International Baccalaureate back in the 1970s.

00:03:52.095 --> 00:03:53.595
I think a lot to be learnt there too.

00:03:54.235 --> 00:04:00.855
We'll hear from the world's largest K-12 private education company, GEMS,

00:04:01.395 --> 00:04:04.315
which is a truly global education provider.

00:04:04.315 --> 00:04:08.695
And we'll hear from the Italian Ministry of Education.

00:04:08.695 --> 00:04:15.075
Italy is, as you'll hear, doing some very bold, wide-scale reforms

00:04:15.075 --> 00:04:21.055
aimed at partly internationalising the state education system in that country.

00:04:22.135 --> 00:04:24.395
Now, before I introduce the first speaker,

00:04:24.395 --> 00:04:31.775
I just need to mention that Argentina has just joined us in the last couple of minutes.

00:04:31.775 --> 00:04:39.455
and we'll hear now from my colleague Lucila Marquez in Buenos Aires from Argentina. Thank you.

00:04:41.455 --> 00:04:52.655
Hello, good morning. We are here in this very nice room. There's a few of us. We have seven

00:04:52.655 --> 00:05:12.182
principals and heads of secondary from various bilingual schools in Buenos Aires and the suburbs We have two colleagues from Cambridge English two colleagues from our associate in Argentina which is ESARP and one colleague from Cambridge

00:05:12.182 --> 00:05:18.382
University Press. We have been discussing these points that you were talking about recently,

00:05:18.742 --> 00:05:25.122
just now, Michael, and my colleague Denise Enright is going to give a summary of what

00:05:25.122 --> 00:05:29.182
we have been talking about during the past hour. Thank you.

00:05:31.502 --> 00:05:33.702
Hello, Michael. I'm Denise.

00:05:33.962 --> 00:05:36.982
Pleased to meet you. We represent

00:05:36.982 --> 00:05:41.482
a school, sorry, we represent a group of schools.

00:05:41.482 --> 00:05:45.582
They all sit for Cambridge International Examinations.

00:05:46.182 --> 00:05:49.542
These schools are not really international schools

00:05:49.542 --> 00:05:53.482
in the sense that they follow two programs.

00:05:53.482 --> 00:06:01.562
programs, the local curriculum, which is very prescriptive, and also the international curriculum.

00:06:02.002 --> 00:06:09.142
This means that our students have very long timetables. And what is the reason that they

00:06:09.142 --> 00:06:16.362
sit for these exams? It's not that they use them for entry university purposes, really.

00:06:16.362 --> 00:06:21.362
The main motivator, I would say, is quality,

00:06:21.362 --> 00:06:26.362
in the sense that we don't have local standardized examinations,

00:06:26.362 --> 00:06:31.362
and so these exams represent a benchmark.

00:06:31.362 --> 00:06:36.362
On the other hand, we were commenting that one of the main values

00:06:36.362 --> 00:06:42.942
is that being able to experience another culture through its literature

00:06:43.038 --> 00:06:54.198
its history and so on makes it very, it opens students' minds and gives them tools to be

00:06:54.198 --> 00:07:00.958
more understanding and tolerant as regards the rest of the world. I don't know if you would like

00:07:00.958 --> 00:07:11.718
to add anything. Okay, so over to you then. Thank you very much for your contribution from Buenos

00:07:11.718 --> 00:07:18.618
and I hope you enjoy the afternoon with us. Let me now introduce the first of our four speakers

00:07:18.618 --> 00:07:23.918
and they'll speak for not more than 15 minutes each and then we will have time for questions.

00:07:24.158 --> 00:07:30.578
So our first speaker, Dr Stephen Spurr, is now Managing Director of Redham House Europe

00:07:30.578 --> 00:07:34.638
but was until recently for many years the headmaster of Westminster School,

00:07:35.158 --> 00:07:39.618
one of the top performing independent schools in England. Stephen.

00:07:39.618 --> 00:07:40.758
Thank you very much, Michael.

00:07:41.718 --> 00:07:54.618
I always find a slide with this title makes a good beginning.

00:07:54.618 --> 00:07:59.078
But on this occasion, I really do mean it.

00:07:59.078 --> 00:08:01.318
Also I do hope you like the black background.

00:08:01.318 --> 00:08:06.038
We were told a little earlier on that in this international marketplace we need to stand

00:08:06.038 --> 00:08:09.478
out and so this is what I'm trying to do this afternoon.

00:08:09.478 --> 00:08:13.918
I do hope my comments are going to help to move the discussion forward.

00:08:14.638 --> 00:08:18.658
All I can say is that this is a very, very complex topic,

00:08:18.898 --> 00:08:30.105
something that I have been grappling with at least over the past 10 years and I found today has really helped focus my thinking and move my thoughts ahead so thank you very much to the

00:08:30.105 --> 00:08:38.585
organisers. The past, well we heard eloquently from Simon a little earlier on about Gordonstone

00:08:38.585 --> 00:08:47.265
and English public boarding schools in the recession of the 70s and 80s internationalism

00:08:47.265 --> 00:08:53.485
meant finding boarders from overseas who would come to fill the boarding places.

00:08:55.225 --> 00:09:01.785
And in general, I think in this country, we have always thought, because English is our

00:09:01.785 --> 00:09:06.365
language, and that is the language which is exported around the world, that somehow we

00:09:06.365 --> 00:09:07.525
have the upper hand.

00:09:07.625 --> 00:09:08.785
We are one step ahead.

00:09:08.785 --> 00:09:16.785
And I think it's sobering today, certainly for me, and also in my new job, to see how

00:09:17.265 --> 00:09:23.105
far advanced all around the world everyone seems to be with their thinking

00:09:23.105 --> 00:09:27.945
a recent development in this country is independent schools setting up

00:09:27.945 --> 00:09:34.385
franchises of themselves around the world exporting again their vision to

00:09:34.385 --> 00:09:39.525
mainly expats but I think we're moving rapidly beyond that too in this new

00:09:39.525 --> 00:09:45.865
international educational world more recently still there's been an

00:09:45.865 --> 00:09:49.185
establishment establishing of international schools I suppose

00:09:49.185 --> 00:09:54.985
particularly in London particularly there to suit the increasingly mobile

00:09:54.985 --> 00:10:13.632
labour market the inward investment into the capital and produce schools which will suit them and more local families who are looking for a global outlook And I think this is a very new interesting approach and it is something as Michael said

00:10:13.972 --> 00:10:18.372
that I have been working on over the past month since leaving Westminster.

00:10:19.252 --> 00:10:26.672
Another development which was very important for us at Westminster and was mentioned a little earlier,

00:10:26.672 --> 00:10:33.232
namely that universities, the top universities from around the world, are recruiting the best students from around the world,

00:10:33.312 --> 00:10:41.412
not only just from their local, their own national countries, but from looking for the very, very best students from around the world.

00:10:42.152 --> 00:10:47.232
The Ivy League universities and others from the United States, and not only from the United States,

00:10:47.652 --> 00:10:52.492
further afield too, are actively searching out the best students around the world.

00:10:52.492 --> 00:11:04.492
And this has really raised the stakes for schools like Westminster as they look outwards and make sure that they're driving up standards of teaching and learning.

00:11:05.452 --> 00:11:13.612
I guess back to the future, I'm a classicist, a student of Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures.

00:11:14.072 --> 00:11:18.072
And I guess I always look in the rear view mirror before I pull out from the curb.

00:11:18.072 --> 00:11:26.712
I was struck by David's masterful look back over the past 2,000 years earlier on.

00:11:26.712 --> 00:11:32.192
He did seem to miss out Rome and Greece, but if I could just make a quick plea for them,

00:11:32.452 --> 00:11:54.860
I thought they also had a very interesting international approach to culture and education And also the Renaissance didn feature highly in his look either I think well ladies and gentlemen maybe I filled with optimism from today contributions but if you think it an

00:11:54.860 --> 00:12:02.460
exaggeration to believe that we may be on the cusp of a new global shared educational renaissance

00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:08.720
or one which is centered around liberal rather than neoliberal values,

00:12:09.420 --> 00:12:15.900
then I would say to you that unless we do work towards that enlightened vision in our generation,

00:12:15.900 --> 00:12:19.200
the alternatives, it seemed to me, are pretty dire.

00:12:22.420 --> 00:12:29.900
And that need for a vision then, and I guess I had anticipated some of the tensions and questions

00:12:29.900 --> 00:12:36.480
questions that would be coming up today but both what I've got on the slide both these

00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:45.540
seeming opposites usually seen as competing forces in tension with each other

00:12:45.540 --> 00:12:51.380
impeding the creation and implementation of a shared vision I've really been heartened today

00:12:51.380 --> 00:12:59.660
to see how we've been able to get around them being rather either or propositions to be and

00:12:59.660 --> 00:13:05.740
and propositions, and I was really heartened by what our Indian colleagues had to say, the

00:13:05.740 --> 00:13:13.220
idea of listening to young people. When I lecture all around the world to young audiences,

00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:20.160
I find that they discard the stereotypes of our generation, and they can think of themselves,

00:13:20.160 --> 00:13:25.980
both of being help to their own nations and also sharing a more

00:13:26.075 --> 00:13:32.075
international view as well. So I think it's something we all want to work for, working with

00:13:32.075 --> 00:13:40.695
such young people. Quickly then, recent personal perspectives. I'm obviously speaking from,

00:13:40.835 --> 00:13:47.055
I guess, a fairly narrow range of experiences. Westminster School, as Michael kindly said,

00:13:47.135 --> 00:13:54.475
the, I might say, the most successful academic school, boarding and day school in the UK.

00:13:54.475 --> 00:14:05.615
some 30 pupils from 190 went on to US Ivy League universities last year and 97 to Oxbridge

00:14:05.615 --> 00:14:13.895
globally a ranked school Harris Westminster Sixth Form Academy we heard quite rightly

00:14:13.895 --> 00:14:22.175
earlier on that we need to be sharing our knowledge experience and the best practice

00:14:22.175 --> 00:14:26.435
to help more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds,

00:14:26.855 --> 00:14:29.835
and that is a school that has just started this September,

00:14:30.315 --> 00:14:32.815
and I was privileged as Headmaster of Westminster

00:14:32.815 --> 00:14:34.435
to work with my colleagues,

00:14:34.835 --> 00:14:36.515
one of whom is sitting in the audience here

00:14:36.515 --> 00:14:38.355
and did a great deal of work for it,

00:14:38.455 --> 00:14:41.415
Rodney Harris, the Director of Studies at Westminster School,

00:14:41.415 --> 00:14:44.555
to set up this new Sixth Form Academy.

00:14:45.395 --> 00:14:48.995
I've recently become the Governor of the Royal Ballet School,

00:14:48.995 --> 00:14:54.955
which is both recruiting globally and preparing students for ballet companies worldwide,

00:14:55.335 --> 00:15:00.275
while ensuring also that the academic education is as good as it can be.

00:15:00.715 --> 00:15:14.763
And my new job as Managing Director Europe for Redham House yes highly successful innovative co through schools in South Africa and Australia ranked among the top ten in the league tables

00:15:14.763 --> 00:15:22.403
in those countries, with a real added emphasis for all pupils on artistic and sport beyond

00:15:22.403 --> 00:15:29.743
the traditional academic curriculum, now starting a cluster of schools in this country and looking

00:15:29.743 --> 00:15:36.663
really for a creative fusion of the best approaches to education to produce something

00:15:36.663 --> 00:15:45.903
which is truly international. Ladies and gentlemen, I've talked about some of these influences on

00:15:45.903 --> 00:15:50.163
policy and practice already and others have been picked up by previous contributors.

00:15:51.183 --> 00:15:58.123
Perhaps I could say something about international competitions at something new. I'm thinking

00:15:58.123 --> 00:16:04.103
particularly about the international olympiads it seems to me this is a fun way an interesting way

00:16:04.103 --> 00:16:11.363
of matching our pupils around the world and getting the best ones perhaps to meet and work together

00:16:11.363 --> 00:16:18.003
but of course it was worrying from the national point of view when one found pupils from Westminster

00:16:18.003 --> 00:16:25.783
school being as it were ranked first in their national teams in various subjects but when

00:16:25.783 --> 00:16:30.783
then competing in international Olympiads to becoming 20th or 25th.

00:16:30.783 --> 00:16:37.283
I mean it does give one pause for thought and therefore again another way of

00:16:37.283 --> 00:16:57.750
stimulating us to think about how we might be getting young people to learn and exchanges that is I think terribly important exchanges with other schools other pupils around the world not only for the pupils themselves as they can also video

00:16:57.750 --> 00:17:05.250
conferencing with joint projects but also exchanges for teachers too to learn best practice around the

00:17:05.250 --> 00:17:13.430
world. The constructing the international curriculum therefore the structure for me this

00:17:13.430 --> 00:17:22.410
division between formal and informal structure curriculum is very very important to maximise

00:17:22.410 --> 00:17:30.210
the opportunity in a quickly evolving educational world and to keep competitive. We need to embed

00:17:30.210 --> 00:17:38.270
as much structural autonomy and flexibility into our curriculum as possible and in particular I

00:17:38.270 --> 00:17:44.110
have always driven not to let the formal qualification-led section of the curriculum

00:17:44.110 --> 00:17:50.970
invade and absorb too much time and in both I'm going on to talk about those in more detail

00:17:50.970 --> 00:17:55.590
within both sections do not overcrowd the curriculum.

00:17:59.050 --> 00:18:06.510
So the principles then, even though in the formal curriculum there's much less autonomy

00:18:06.510 --> 00:18:13.710
because it's qualifications led, nevertheless it must in my view always be constructed on principles.

00:18:13.710 --> 00:18:21.930
The examined syllabuses which we adopt must be made to work for pupils and their teachers,

00:18:21.930 --> 00:18:35.817
not the other way around I have listed on this slide some of those principles I have successfully applied over my career and they lie also at the heart of the Redham House approach as well

00:18:36.597 --> 00:18:45.557
I won't go through them all. Perhaps I should say something about the canon of knowledge and skills first, and syllabus second.

00:18:45.557 --> 00:18:52.937
specialist teachers in my view should be responsible for devising what knowledge

00:18:52.937 --> 00:19:02.457
understanding and skills pupils need to master subject by subject at every age and stage once

00:19:02.457 --> 00:19:09.397
you've done that in your school then you go out to search for the examinable syllabus that most

00:19:09.397 --> 00:19:15.037
closely matches the agreed canon and of course then to teach beyond those syllabuses.

00:19:16.257 --> 00:19:24.497
Perhaps epistemology, by this ladies and gentlemen what I mean is that pupils need to be taught

00:19:24.497 --> 00:19:33.357
within the subjects the method, basis and often bias and often cultural bias, we heard this

00:19:33.357 --> 00:19:39.377
referred to a little earlier on, by which evidence is collected and tested subject by subject.

00:19:39.397 --> 00:19:42.497
What is historical truth?

00:19:42.497 --> 00:19:45.397
What is scientific truth, for example?

00:19:46.497 --> 00:19:51.497
Independent research, I'm sure that doesn't require

00:19:52.057 --> 00:19:54.217
further explanation.

00:19:54.217 --> 00:19:56.637
This is by pupils, obviously, from a young age.

00:19:56.637 --> 00:20:00.437
They need to get used to doing research by themselves.

00:20:00.437 --> 00:20:04.157
Perhaps language, sorry, I've gone.

00:20:05.257 --> 00:20:09.017
Perhaps language competency.

00:20:09.113 --> 00:20:13.793
Obviously, we have heard of the primacy and continuance of English.

00:20:14.033 --> 00:20:19.793
I mean, some few years ago, we thought that the lingua franca, to use Tim's phrase, was going to be Mandarin.

00:20:20.353 --> 00:20:25.113
I personally am very pleased it's going to remain English, and I'm going to take that away with me.

00:20:25.253 --> 00:20:27.193
Thanks, Tim, for today.

00:20:27.833 --> 00:20:35.773
But in a rapidly changing world, no one can guess at what language or languages will become significant for our pupils in the future.

00:20:35.773 --> 00:20:39.833
the British Council has recently produced a paper saying that there are 10

00:20:39.833 --> 00:20:46.533
principal languages which we should all master but perhaps what we need to do as educators

00:20:46.533 --> 00:20:53.193
is provide a strong linguistic foundation I have always insisted on French and Latin

00:20:53.193 --> 00:20:59.753
that might be outmoded but the idea was that one modern language and one ancient one

00:20:59.753 --> 00:21:05.053
would provide the solid linguistic foundation on which pupils would quickly be able to build

00:21:05.053 --> 00:21:09.173
as they realised or chose that there was one language or two languages,

00:21:09.253 --> 00:21:10.953
other languages which they wanted to learn.

00:21:12.713 --> 00:21:15.653
Scientific, mathematical, literacy for all,

00:21:15.653 --> 00:21:21.053
I agreed with all that was said about that by our speaker on mathematics.

00:21:21.893 --> 00:21:25.353
Perhaps a compulsory creative subject I might mention.

00:21:25.993 --> 00:21:31.873
I do believe that all pupils should have that as part of their curriculum right through,

00:21:31.873 --> 00:21:38.873
not only because I think it's of intrinsic interest in itself, but also because I believe

00:21:38.873 --> 00:21:43.873
the sense of the creative process needs to be understood and then transferred back into

00:21:43.873 --> 00:21:56.900
all their other subjects as well Digital fluency well yes we talked about that today And perhaps flexible subject choice for specialisms I not quite sure whether all of you would agree with this but I certainly do

00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:02.940
that particularly in the final two years of a child's learning,

00:22:03.560 --> 00:22:08.580
his or her emerging talents and specialisms should be given full reign,

00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:10.560
at least in the formal curriculum,

00:22:10.560 --> 00:22:16.680
to enable top academic results and successful admission to the university of choice,

00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:26.740
while breadth and balance is referred to in the question of the informal curriculum.

00:22:27.320 --> 00:22:32.880
I've always liked the idea of the international baccalaureate,

00:22:33.080 --> 00:22:35.220
but not as a formal qualification,

00:22:35.220 --> 00:22:41.480
because I find it tends to be relatively inflexible and pervade the whole curriculum.

00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:48.100
But all sorts of other possibilities are there in your informal broadening curriculum

00:22:48.100 --> 00:22:50.460
for which you need to create space.

00:22:50.460 --> 00:22:53.960
We've heard about cultural and ethical perspectives today.

00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:57.500
Civic engagement, that's that involvement in the community,

00:22:57.920 --> 00:23:00.420
the local community, the human face of society,

00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:05.620
and then building out from that to some international project of work in the community,

00:23:06.300 --> 00:23:09.100
which Isabel was talking about a little earlier on.

00:23:09.600 --> 00:23:12.380
I've put performing arts and physical exercise in bracket,

00:23:12.380 --> 00:23:18.760
but we believe, I'm sure, all of that, how that is important for the education of the young.

00:23:19.380 --> 00:23:22.320
And finally, what I call enduring habits of mind,

00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:25.300
others perhaps call skills for the 21st century,

00:23:25.860 --> 00:23:41.408
but I was struck as I move around the world between the question the Western model of learning and teaching in the classroom Socrates the question and answer then the Confucian

00:23:41.408 --> 00:23:46.648
model of greater respect, respect or perhaps deference is the right word for the authoritative

00:23:46.648 --> 00:23:52.408
teacher, the taking of notes, the concentrating and perhaps the regurgitation at the end of

00:23:52.408 --> 00:24:00.028
the day by the eastern philosophy of eastern approach perhaps i'm generalizing of course i am

00:24:00.028 --> 00:24:07.068
but how often have i heard uh chinese pupils saying why is this western pupil taking up so

00:24:07.068 --> 00:24:14.748
much of the valuable time of this lecture just by um ask asking fatuous questions how often have i

00:24:14.748 --> 00:24:21.248
heard the westerners saying why is the chinese pupil not asking any questions at all let's put

00:24:21.248 --> 00:24:23.908
Let's try to put both of those together.

00:24:24.308 --> 00:24:26.108
And I think if you can achieve that in your school,

00:24:26.428 --> 00:24:28.048
then I think you're on to a winner.

00:24:28.248 --> 00:24:30.008
Ladies and gentlemen, Michael, thank you very much indeed.

00:24:30.368 --> 00:24:32.468
Thank you very, very much indeed, Stephen.

00:24:32.988 --> 00:24:35.968
It might be a good idea to learn Chinese, if only as insurance,

00:24:36.488 --> 00:24:37.348
is what I would say.

00:24:39.308 --> 00:24:43.528
Our next speaker, the head of the Anglo-European School in Essex,

00:24:43.528 --> 00:24:47.068
our neighbouring county here in England, is David Bars.

00:24:51.248 --> 00:24:59.288
Thank you, thank you Michael. It's always a privilege for a headteacher to come and

00:24:59.288 --> 00:25:05.288
speak to an audience about his school and I'm very pleased to be able to do that and

00:25:05.288 --> 00:25:19.895
I hope that in doing so I able to put a different perspective into your thinking to try and put into practice some of the things that we been listening to today which I found very frankly reassuring

00:25:20.855 --> 00:25:30.815
Stephen, I am delighted that I chose a black background because I think we felt something about what you said as well.

00:25:31.755 --> 00:25:36.195
A distinctive school it is. They're not my words. They're the words of our inspectors.

00:25:36.195 --> 00:25:39.955
They couldn't quite get themselves to call us outstanding.

00:25:41.215 --> 00:25:43.695
And so we gave them a different word and they used it.

00:25:43.795 --> 00:25:45.575
And so we will continue to use it.

00:25:46.315 --> 00:25:52.275
For others in the state sector, the state comprehensive sector, we might be distinctive.

00:25:52.455 --> 00:25:53.635
For others, we might be quirky.

00:25:54.095 --> 00:25:57.095
At the end of it, you can decide how you feel.

00:25:58.635 --> 00:26:02.075
We are, to some, a faith school.

00:26:02.075 --> 00:26:05.835
But our faith is a secular internationalism.

00:26:06.195 --> 00:26:12.935
And I think that type of rationale helps understand the nature of the school.

00:26:13.655 --> 00:26:27.255
It goes back to 1967 when Essex Local Education Authority determined to set about finding a school that they could develop along European lines, whatever that meant.

00:26:27.255 --> 00:26:33.135
and they had to wait until 1973 to find a secondary modern school that was failing and due to close

00:26:33.135 --> 00:26:40.015
before it had the opportunity to put this into being. The catchment area the school was given

00:26:40.015 --> 00:26:47.675
was a very small catchment area based on three villages. At this point in time those villages

00:26:47.675 --> 00:26:52.055
and the village schools give us about 300 children. We have to earn another

00:26:52.151 --> 00:26:59.711
1,100 children to make up the numbers that ensure that a comprehensive school is viable.

00:27:00.671 --> 00:27:07.331
And so I think we can claim some pioneering history and I want to use the opportunity here

00:27:07.331 --> 00:27:13.271
to remind you that the IB is not just about the diploma post-16 but also about the IB

00:27:13.271 --> 00:27:18.251
career programme post-16, the primary years programme and the middle years programme.

00:27:18.251 --> 00:27:28.071
IB World Schools have to demonstrate a number of things that pervades their thinking and their

00:27:28.071 --> 00:27:34.251
curriculum it isn't just about the taught subjects the unifying theme is international mindedness

00:27:34.251 --> 00:27:39.891
and we've heard that phrase at least once today there is an emphasis on cross-curricularity on

00:27:39.891 --> 00:27:44.771
collaborative planning the schools are values driven indeed in the mission statement there's

00:27:44.771 --> 00:27:48.451
wonderful phrase that I think is about to be reviewed out of the mission

00:27:48.451 --> 00:27:53.391
statement which where the mission statement currently says that we want to

00:27:53.391 --> 00:27:57.731
develop young people who understand that other people with their differences

00:27:57.731 --> 00:28:02.971
might be right that's challenging for me as a head teacher and I think it's

00:28:02.971 --> 00:28:09.271
challenging for all of us and it creates a very different mindset. My

00:28:09.271 --> 00:28:12.291
colleagues laugh at me when I talk about the beating heart but of course a

00:28:12.291 --> 00:28:17.231
a baccalaureate curriculum does have a beating heart. It's not just about the taught subjects,

00:28:17.231 --> 00:28:22.671
it's about the application of skills, it's about work experience, it's about research,

00:28:22.991 --> 00:28:38.718
it about the study of learning itself it about community service But I think that an important phrase I like to draw your attention to Altogether we see that this is something that does create young people equipped for the 21st century

00:28:40.298 --> 00:28:42.518
I'll draw attention to the IB learner profile.

00:28:42.678 --> 00:28:47.438
I think if we look at ourselves, let alone our children, we'd like to think this is what we would be.

00:28:48.038 --> 00:28:51.958
And indeed, it's the learner profile from the IB that we've embraced as a school.

00:28:52.438 --> 00:28:54.438
How do we assess it? Should we assess it?

00:28:54.438 --> 00:29:07.998
That's an open question, but it's certainly something that is used as a guide, if not an inspiration for us as teachers, in developing succeeding generations of young people.

00:29:08.978 --> 00:29:17.998
The IB learner profile is a really important concept, certainly in my school and I think in most IB schools.

00:29:18.778 --> 00:29:28.458
So what is it that makes the Anglo-European school, a state comprehensive school with boys and girls from age 11 to 19, so distinctive or indeed so quirky?

00:29:28.658 --> 00:29:39.378
I think there's a sense in which what I'm about to share with you here, the five Anglo-European school pillars, these are the key drivers, if you like, of our international ethos.

00:29:39.378 --> 00:29:45.178
and I think there's a sense in which this is where we've paid the price in terms of performance

00:29:45.178 --> 00:29:51.518
league tables and why Ofsted couldn't quite get themselves to call us outstanding but as I've

00:29:51.518 --> 00:29:56.518
indicated earlier with our so-called catchment area we have to remain different and we have to

00:29:56.518 --> 00:30:02.398
be distinctive otherwise children should go to their local school we have to do something different

00:30:02.398 --> 00:30:04.958
to encourage them to come to us.

00:30:06.998 --> 00:30:19.045
The European dimension European citizenship was an early driver That evolved into global citizenship Some people ask if that a valid concept We believe it is a valid concept

00:30:21.045 --> 00:30:24.885
We also understand that citizenship is about political education.

00:30:25.205 --> 00:30:31.645
We want our children to be politically engaged, and we also want them to be actively engaged in their communities.

00:30:32.885 --> 00:30:38.385
But I ought to say that actually Anglo-European School, you've been conned by all of us up here,

00:30:38.685 --> 00:30:40.565
We're not the Anglo-European school anymore.

00:30:41.145 --> 00:30:44.505
We are the Anglo-International School, but our name is Anglo-European.

00:30:45.185 --> 00:30:47.365
It means a lot to us. We're not changing it.

00:30:47.705 --> 00:30:50.785
But what we are about is international education.

00:30:51.865 --> 00:30:54.725
Languages for all, you've heard that mentioned, including by Stephen.

00:30:54.725 --> 00:30:58.925
All of our students study two GCSEs in addition to English.

00:30:59.525 --> 00:31:01.625
And in the sixth form, that is also a requirement.

00:31:01.825 --> 00:31:05.325
It is a myth that the British cannot learn languages.

00:31:05.325 --> 00:31:12.265
we are very attached to the concept of a baccalaureate style education of which the

00:31:12.265 --> 00:31:18.045
international baccalaureate is a very prominent and distinctive type our curriculum is broad

00:31:18.045 --> 00:31:24.625
there is no hiding place from languages but neither is there a hiding place from the humanities the

00:31:24.625 --> 00:31:31.085
arts technology maths english science physical education citizenship etc and all of those

00:31:31.085 --> 00:31:35.685
subjects are briefed to develop the international context for their learning.

00:31:35.865 --> 00:31:40.205
And the world does provide context for learning the learning wall subjects.

00:31:40.705 --> 00:31:42.445
Visits and exchanges have been mentioned.

00:31:42.445 --> 00:31:46.545
We have 20 partner schools, 700 children travel abroad and 700 come back every

00:31:46.545 --> 00:32:01.813
year largely funded by parents but we do have our own foundation to support that And fundamentally for us I think the mission and values of the IB they that is the engine if you like I used that

00:32:01.813 --> 00:32:05.773
analogy in a different way previously but the mission and values of the IB is

00:32:05.773 --> 00:32:14.293
what drives the school whether or not the students do IB programs or not if

00:32:14.293 --> 00:32:17.893
you looked at what a baccalaureate education is in a dictionary you'll not

00:32:17.893 --> 00:32:23.273
find anything. You'll find some reference to the Greeks and to the giving of laurels etc. You will

00:32:23.273 --> 00:32:29.393
not find, at least I can't find, a definition of a baccalaureate education so we have written our

00:32:29.393 --> 00:32:36.093
own and essentially it's about a breadth of learning that is followed concurrently and that

00:32:36.093 --> 00:32:41.513
adds up to more than the sum of its parts and of course in the context that we're talking about

00:32:41.513 --> 00:32:47.493
we're talking about preparation for life in the 21st century.

00:32:49.053 --> 00:32:57.193
You may not have time to finish reading that, so I'll move on.

00:32:58.913 --> 00:33:05.253
The breadth, I mentioned much of this, the subjects there are part of that breadth,

00:33:05.393 --> 00:33:09.433
but so too are things like modern United Nations, the exchanges, work experience.

00:33:09.433 --> 00:33:16.233
The government removed the requirement for schools to provide work experience for its students,

00:33:16.233 --> 00:33:20.573
which was quite a strange decision in our view, but we've insisted on maintaining it.

00:33:20.573 --> 00:33:26.833
So we encourage our students to do that work experience, either in the third sector or abroad or both.

00:33:26.833 --> 00:33:35.093
It is more than the sum of its parts, the Anglo approach to breadth. Our sixth form has

00:33:35.188 --> 00:33:40.628
A mix of routes, we offer A level as well. You'll see the IB route there and the average

00:33:40.628 --> 00:33:47.348
point score which is an indicator of what we think is right for each student taking the

00:33:47.348 --> 00:33:54.108
breadth that they've enjoyed in the main school and moving into the sick form. All of those

00:33:54.108 --> 00:34:01.428
routes include visits, exchanges, clubs, work experience etc. And of course it also includes

00:34:01.428 --> 00:34:09.908
language. The national picture and breadth is probably one worth moving on from. In my view

00:34:09.908 --> 00:34:16.208
the national curriculum is no longer national and it's not a curriculum. It is not national because

00:34:16.208 --> 00:34:21.008
academies can do as they choose, it is not a curriculum because it doesn't add up to more

00:34:21.008 --> 00:34:27.568
than the sum of its parts. The post-Ruskin era maybe did add up to something close to a broad

00:34:27.568 --> 00:34:29.208
and baccalaureate style curriculum.

00:34:29.608 --> 00:34:31.368
Remember the cross-curricular themes.

00:34:32.108 --> 00:34:34.668
But what we have now are no levels, no vision,

00:34:35.128 --> 00:34:36.828
and of course no beating heart.

00:34:36.928 --> 00:34:41.068
We do have a move towards breadth in terms of the English baccalaureate

00:34:41.068 --> 00:34:44.728
and this new performance measure of Progress 8,

00:34:45.148 --> 00:34:48.068
but of course they are just reflecting a collection of subjects

00:34:48.068 --> 00:34:51.668
and nothing more coherent or more holistic than that.

00:34:52.488 --> 00:34:54.348
Traditionally, we've chosen assessment,

00:34:54.348 --> 00:35:02.428
the best fit of assessment that's available but now we find the GCSEs are subject to continuous

00:35:02.428 --> 00:35:08.148
change maybe there is no purpose for them as students have to remain in education to the

00:35:08.148 --> 00:35:23.756
age of 19 they have never been intended for the entire ability range and that is certainly the case now and they not good preparation for the sick form I refuse to call the two sick form years year 12 and year 13

00:35:24.276 --> 00:35:27.756
because there is no simple progression from year 11.

00:35:28.416 --> 00:35:31.216
That's the entitlement of a headteacher, I guess.

00:35:33.036 --> 00:35:35.376
IGCSEs, thank you, have come into the state sector,

00:35:35.456 --> 00:35:39.856
but now are going again in the sense that they may not feature in league tables.

00:35:39.856 --> 00:35:44.756
We're looking at the middle years program of the IV to give us some meaning to that.

00:35:44.756 --> 00:35:47.156
It's a very different program.

00:35:47.156 --> 00:35:51.296
My teachers are now introducing a new national curriculum in Year 7,

00:35:51.296 --> 00:35:54.096
but levels have gone so they're writing new levels.

00:35:54.096 --> 00:35:59.656
All we have is Willow Green, which is a cul-de-sac where the school is,

00:35:59.656 --> 00:36:03.856
and some of the autonomy that comes from being an academy.

00:36:03.856 --> 00:36:07.856
So for the future we have to develop our own assessments,

00:36:07.856 --> 00:36:11.276
both of the qualitative and the quantitative.

00:36:12.056 --> 00:36:14.576
We need to backward plan from age 19.

00:36:15.156 --> 00:36:16.836
We need to embrace e-assessment

00:36:16.836 --> 00:36:17.736
and I have to say

00:36:17.736 --> 00:36:19.976
and I'm sure Cambridge Assessment are doing the same

00:36:19.976 --> 00:36:22.416
but the IB are doing some really interesting

00:36:22.416 --> 00:36:27.296
and encouraging work in terms of e-assessment

00:36:27.296 --> 00:36:28.956
which for some of you in the audience may think

00:36:28.956 --> 00:36:31.436
oh no, no, please, that cannot be possible.

00:36:32.216 --> 00:36:34.256
But what I've seen I'm very encouraged by.

00:36:34.836 --> 00:36:37.456
By 2017 we hope that Ofqual will have recognised

00:36:37.456 --> 00:36:43.376
the Middle Years Programme and maybe that then is the future for us. I used to say to

00:36:43.376 --> 00:36:48.056
my senior staff that our job was to scan the horizon. Now I say to all my staff we have

00:36:48.056 --> 00:37:05.963
to scan the horizon because we do not know what is coming But what I do know is that we have the opportunity to engage on Willow Green in Ingotten in Essex in a global network both through the IB and through other schools that we link with

00:37:06.223 --> 00:37:18.283
And I think therefore the future, if we retain that autonomy and retain that confidence in what we do, and the students keep coming, then I think the future is rosy.

00:37:18.283 --> 00:37:22.143
and we will produce succeeding generations of young people

00:37:22.143 --> 00:37:25.063
who are indeed fit for the 21st century.

00:37:25.503 --> 00:37:26.023
Thank you.

00:37:26.603 --> 00:37:28.263
Thank you very, very much indeed, David.

00:37:28.683 --> 00:37:32.343
You touched both on some of the areas of reform

00:37:32.343 --> 00:37:35.003
that we often complain about, change and unpredictability,

00:37:35.163 --> 00:37:38.343
but I think your school also exemplifies a real strength

00:37:38.343 --> 00:37:40.763
in the system in England now,

00:37:40.843 --> 00:37:43.103
which is the autonomy that many schools have

00:37:43.103 --> 00:37:46.663
to construct their own unique curriculum from many elements,

00:37:46.663 --> 00:37:50.323
and that's something we at Cambridge think is very good indeed.

00:37:50.883 --> 00:37:52.563
Now, just before we're joined by Mexico,

00:37:52.723 --> 00:37:55.803
I would like to ask all four speakers in this session

00:37:55.803 --> 00:37:57.903
to join me, please, on stage.

00:37:58.103 --> 00:38:00.703
So, Stephen, David, Dino and Gisela,

00:38:00.863 --> 00:38:03.303
could you possibly transport yourself

00:38:03.303 --> 00:38:08.143
to these nice, superior-quality chairs on the stage?

00:38:14.023 --> 00:38:14.543
Please.

00:38:16.663 --> 00:38:23.103
We're now joined, I think, by the last international group joining us today, and they're in Mexico.

00:38:23.103 --> 00:38:26.883
Have we got Mexico on the screen?

00:38:26.883 --> 00:38:27.883
Perfect.

00:38:27.883 --> 00:38:44.190
My colleague from Cambridge Rafael Sanchez will introduce them Thank you very much I hope you can hear me Good afternoon everybody in Cambridge It a beautiful morning here in Mexico quite fortunately no rain And we are happy to be

00:38:44.190 --> 00:38:50.630
joining you today at the Cambridge Assessment Conference. As my colleague said, my name is

00:38:50.630 --> 00:38:56.070
Rafael Sanchez-Majerich. I'm the regional director for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

00:38:56.850 --> 00:39:02.270
It is a pleasure to be here sharing this event with some colleagues from the Ministry of

00:39:02.270 --> 00:39:08.990
Education, particularly the Mexico City and the State of Mexico, UNAM, Escuela Nacional

00:39:08.990 --> 00:39:17.550
Preparatoria, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Network of Semper Altius Schools, National

00:39:17.550 --> 00:39:23.770
Unit of Technological and Polytechnical Universities, and the State of Mexico Department Training

00:39:23.770 --> 00:39:29.850
Colleges. As you know, this is one of the largest cities in the world, so we are very

00:39:29.850 --> 00:39:36.230
thankful to all our colleagues for having come today to this conference. These colleagues

00:39:36.230 --> 00:39:41.370
represent some of the projects our office has been working on since it opened 10 years

00:39:41.370 --> 00:39:48.210
ago. English teaching of public schools and in higher education through national and state

00:39:48.210 --> 00:39:56.010
projects involving thousands of public primary and secondary school students. Teacher training

00:39:56.010 --> 00:40:05.010
to create the ELT professionals of tomorrow and evaluation of the English language at all levels and in all contexts,

00:40:05.010 --> 00:40:13.010
from primary schools all the way to higher education, both in the public and private sectors.

00:40:13.010 --> 00:40:18.130
At present, educational institutions in Mexico are exploring ways

00:40:18.226 --> 00:40:24.426
of maximizing their students' opportunities to succeed in our global world, just like

00:40:24.426 --> 00:40:30.426
many other countries do. Student mobility and the best strategies to implement it are

00:40:30.426 --> 00:40:37.466
at the forefront of educational activity here in Mexico. Double and joint degrees feature

00:40:37.466 --> 00:40:43.646
more and more in Mexican higher education institutions. And this all begins many years

00:40:43.646 --> 00:40:49.166
before in the primary classroom and increasingly in the preschool classroom.

00:40:49.686 --> 00:40:54.806
All this makes today's event an important experience for everyone in this room.

00:40:54.806 --> 00:40:56.886
We want to thank you for the opportunity.

00:40:58.766 --> 00:40:59.446
Thanks.

00:40:59.806 --> 00:41:02.726
Thanks very much, Rafael, in Mexico City.

00:41:06.446 --> 00:41:07.446
Good afternoon.

00:41:07.446 --> 00:41:16.526
It really is a privilege to be invited to speak here at Cambridge.

00:41:17.166 --> 00:41:24.546
And I must thank the organisers for giving me the opportunity to share the story of our company, GEMS Education.

00:41:26.186 --> 00:41:34.246
It is always with a great sense of pride that I tell everyone that I meet that I represent the third generation of an education family.

00:41:35.706 --> 00:41:37.286
Three of my grandparents were teachers.

00:41:37.446 --> 00:41:44.626
In 1959, my paternal grandparents emigrated from the south of India to Dubai to make a

00:41:44.626 --> 00:41:48.526
better life for themselves and their family.

00:41:48.526 --> 00:41:53.446
They were educated, but life in India at that time, when you're from a lower middle class

00:41:53.446 --> 00:42:06.853
family really there was little opportunity Theirs was a story of courage and aspiration And I standing here in front of you today am very grateful that they had the strength to make that journey

00:42:08.373 --> 00:42:17.773
Perhaps the story of my family, to some extent, exemplifies the profound impact of receiving a quality education.

00:42:17.773 --> 00:42:31.213
As a consequence, for the last 55 years, we've been driven by a very singular purpose, to try and put a quality education within the reach of every child and every student.

00:42:31.213 --> 00:42:37.613
and today this purpose has brought us to a point where through our schools,

00:42:38.373 --> 00:42:40.853
through the work that we undertake on behalf of governments around the world

00:42:40.853 --> 00:42:42.573
and through our subsidiaries,

00:42:42.873 --> 00:42:49.013
we have the privilege of educating over a quarter of a million students each and every day

00:42:49.013 --> 00:42:55.373
and this is across 19 countries and these students represent 171 different nationalities.

00:42:55.373 --> 00:43:04.833
We also have the privilege of employing almost 20,000 education professionals and staff from 115 different countries.

00:43:05.713 --> 00:43:13.073
And finally, through the work of our foundation, for every child that attends a GEM school,

00:43:13.573 --> 00:43:21.613
we seek and strive to positively impact the lives of 100 children that today cannot access a quality education.

00:43:21.613 --> 00:43:27.613
As a result, today we are the largest K-12 education company in the world.

00:43:27.613 --> 00:43:46.441
But most importantly we believe passionately that solving the education crisis globally represents the single greatest opportunity to improve the state of our world However it important to understand the context

00:43:47.841 --> 00:43:57.501
Depending on the numbers that one chooses to look at, the education gap globally is defined by universal access to basic primary education or Millennium Development Goal 2.

00:43:57.501 --> 00:44:02.461
and while there has been some movement towards improving that,

00:44:03.001 --> 00:44:06.061
today that number stands at approximately 57 million young people

00:44:06.061 --> 00:44:09.721
that today cannot access even a basic primary education

00:44:09.721 --> 00:44:13.301
and we all know that we won't meet this goal for 2015.

00:44:14.781 --> 00:44:18.061
But what if we extend that definition and look at those children

00:44:18.061 --> 00:44:19.721
that have been forced to opt out of secondary school?

00:44:20.461 --> 00:44:23.461
You add another 72 million to that 57 million.

00:44:23.461 --> 00:44:31.781
What about children who may be sitting in a classroom but the teacher is absent, forcing

00:44:31.781 --> 00:44:38.621
school administrators to put together class sizes that are 70, 80 or 100, just so that

00:44:38.621 --> 00:44:42.201
there is a teacher standing in front of those kids?

00:44:42.201 --> 00:44:49.221
What if we were to extend our definition beyond just children and look at the 793 million

00:44:49.221 --> 00:44:56.281
young people that are illiterate, mostly women and girls. Combine this, I am building a picture

00:44:56.281 --> 00:45:03.321
here by the way, combine this with the sheer weight of demand driven by accelerating population

00:45:03.321 --> 00:45:08.741
growth dynamics in emerging markets. And as an example, let's just look at the BRIC nations.

00:45:10.121 --> 00:45:27.028
Just to keep pace with incremental population growth you would need to add every year 10 schools And this doesn take into account existing capacity shortage in a place like India which is today short of 200 schools

00:45:28.328 --> 00:45:34.008
If we start to look at all of these factors and think about defining the education gap

00:45:34.008 --> 00:45:37.028
as not just about universal access to education,

00:45:37.228 --> 00:45:41.288
but universal access to a minimum standard or quality of education,

00:45:41.288 --> 00:45:47.368
then the gap that we may be looking at extends to well over a billion young people.

00:45:48.688 --> 00:45:51.108
And by the way, this number is accelerating away from us.

00:45:52.588 --> 00:45:56.748
Governments on their own cannot move fast enough to meet this demand.

00:45:57.628 --> 00:46:01.348
Governments on their own cannot fund this demand.

00:46:02.448 --> 00:46:05.388
In the face of such a requirement, increasingly,

00:46:05.948 --> 00:46:09.828
it becomes apparent that either private sector will step in outright

00:46:09.828 --> 00:46:17.148
or in partnership with governments and NGOs in order to provide the quality of education

00:46:17.148 --> 00:46:20.908
that communities around the world increasingly desire

00:46:20.908 --> 00:46:25.308
at the speed that communities around the world truly need.

00:46:27.528 --> 00:46:35.648
In the face of such a challenge, we don't have the time to engage in the traditional intellectual

00:46:35.648 --> 00:46:41.988
and political debates of public versus private that seem to occupy so much time and resource

00:46:41.988 --> 00:46:44.908
here in the developed world.

00:46:44.908 --> 00:46:49.468
In every other walk of life, we've adopted private sector principles.

00:46:49.468 --> 00:46:56.228
In fact, we now find ourselves living in a time where even the most successful NGOs and

00:46:56.228 --> 00:47:01.168
foundations adopt private sector principles in trying to fulfill their humanitarian missions.

00:47:02.064 --> 00:47:08.324
And yet when private sector is mentioned in the context of education, there is still a stigma attached to it.

00:47:09.544 --> 00:47:11.904
We believe it's because of residual anxiety.

00:47:13.424 --> 00:47:22.384
The fear that somehow private players will only serve the needs of the rich or simply widen the gap between the rich and the poor.

00:47:22.384 --> 00:47:45.584
However, our belief is that if applied correctly, adopting private sector principles in education allow us to create schools and education systems that are sustainable, who are self-sufficient and whose financial viability provide the freedom and the capacity to build an education system at scale and at place.

00:47:46.584 --> 00:47:50.744
This is how we can truly help deliver an international education.

00:47:50.744 --> 00:47:57.064
The most common misconception regarding private education is that it is the domain of the

00:47:57.064 --> 00:47:58.704
wealthy.

00:47:58.704 --> 00:48:01.364
Many even class them as elitist.

00:48:01.364 --> 00:48:07.404
However here is the interesting fact that about education, certainly about private education

00:48:07.404 --> 00:48:11.824
that may seem counterintuitive to many people.

00:48:11.824 --> 00:48:18.264
The most mature private sector education markets are actually found in emerging countries.

00:48:18.264 --> 00:48:27.644
And it is actually the developed markets that have the most immature private sector education

00:48:27.644 --> 00:48:32.704
markets. Fundamentally, this is explained by the fact that developed nations have historically

00:48:32.704 --> 00:48:50.191
had relatively accessible social welfare systems such as a public education system underperforming though many may be around the world Whereas in emerging nations this has not been the case So in a scenario where the average person does not have access to a public education

00:48:50.191 --> 00:48:55.711
system the private sector has stepped in to create an education solution for that person

00:48:55.711 --> 00:48:57.851
and their children.

00:48:57.851 --> 00:49:03.911
In fact in our home market of Dubai and the UAE almost 90% of education is provided by

00:49:03.911 --> 00:49:04.911
the private sector.

00:49:04.911 --> 00:49:10.591
It is today the largest and fastest growing private K-12 market in the world, having experienced

00:49:10.591 --> 00:49:18.011
growth in private school student enrollment of 7.1%, 8.7%, and 10% in the last three years

00:49:18.011 --> 00:49:18.251
alone.

00:49:18.911 --> 00:49:23.991
It is a market where a parent has the freedom and the flexibility to choose a school that

00:49:23.991 --> 00:49:31.491
charges as little as £700 a year in tuition to schools that charge £30,000 a year in

00:49:31.491 --> 00:49:31.771
tuition.

00:49:32.451 --> 00:49:36.711
In addition, those families and those parents can choose from over 15 different curricula,

00:49:37.451 --> 00:49:40.791
depending on the ambition and the aspiration that they have for the future of their children.

00:49:42.371 --> 00:49:43.731
However, this is only one example.

00:49:45.111 --> 00:49:48.011
If one looks at the work undertaken by James Tooley,

00:49:48.511 --> 00:49:52.491
who has historically been one of the foremost proponents of privatization education,

00:49:52.711 --> 00:49:56.651
he has actually found examples of private schools in parts of India

00:49:56.651 --> 00:50:02.011
where education is provided for as little as $3 a month.

00:50:02.791 --> 00:50:07.871
This is, of course, one extreme and quality of education can be debated,

00:50:08.471 --> 00:50:11.611
but it still beats the alternative, which is nothing.

00:50:13.071 --> 00:50:14.891
In fact, if one analyzes emerging countries,

00:50:14.991 --> 00:50:29.498
you see a much more segmented education market that offers parents flexibility choice rather than the typical private schools that we tend to see here in the West which are expensive and typically inaccessible for the vast majority

00:50:29.498 --> 00:50:36.818
of people. In countries like Pakistan, India, and across Africa, there has been significant

00:50:36.818 --> 00:50:42.198
expansion in non-state places. In Pakistan, for example, the share of private sector education

00:50:42.198 --> 00:50:48.778
has increased from approximately 3% in 1980 to approximately 25% and 30% today.

00:50:49.798 --> 00:50:57.358
India's annual status for education report showed that private school enrollment increased from 16.3% in 2005

00:50:57.358 --> 00:51:04.098
to 22.6% in 2008, which is an increase of 40% in a short space of time.

00:51:05.538 --> 00:51:08.658
And we know that the demand for private sector education is increasing worldwide.

00:51:08.658 --> 00:51:18.638
According to the IFC, in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda, private school enrollment is up to over 40%.

00:51:18.638 --> 00:51:23.858
This education is delivered in the main through low-cost and low-cost fee schools.

00:51:24.958 --> 00:51:36.998
It is truly astonishing to see how poor families are prepared to make considerable sacrifices to send their children to non-state schools.

00:51:37.878 --> 00:51:39.418
However, there is always a caveat.

00:51:40.478 --> 00:51:45.358
The education sector globally needs to be seen as the building of critical infrastructure

00:51:45.358 --> 00:51:48.099
that will ultimately secure the future of a nation.

00:51:49.138 --> 00:51:52.018
Consequently, like all infrastructure, in order to be successful,

00:51:52.958 --> 00:52:10.126
the education sector needs to attract capital and investors that are truly long This is fundamental to building an international education that students all over the world can truly access Unfortunately the majority of the capital that is finding

00:52:10.126 --> 00:52:16.366
its way into the education space is still fundamentally short term. However, we do see

00:52:16.366 --> 00:52:23.166
the strength shifting, albeit slowly. It's important, I suppose, for me to articulate

00:52:23.166 --> 00:52:29.806
at what I consider to be the potential efficiencies of a private education or private sector provision of education.

00:52:31.126 --> 00:52:35.766
If we talk about standards and efficiency, for the same per pupil cost,

00:52:35.866 --> 00:52:39.706
how much more achievement would one get in private than in public schools?

00:52:40.726 --> 00:52:44.686
Based on a World Bank study of achievement in language and mathematics in Colombia,

00:52:45.426 --> 00:52:48.506
the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Tanzania and Thailand,

00:52:48.746 --> 00:52:52.606
the answer ranged from as little as 1.2 times in the Philippines

00:52:52.606 --> 00:52:56.366
to as much as 6.74 times in Thailand

00:52:56.366 --> 00:52:59.266
in terms of private sector achievement over public schools.

00:53:00.266 --> 00:53:04.286
I personally am fortunate to have experienced schools in our network

00:53:04.286 --> 00:53:07.126
where parents pay £1,500 a year in tuition,

00:53:08.066 --> 00:53:11.166
where the children are outperforming the relevant national average

00:53:11.166 --> 00:53:12.746
by over 30 percentage points.

00:53:13.846 --> 00:53:16.606
The interesting fact here is that in this particular country,

00:53:17.426 --> 00:53:21.566
the country spends an average of £8,000 to £10,000 per pupil.

00:53:22.606 --> 00:53:28.546
It's also worth talking about equity.

00:53:28.546 --> 00:53:33.266
There are private providers of education today around the world such as ourselves that are

00:53:33.266 --> 00:53:38.206
able to deliver consistent educational outcomes regardless of the tuition fees being paid

00:53:38.206 --> 00:53:39.206
by parents.

00:53:39.206 --> 00:53:44.206
In our case, we were able to send a child from a 700 pound a year school

00:53:44.301 --> 00:53:51.941
a year school to MIT, just as we would a child from a school that charges £30,000 a year.

00:53:52.941 --> 00:53:59.061
In fact, this is the reason why people like UNESCO chose us to be their first ever private

00:53:59.061 --> 00:54:04.561
K-12 education partner, why we're the K-12 industry leader for the World Economic Forum,

00:54:05.781 --> 00:54:12.581
why world leaders, no longer burdened by the shackles of politics, refer to us as a model

00:54:12.581 --> 00:54:20.921
success. How have we been able to achieve this? The simple answer is accountability.

00:54:20.921 --> 00:54:24.201
Simple private sector fundamentals ensure that there is a strong chain of accountability

00:54:24.201 --> 00:54:31.121
amongst all the key stakeholders. Parents, because they pay no matter how little, have

00:54:31.121 --> 00:54:38.861
made an active choice to ensure their children's future and by nature are more engaged in their

00:54:38.861 --> 00:54:45.321
children's education. Students come into the school engaged and motivated to learn because

00:54:45.321 --> 00:54:53.341
their parents have impressed upon them the value of a good education. For providers and

00:54:53.341 --> 00:55:01.561
investors, a competitive market or in a competitive market, success ensures survival. Providers

00:55:01.561 --> 00:55:06.201
and investors are accountable to parents as paying customers. In order for a school to

00:55:06.201 --> 00:55:13.201
be successful, viable and sustainable, it must be full. If the school is not producing

00:55:13.201 --> 00:55:17.041
results, parents typically vote with their feet and withdraw their children and put them

00:55:17.041 --> 00:55:30.729
into competitor schools Teachers given the pressure on the school to produce results teachers are held to incredibly high standards of accountability by providers investors and their parents

00:55:31.549 --> 00:55:35.329
If teachers fail to meet the high standards, of course we help them improve.

00:55:36.609 --> 00:55:40.089
But if that is not successful, we also manage their exit.

00:55:40.509 --> 00:55:46.789
But this has done at speed so as not to jeopardise the learning outcomes in the future of our students.

00:55:46.789 --> 00:55:56.449
Therefore, in order to imagine a world where a right to a quality education becomes reality,

00:55:56.449 --> 00:56:02.229
we truly need to consider new solutions and new approaches.

00:56:02.229 --> 00:56:06.769
We must see changes in government policy, where private education providers entering

00:56:06.769 --> 00:56:12.189
a new country with an innovative new model is actually welcomed and supported rather than

00:56:12.189 --> 00:56:17.709
the typical negative or disincentivizing policy response that we still see today,

00:56:18.629 --> 00:56:21.989
usually driven by short-term political considerations.

00:56:23.189 --> 00:56:25.849
There are great examples today, all around the world,

00:56:26.549 --> 00:56:31.169
that look to harness the power of collaboration between a socially conscious private sector,

00:56:32.049 --> 00:56:34.109
governments with foresight, and robust NGOs.

00:56:34.109 --> 00:56:38.369
It is critical that we leverage these sustainable partnerships

00:56:38.369 --> 00:56:42.729
to create solutions that will maximize the benefits to the poorest schools

00:56:42.729 --> 00:56:45.089
and the poorest communities in the world.

00:56:47.029 --> 00:56:54.249
And so let me end with a story that hopefully highlights one such example.

00:56:55.529 --> 00:56:58.429
At the very first advisory board meeting for our foundation,

00:56:59.049 --> 00:57:11.336
we presented a plan to train 50 teachers through our low teacher training program Because in this endeavor we believe that teachers matter most

00:57:12.796 --> 00:57:16.136
At that meeting, as you would expect him to, President Clinton,

00:57:16.336 --> 00:57:19.976
who was the Honorary Chairman of our foundation, challenged us to do more.

00:57:21.616 --> 00:57:28.296
And so we extended that commitment and committed to training 250,000 teachers.

00:57:28.296 --> 00:57:35.956
Just last year, we trained over 7,000 teachers in Uganda.

00:57:38.156 --> 00:57:44.556
Independently verified, this program has impacted the lives of over 365,000 students.

00:57:45.716 --> 00:57:48.756
The next phase of the teacher training program will be delivered in Ghana,

00:57:49.256 --> 00:57:52.576
thanks to the support of our partners at Dubai Cares.

00:57:53.696 --> 00:57:57.276
If we're successful in training 250,000 teachers,

00:57:57.276 --> 00:58:03.316
we will have created the conditions that will improve the lives of over 10 million children.

00:58:04.876 --> 00:58:06.156
It will take time.

00:58:07.516 --> 00:58:12.136
But if we get it right, can you imagine what we can achieve?

00:58:13.296 --> 00:58:13.876
Thank you.

00:58:17.556 --> 00:58:18.896
Thank you very much.

00:58:18.896 --> 00:58:25.196
Thank you for offering the possibility of explaining how you can implement different policies

00:58:25.196 --> 00:58:29.756
given certain situations and circumstances.

00:58:29.756 --> 00:58:32.376
I'm trying my best to focus on the drivers

00:58:32.376 --> 00:58:36.376
which have been organized and have been

00:58:38.336 --> 00:58:54.224
giving us the idea of how to start in our Italian schools But first of all please let me make you understand that what I going to tell you does not belong only to our national perspective

00:58:54.224 --> 00:58:57.683
It really belongs to the European perspective.

00:58:57.683 --> 00:59:01.683
I'm an Italian citizen, but I'm also a European citizen.

00:59:01.683 --> 00:59:05.464
And being a European citizen gives me the possibility

00:59:05.464 --> 00:59:08.664
of having a multiple identity.

00:59:08.664 --> 00:59:11.164
I'm having a multiple identity because I belong

00:59:11.164 --> 00:59:16.164
to a plurilingual and a pluricultural continent.

00:59:16.604 --> 00:59:21.604
And Italy would be nothing with 60 million inhabitants

00:59:22.403 --> 00:59:24.843
in a global world.

00:59:24.843 --> 00:59:28.084
Italy is something different because it belongs

00:59:28.084 --> 00:59:33.084
to the European Union, it belongs to a country

00:59:33.743 --> 00:59:36.804
where half a billion people are living.

00:59:36.804 --> 00:59:41.804
And as it can be said in my opinion,

00:59:42.403 --> 00:59:47.284
24 official languages are something unique

00:59:47.284 --> 00:59:49.563
in a world context.

00:59:49.563 --> 00:59:52.563
What I'm going to focus on is the fact that

00:59:53.944 --> 00:59:58.243
we are not only developing Italian educational policies,

00:59:58.243 --> 01:00:02.324
we are developing European educational policies

01:00:02.324 --> 01:00:03.803
at this precise moment.

01:00:03.803 --> 01:00:08.764
and I'm trying my best to focus on four different key drivers

01:00:08.764 --> 01:00:13.764
in my opinion that are fundamental for any competence building

01:00:13.764 --> 01:00:18.604
in a new perspective, global perspective.

01:00:18.604 --> 01:00:22.824
I'd focus then on a competence-based approach to curriculum.

01:00:22.824 --> 01:00:27.243
I'll focus on language and subject certificates

01:00:27.339 --> 01:00:33.879
or joint diplomas. I'll try my best to explain what's the real driver which is

01:00:33.879 --> 01:00:39.259
changing education in our country that is the mainstreaming of CLIL. CLIL is the

01:00:39.259 --> 01:00:44.959
European acronym for content and language integrated learning and it

01:00:44.959 --> 01:00:51.579
stands for the teaching of a subject in a foreign language and finally I'll

01:00:51.579 --> 01:00:56.819
focus on the importance of school networking and mobility which are

01:00:56.819 --> 01:01:03.439
definitely the best key driver to make people understand that they are not just

01:01:03.439 --> 01:01:09.299
involved in national situations but of course in international situations. So

01:01:09.299 --> 01:01:15.279
let's now focus on what in my opinion is really changing schools in my country

01:01:15.279 --> 01:01:21.779
and Europe as well. The competence-based approach to school curricula and

01:01:21.779 --> 01:01:23.779
and standard settings.

01:01:23.779 --> 01:01:27.679
If you analyze all the different school systems,

01:01:27.679 --> 01:01:30.559
you will find that in most cases,

01:01:30.559 --> 01:01:34.339
international service, as it has been pointed out

01:01:34.339 --> 01:01:36.619
by other speakers today,

01:01:36.619 --> 01:01:41.619
are definitely changing the way of considering education.

01:01:42.679 --> 01:01:46.859
It happened in our country at the very end of last century,

01:01:46.859 --> 01:01:50.099
that is at around the 90s,

01:01:50.099 --> 01:01:54.419
when the first pillars or progress in international reading

01:01:54.419 --> 01:01:57.479
literacy study by the International Association

01:01:57.479 --> 01:02:01.039
for the evaluation of educational achievement,

01:02:01.039 --> 01:02:18.267
it is an important association based in the Netherlands but surveys are worldwide known Well in that research it came out clearly that in my country reading literacy was absolutely poor and it still poor unfortunately We are

01:02:18.267 --> 01:02:26.067
still ranking in low positions but it has been improving and of course the Organization for

01:02:26.067 --> 01:02:30.007
Economic and Cooperation Development, the OACD,

01:02:30.007 --> 01:02:33.887
really offered the opportunity of finding

01:02:34.927 --> 01:02:39.146
that our school system needed some adaptation

01:02:39.146 --> 01:02:41.487
to new skills, new ideas.

01:02:41.487 --> 01:02:45.107
So these researches, these surveys,

01:02:45.107 --> 01:02:48.047
were a springboard for our politicians,

01:02:48.047 --> 01:02:51.187
for our stakeholders to change their mindsets.

01:02:51.187 --> 01:02:55.387
And their mindsets changed because they finally decided

01:02:55.387 --> 01:03:00.007
that they were to focus on the 21st century skills.

01:03:00.007 --> 01:03:04.086
And we were helped by the European Commission decisions.

01:03:04.086 --> 01:03:06.327
The European Commission decisions came up,

01:03:06.327 --> 01:03:08.407
I'm not mentioning all the different documents,

01:03:08.407 --> 01:03:09.907
all the different papers,

01:03:09.907 --> 01:03:13.086
which gave us support in changing.

01:03:13.086 --> 01:03:18.086
The European member states were asked to harmonize.

01:03:19.607 --> 01:03:22.086
Europe does not have laws,

01:03:22.086 --> 01:03:27.086
that not have strong regulations for education.

01:03:27.307 --> 01:03:32.307
Europe, European Union, is only suggesting ideas, issues,

01:03:34.027 --> 01:03:38.866
is only suggesting to harmonize our school systems.

01:03:38.866 --> 01:03:43.866
And they suggested to define a competence-based approach.

01:03:44.926 --> 01:04:08.874
Let me give you the definition the European definition for competence A competence according to the European Union is the demonstrated ability to use knowledge skills and personal and social or methodological abilities in work or study situations and in professional and personal development

01:04:08.874 --> 01:04:16.494
So, as you can understand, competency describes in terms of responsibility and autonomy.

01:04:16.494 --> 01:04:26.054
But what came next was the definition of the eight key competencies that Europe was suggesting

01:04:26.054 --> 01:04:35.114
to the different member states, a definition of eight competencies which offered a framework

01:04:35.114 --> 01:04:41.294
of reference and which offered eight key competencies to be developed. All our

01:04:41.294 --> 01:04:47.294
school systems and all our qualifications now are focusing on the development of

01:04:47.294 --> 01:04:53.474
these eight key competencies. These eight key competencies that you can easily see

01:04:53.474 --> 01:04:59.114
focus on competencies that have been discussed during the day by all of us

01:04:59.114 --> 01:05:09.434
Particularly, in my opinion, the concept of European active citizenship is the key to the understanding of how we should change.

01:05:09.894 --> 01:05:16.334
And we were lucky enough in our country because we were able to approve an education reform law.

01:05:17.034 --> 01:05:21.674
Keep in mind, in our country it's not so easy to prepare law and to make changes.

01:05:21.674 --> 01:05:34.801
And this law this 2003 law was a law coming after 80 years from the very first Education Reform Act which had happened in 1923

01:05:34.801 --> 01:05:39.121
So it was really the opportunity of pushing the change

01:05:39.121 --> 01:05:41.781
and focusing on student-centeredness

01:05:41.781 --> 01:05:45.521
that is curricula shaped and personalized

01:05:45.521 --> 01:05:49.681
according to the student and not general ideas

01:05:49.681 --> 01:05:52.941
and key competencies and learning outcomes.

01:05:52.941 --> 01:05:57.941
What I can tell about our system as for language levels,

01:05:58.261 --> 01:06:00.481
we have adapted our language levels

01:06:00.481 --> 01:06:03.821
to the common European framework of reference.

01:06:03.821 --> 01:06:07.001
And we have set standards at different school levels.

01:06:07.001 --> 01:06:08.981
These are the standards for English,

01:06:08.981 --> 01:06:12.821
but we do have also other foreign languages

01:06:12.821 --> 01:06:13.661
in our curriculum.

01:06:13.661 --> 01:06:17.221
I'm not mentioning them because we are just focusing

01:06:17.221 --> 01:06:20.881
on what is the core of our curriculum.

01:06:20.881 --> 01:06:24.361
I can now switch to what has helped us

01:06:24.361 --> 01:06:27.901
in improving language learning and language teaching.

01:06:27.901 --> 01:06:32.441
In undoubtedly language and subject certificates as well,

01:06:32.441 --> 01:06:37.101
language certificates, you all know them,

01:06:37.101 --> 01:06:42.001
are now being developed from primary up to university.

01:06:42.001 --> 01:06:45.421
But what's coming up with a great interest from schools

01:06:45.421 --> 01:06:48.641
who really are striving for a better quality

01:06:48.641 --> 01:06:53.241
who are really trying their best to offer something

01:06:53.241 --> 01:06:56.141
particularly good from an international point of view

01:06:56.141 --> 01:06:58.221
is the International General Certificate

01:06:58.221 --> 01:07:01.141
of Secondary Education, even though we have also

01:07:01.141 --> 01:07:03.461
some AS level and A level.

01:07:03.461 --> 01:07:07.641
Upper secondary school subjects that are being conveyed

01:07:07.641 --> 01:07:10.281
in a foreign language and having

01:07:10.377 --> 01:07:18.477
IGCSE certificates are now with the following subjects. Another trend which

01:07:18.477 --> 01:07:25.257
has been quite a driving force for our schools has been the double and

01:07:25.257 --> 01:07:29.497
joint diplomas. We had agreements, bilateral agreements between for example

01:07:29.497 --> 01:07:36.257
France and Italy and our schools who are joining this program are definitely

01:07:36.257 --> 01:07:43.257
developing an Italian state exam and also a French state exam.

01:07:44.377 --> 01:07:46.577
Let me now focus on the mainstreaming of CLIN.

01:07:46.577 --> 01:07:49.457
The mainstreaming of CLIN means that one subject

01:07:49.457 --> 01:07:51.137
must be taught in a foreign language,

01:07:51.137 --> 01:07:54.537
and this, because of the law, the 2003 law,

01:07:54.537 --> 01:07:59.537
is becoming mandatory for students aged 18 since this year.

01:08:01.697 --> 01:08:04.637
Needless to say, challenges are incredible.

01:08:04.637 --> 01:08:06.717
teacher training, school organization,

01:08:06.717 --> 01:08:10.137
curriculum organization, the activation of CLIL classes,

01:08:10.137 --> 01:08:12.077
mainstreaming delivery of competencies

01:08:12.077 --> 01:08:15.397
because we are now having our teacher involved

01:08:15.397 --> 01:08:18.157
not only in teaching their subject

01:08:18.157 --> 01:08:23.157
but in designing different programs,

01:08:23.877 --> 01:08:27.337
helping students to build up competencies.

01:08:27.337 --> 01:08:29.797
And the CLIL methodology, in my opinion,

01:08:29.797 --> 01:08:33.677
is offering the opportunity of strengthening

01:08:33.677 --> 01:08:36.977
cross-curricular approaches and transversal skills.

01:08:36.977 --> 01:08:40.317
New environments, of course, need the cooperation

01:08:40.317 --> 01:08:44.057
of teachers in building learning pathways.

01:08:44.057 --> 01:08:56.584
You cannot possibly think of building competencies if you do not have the collaboration among different teachers And we need the interactions between the stakeholders of languages and of

01:08:56.584 --> 01:09:01.664
subjects in this case. And in this case we have suggested clean teams where

01:09:01.664 --> 01:09:05.864
foreign language teachers, subject teachers and in many cases language

01:09:05.864 --> 01:09:11.144
assistants are developing together different ways of planning, different

01:09:11.144 --> 01:09:16.024
ways of implementing, different ways of evaluating and focusing on competencies

01:09:16.024 --> 01:09:22.744
and skills that are really putting the student at the center of the learning

01:09:22.744 --> 01:09:30.904
process. Needless to say there's a total change happening in our country, a total

01:09:30.904 --> 01:09:36.844
change of the traditional model. From the typical way of considering education,

01:09:36.844 --> 01:09:41.344
contents, programs, explanations, face-to-face lessons, assessment based on

01:09:41.344 --> 01:09:44.884
on what has been taught, we are now changing

01:09:44.884 --> 01:09:49.244
into a competence building of knowledge.

01:09:49.244 --> 01:09:51.864
The competence new building of knowledge

01:09:51.864 --> 01:09:54.144
sees communities of practices.

01:09:54.144 --> 01:09:57.384
These communities of practices see people working

01:09:57.384 --> 01:10:00.504
collaboratively on how skills can be integrated

01:10:00.504 --> 01:10:02.624
in learning and teaching materials.

01:10:02.624 --> 01:10:03.924
There's a problem of textbooks,

01:10:03.924 --> 01:10:06.344
there are new materials to be built,

01:10:06.344 --> 01:10:09.264
and of course, new ways of considering teacher training.

01:10:09.264 --> 01:10:11.864
if you go and talk to teachers who have been trained

01:10:11.864 --> 01:10:14.204
in the past year, subject teachers trained

01:10:14.204 --> 01:10:17.384
on CLIL methodology, you will listen to them

01:10:17.384 --> 01:10:20.784
and they will say, I'm another person working

01:10:20.784 --> 01:10:22.964
with the teachers of other languages

01:10:22.964 --> 01:10:26.744
and being trained in CLIL, it has meant for me

01:10:26.744 --> 01:10:38.012
to open my mind to have new perceptions And of course this is quite important to understand The eight key competencies that are meant for students are not only meant for students

01:10:38.012 --> 01:10:41.792
The eight key competencies for lifelong learning

01:10:41.792 --> 01:10:44.352
are definitely meant for teachers as well

01:10:44.352 --> 01:10:45.532
and for adult people.

01:10:45.532 --> 01:10:48.592
Lifelong learning means that you must start a process

01:10:48.592 --> 01:10:51.312
for your whole life.

01:10:51.312 --> 01:10:55.432
Final strain, networking and mobility.

01:10:55.432 --> 01:10:57.212
It's very simple.

01:10:57.212 --> 01:11:00.432
Once you start with a new idea of school,

01:11:00.432 --> 01:11:02.252
you need to do networking,

01:11:02.252 --> 01:11:05.772
you need to have twins in other countries,

01:11:05.772 --> 01:11:08.192
and we are lucky enough to have a European program

01:11:08.192 --> 01:11:11.572
called eTwinning, which has been going on for years,

01:11:11.572 --> 01:11:13.732
and which is really offering the opportunity

01:11:13.732 --> 01:11:15.812
for our school to work together

01:11:15.812 --> 01:11:20.112
and build up the new concept of education.

01:11:20.112 --> 01:11:22.972
Of course, head teachers, teachers and students

01:11:22.972 --> 01:11:26.932
are networking thanks to different projects.

01:11:26.932 --> 01:11:31.932
I am personally a product of a European project.

01:11:32.572 --> 01:11:36.872
I would not be here if I had not, back in the last century,

01:11:36.872 --> 01:11:41.872
exactly in 1998, started a new project

01:11:42.212 --> 01:11:45.132
called the Thai CLIL, Trans Language in Europe,

01:11:45.132 --> 01:11:46.892
with other European countries.

01:11:46.892 --> 01:11:49.532
CLIL would have never been introduced in my country

01:11:49.532 --> 01:11:53.212
having not had the opportunity of collaboratively

01:11:53.212 --> 01:11:56.292
working with the universities both in my country

01:11:56.292 --> 01:11:57.932
and in other countries.

01:11:57.932 --> 01:12:00.932
And I would not be here had I not had the possibility

01:12:00.932 --> 01:12:03.032
of working with Cambridge in particular

01:12:03.032 --> 01:12:06.072
and other international organizations

01:12:06.072 --> 01:12:18.519
where the professional development has been totally changing perspectives and lives School partnerships definitely are changing across Europe and the world and Erasmus

01:12:18.519 --> 01:12:21.999
the new European program for partnership and mobility

01:12:21.999 --> 01:12:24.799
is really, in my opinion, offering the opportunity

01:12:24.799 --> 01:12:28.899
of changing lives, open minds and summing up.

01:12:28.899 --> 01:12:31.959
Italy competence-based curricula, certifications,

01:12:33.159 --> 01:12:36.479
skill and partnership projects are proving to be

01:12:36.479 --> 01:12:41.479
Quality change agents in any desire to build up new curricula,

01:12:44.179 --> 01:12:47.159
you really must focus on quality change agents.

01:12:47.159 --> 01:12:50.019
And they have been definitely drivers for innovation,

01:12:50.019 --> 01:12:52.819
internationalizations for teachers, students,

01:12:52.819 --> 01:12:54.499
at school levels and university level.

01:12:54.499 --> 01:12:57.499
But keep in mind, if you do not have passion,

01:12:57.499 --> 01:13:01.179
if you do not really care about what you're doing,

01:13:01.179 --> 01:13:03.479
and this is not only for professionals,

01:13:03.479 --> 01:13:06.479
educational professionals, but for stakeholders as well,

01:13:06.479 --> 01:13:11.339
It is very important to really be motivated and think that

01:13:11.339 --> 01:13:15.579
un poquito de confianza, de bontad, de honestade, de cuidado

01:13:15.579 --> 01:13:19.299
para los amigos de la América del Sud que están escuchando

01:13:19.299 --> 01:13:23.879
and some confidence, kindness and honesty and care

01:13:23.879 --> 01:13:26.259
de la confianza, de la gentileza, de la honestidad

01:13:26.259 --> 01:13:29.859
y de la prise en tranche son tres importants, a mon avis,

01:13:30.539 --> 01:13:34.279
in order to build up a really global education system.

01:13:34.279 --> 01:13:37.839
Thank you very much and you need any information I'll be with you

01:13:39.959 --> 01:13:42.899
Well, thank you very much Gisela or should I say grazie bene?

01:13:46.479 --> 01:13:53.319
Hope you agree with me that we couldn't have picked four better speakers to to get across the the dynamic of improving

01:13:53.415 --> 01:13:59.715
improvement under the heading of international education that's going on in both the public and

01:13:59.715 --> 01:14:05.815
the private education sectors and I found that very encouraging, indeed inspiring and I hope you did.

01:14:06.475 --> 01:14:14.675
It's time for questions now, we have about 15 minutes for questions. I have a question already

01:14:14.675 --> 01:14:23.055
coming in from a Brazilian student who asks, her name is Melise and she's studying in Cambridge

01:14:23.055 --> 01:14:24.375
and watching us online.

01:14:24.975 --> 01:14:27.855
She asked, what is the solution to the low level of English

01:14:27.855 --> 01:14:29.595
of students coming to the UK?

01:14:30.455 --> 01:14:35.035
So let's first get a view of this from here on the stage,

01:14:35.375 --> 01:14:38.095
and then I'm going to ask Argentina and Mexico

01:14:38.095 --> 01:14:39.655
to comment briefly.

01:14:40.295 --> 01:14:42.735
So would any of the speakers like to take this question?

01:14:42.835 --> 01:14:45.475
What can we do about the low level of English,

01:14:45.475 --> 01:14:49.375
as described, of students coming to study in the UK?

01:14:49.375 --> 01:14:59.735
I would say that we obviously need to make sure that the teachers of English know the

01:14:59.735 --> 01:15:07.655
subject. That would be a good start. And I don't know what you think in Italy the standard

01:15:07.655 --> 01:15:11.495
of the teaching of English is. You're grimacing.

01:15:11.495 --> 01:15:15.535
How the standards are in our country.

01:15:15.535 --> 01:15:17.095
Yes, of teachers of teaching English.

01:15:17.095 --> 01:15:23.095
Well, of course, teachers are not at their best at this precise moment, but they are definitely improving.

01:15:23.095 --> 01:15:42.782
The fact that we have set standards means that they know that in order to be a teacher for a primary school you must not be less than B1 at this precise moment but new initial tuition training requires B2 Therefore all Italian teachers are now

01:15:42.782 --> 01:15:49.042
trying to be upgraded to B2 and in order to understand whether they are there or

01:15:49.042 --> 01:15:55.342
not you must check their competencies with the different tests and in different

01:15:55.342 --> 01:16:03.222
ways. It's a long process, but of course you need to set standards and make them understand

01:16:03.222 --> 01:16:08.102
that either they get there or the quality of their teaching will be very poor.

01:16:08.102 --> 01:16:13.102
I mean, it's precise what Dino was saying, that you want to get the teachers to be outstanding.

01:16:13.102 --> 01:16:18.222
I think you have a very high standard of expectations, but just going back to the question, this

01:16:18.222 --> 01:16:23.322
is not my field of expertise. My understanding though, as a layperson, is that any kind of

01:16:23.322 --> 01:16:29.002
language acquisition is about immersion. So can you immerse that young person into the

01:16:29.002 --> 01:16:33.602
setting that allows them to acquire that skill. Look, there are some interesting online solutions

01:16:33.602 --> 01:16:38.922
today that, again, provide the intensive level of support. There are actually some interesting

01:16:38.922 --> 01:16:43.222
non-profits that actually connect together. Students in South America, so given that it's

01:16:43.222 --> 01:16:51.222
from, was it Brazil? Students in South America to retired pensioners in old age homes in

01:16:51.222 --> 01:16:56.902
retirement homes in the US and they connect together, simple tech which is Skype and they

01:16:56.902 --> 01:17:01.782
speak to one another in English. And it's actually become a really scalable model. So

01:17:01.782 --> 01:17:04.782
there are lots of those innovations around. David, a brief comment?

01:17:04.782 --> 01:17:09.902
One of the challenges my school faces is that we take in numbers of students at all ages,

01:17:09.902 --> 01:17:23.449
very many different ages whose level of English is not strong And one of the languages we teach at my school is English Now because we have a sort of critical mass we can make provision for that

01:17:23.449 --> 01:17:28.989
and I think we do it quite successfully and we find that students from certain countries pick up

01:17:28.989 --> 01:17:35.689
the language very quickly and of course they are immersed in English when they come into the school.

01:17:35.689 --> 01:17:41.289
the challenge for most schools in the state sector is that they may have one or two or three or four five six seven

01:17:41.289 --> 01:17:45.369
and they haven't such students and they haven't got that critical mass

01:17:45.369 --> 01:17:52.029
we once proposed a local initiative whereby we became a hub school for such activity

01:17:52.029 --> 01:17:58.589
and it and and obviously to have it funded but that that didn't that fell on deaf ears but it

01:17:58.589 --> 01:18:05.909
I think to Melissa it is a challenge it's not insuperable but but it is a very important point

01:18:05.909 --> 01:18:11.069
she makes thank you now I know someone in Argentina has a comment on this so we can jump to Argentina

01:18:11.069 --> 01:18:24.689
on the screen well we represent an association of bilingual schools and I would say our main

01:18:24.689 --> 01:18:32.589
focus are precisely teachers. We provide professional development and also try to support

01:18:32.589 --> 01:18:44.109
teacher training schools and NGOs that have to do with teachers. So I would say that that

01:18:44.109 --> 01:18:45.489
is our main contribution.

01:18:46.409 --> 01:18:49.669
Thank you, and an important one too. And we also have a comment from Mexico.

01:18:54.689 --> 01:19:01.557
in one of the biggest states in Mexico we have the biggest population from kindergarten to

01:19:01.557 --> 01:19:08.257
secondary schools, and the step number one we did is to know and to realize what is the

01:19:08.257 --> 01:19:10.257
real level of English teachers.

01:19:10.257 --> 01:19:16.337
So we have given a test to around 3,000 English teachers.

01:19:16.337 --> 01:19:20.417
So we created from there the pathways.

01:19:20.417 --> 01:19:22.357
One of the speakers were mentioned.

01:19:22.357 --> 01:19:24.357
So we created two lines.

01:19:24.357 --> 01:19:29.677
One is in English, what the teacher needs in language development, and the other in methodology.

01:19:29.677 --> 01:19:33.197
So right now we are training about 10,000.

01:19:33.197 --> 01:19:39.397
But I think the most important step for us is realize where we are in reality.

01:19:39.397 --> 01:19:44.157
Rather than saying whether we are good or not, step number one is realize that.

01:19:44.157 --> 01:19:49.577
And I think we are, from there, starting a very important path to grow with teachers.

01:19:49.757 --> 01:19:55.117
And of course, I agree, teachers are, at the moment, the key part of this process.

01:19:56.097 --> 01:19:57.197
Thank you very much.

01:19:57.297 --> 01:20:02.817
Now we have time for some more questions, not many perhaps, but Adam, would you like to ask your question?

01:20:02.917 --> 01:20:04.397
Please get the microphone first.

01:20:09.137 --> 01:20:11.657
And could you just say who you are and where you're from?

01:20:11.657 --> 01:20:12.297
Thank you.

01:20:12.297 --> 01:20:23.297
My name is Anka Mariana Pegulescu and I am a General Inspector for English, Japanese and Chinese in the Romanian Ministry of Education.

01:20:23.297 --> 01:20:36.357
Now, before congratulating all our presenters and thanking again Cambridge Assessment for organizing such a special

01:20:36.452 --> 01:20:42.452
event, I would like to formulate two questions.

01:20:42.452 --> 01:20:44.452
Just the first question because of lack of time.

01:20:44.452 --> 01:20:54.052
Yes, addressed to Mr Spurr. He mentioned in his presentation flexible subject choice

01:20:54.052 --> 01:21:03.452
for specialisms. I would like to hear more details about such a term, specialism, if

01:21:03.452 --> 01:21:06.012
it is possible.

01:21:06.012 --> 01:21:08.052
And after that,

01:21:09.412 --> 01:21:13.512
I want to congratulate Gisela Lange

01:21:13.512 --> 01:21:17.652
one more time for her presentation.

01:21:17.652 --> 01:21:22.652
In fact, I have had the opportunity to listen to many more

01:21:23.132 --> 01:21:24.932
and ask her

01:21:26.692 --> 01:21:31.212
how pedagogy and assessment can be transferred

01:21:31.212 --> 01:21:35.012
to other contexts. Thank you.

01:21:35.012 --> 01:21:39.492
Thank you. So, first question was for...

01:21:39.492 --> 01:21:46.692
What I was referring to was in the final two years of the senior school education,

01:21:46.692 --> 01:21:53.132
before going on to university, that in what I called the formal part of the curriculum,

01:21:53.132 --> 01:21:56.492
which was the qualifications-led part of the curriculum,

01:21:56.492 --> 01:22:00.372
pupils should have the opportunity to combine the subjects

01:22:00.372 --> 01:22:08.372
which they are most passionate about, to use your term, and in which they therefore enjoy,

01:22:08.372 --> 01:22:24.300
but also where their talents have emerged And therefore not to try to do five or six subjects but perhaps to concentrate on three or four and to specialise to where they then want to go to the universities because it by

01:22:24.300 --> 01:22:28.780
getting those top results in subjects they are really passionate about which is then

01:22:28.780 --> 01:22:33.660
going to lead them on to success, not only at university but further on in their lives.

01:22:33.660 --> 01:22:35.660
Thank you.

01:22:35.660 --> 01:22:36.660
Gisella?

01:22:36.660 --> 01:22:39.840
Transferability, as it has been mentioned,

01:22:39.840 --> 01:22:44.840
is never an objective way of developing

01:22:46.140 --> 01:22:49.500
in any school system, so you must always contextualize,

01:22:49.500 --> 01:22:51.400
you must always refer to your own context,

01:22:51.400 --> 01:22:54.640
but if I may give you some suggestions,

01:22:54.640 --> 01:22:58.540
you really must first define priorities,

01:22:58.540 --> 01:23:03.540
and priorities must come after a very detailed analysis

01:23:03.540 --> 01:23:07.700
detailed analysis of what are your particular needs.

01:23:09.220 --> 01:23:11.720
In our case, we really needed to have

01:23:11.720 --> 01:23:13.980
a total restructure of the system,

01:23:13.980 --> 01:23:16.820
so we really needed an education reform.

01:23:16.820 --> 01:23:19.780
But then we really needed to focus on some competencies

01:23:19.780 --> 01:23:24.260
and to have some learning paths being better developed.

01:23:24.260 --> 01:23:26.300
This is the case of foreign languages.

01:23:26.300 --> 01:23:29.500
With foreign languages we started back in the last century,

01:23:29.500 --> 01:23:32.780
exactly in 1998, with a special project.

01:23:32.780 --> 01:23:35.320
special projects, be it for languages,

01:23:35.320 --> 01:23:40.100
be it for other topics, are really the first way

01:23:40.100 --> 01:23:44.400
to trial how your ideas can be put into practice.

01:23:44.400 --> 01:23:49.020
So we started with this project and we focused on

01:23:49.020 --> 01:23:51.580
the description of language levels.

01:23:51.580 --> 01:24:03.507
At that time the Common European Framework was not yet being organized but we were so lucky as to have some experimental copies of the Common European Framework so we could work on

01:24:03.507 --> 01:24:09.367
descriptors and language level so that was a way of having our teachers and of

01:24:09.367 --> 01:24:14.887
course trainers you always need trainers be it university trainers or school

01:24:14.887 --> 01:24:21.667
trainers developing the new concept and the new program and then after that you

01:24:21.667 --> 01:24:24.447
You know, you had training sessions

01:24:24.447 --> 01:24:28.367
where teachers understood how they were to change.

01:24:28.367 --> 01:24:30.767
And anything you can plan,

01:24:30.767 --> 01:24:33.267
but if you do not put it into practice,

01:24:33.267 --> 01:24:35.967
if you do not connect it to the real world,

01:24:35.967 --> 01:24:39.407
you will never be able to develop new ideas.

01:24:39.407 --> 01:24:41.707
So priorities, in my opinion,

01:24:41.707 --> 01:24:45.667
could be identifying the needs you have,

01:24:45.667 --> 01:24:47.487
focus on some special progress

01:24:47.487 --> 01:24:50.327
to experience these new ideas,

01:24:50.327 --> 01:24:55.007
apply it to classes and then try to have regulations,

01:24:55.007 --> 01:24:59.867
decrees, ministerial tools that will help you.

01:24:59.867 --> 01:25:03.927
What I can say that if you're really with the right idea,

01:25:03.927 --> 01:25:08.487
such as the case of CLIL, content and language methodology,

01:25:08.487 --> 01:25:11.127
then all stakeholders will follow.

01:25:11.127 --> 01:25:13.867
Stakeholders both from the world of work,

01:25:13.867 --> 01:25:18.867
both from companies or from other institutions

01:25:18.867 --> 01:25:22.867
universities in our case have come along.

01:25:22.867 --> 01:25:27.867
Thank you Gisela. We can take one more brief question but only ask it if it's a brief one please.

01:25:27.867 --> 01:25:29.867
Yes madam.

01:25:33.867 --> 01:25:49.794
Hi my name is Lena Monroe I work at the Royal Society in Education Policy but in my spare time I run a charity teaching science in Uganda So this is a question for Dino Very quickly I was wondering what you thought from your experience of teaching or training teachers in places like Uganda

01:25:49.794 --> 01:25:59.394
How do you ensure a consistent level, high level of quality internationally in countries where they're still developing and the infrastructure is still quite poor?

01:26:00.274 --> 01:26:02.074
I don't think it's a case of infrastructure.

01:26:02.074 --> 01:26:07.174
I think it's certainly a case of ensuring that you have the right teacher training program.

01:26:07.174 --> 01:26:08.754
I think you have the right delivery agent.

01:26:08.754 --> 01:26:13.654
So we essentially, on top of the program itself, we're leveraging our consulting division

01:26:13.654 --> 01:26:16.114
to essentially deliver the program.

01:26:16.114 --> 01:26:19.074
You need a huge amount of governmental support.

01:26:19.074 --> 01:26:23.114
We've tried programs like this in other parts of the world and actually in certain parts

01:26:23.114 --> 01:26:25.634
of the world the governments are obstructive.

01:26:25.634 --> 01:26:29.474
Actually the training program has been so successful that you've got the Uganda Ministry

01:26:29.474 --> 01:26:32.934
of education actually wanting to take part of it and incorporate it into the local teacher

01:26:32.934 --> 01:26:38.634
training colleges. We've got a very aligned group of stakeholders here because the reality

01:26:38.634 --> 01:26:43.914
is this in emerging markets, you know I'll go back to what I said before, time for the

01:26:43.914 --> 01:26:49.054
intellectual debates we've all been historically having, they're just driven by necessity.

01:26:49.054 --> 01:26:54.474
They don't have the resources. So they are willing to look at any and every solution that

01:26:54.474 --> 01:26:59.254
would allow them to provide a better quality of education to a society. And that's fundamentally

01:26:59.254 --> 01:27:05.794
So we've been fortunate. We've had a very good aligned group of stakeholders and hopefully at the end of the day our program's been one that's been valuable.

01:27:06.034 --> 01:27:12.054
But it's still early. This is going to take time and you'll need to go back and reinforce what we've gone out and done in the first year.

01:27:12.414 --> 01:27:13.314
This is long term.

01:27:14.374 --> 01:27:16.494
Ladies and gentlemen, let's thank all four speakers.