‘Are schools really as important as we think they are?”
That question, which has appeared in a report on the future of Scottish education, may not be quite what you think it is at first sight.
Far from it being intended as a dismissive swipe at what schools do, it was asked in the spirit of defending schools and all those who work and learn in them.
It was, you see, referring to the instinctive response of many people when confronted with a societal ill: gets schools to fix it.
Education Futures: Building a vision for Scottish education was a forum held at the Scottish Parliament in June, chaired by Sir Andrew Cubie, on how education could change in the coming years.
In the report that followed, the question “Are schools really as important as we think they are?” was followed up by another: “Should more focus be put on housing, public transport or clean environments to support learning?”
Expecting teachers to fix society’s problems
There is a trope that you hear on radio phone-ins and in media punditry all the time: a social, health or economic problem is identified, and the knee-jerk response is that schools should be able to do something about it - “it should be part of the curriculum” is the constant rallying call. From mental health to personal finance, from climate change to violent crime, from car maintenance to gambling addictions, schools offer a catch-all solution.
The apparently benign impulse to ask schools to address all manner of problems may actually be harmful on two levels. Not only is there a danger of overburdening teachers and demanding that they deliver in areas where they are not experts - teachers are highly skilled professionals but they are not social workers, counsellors or employees of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau - but it may also distract from the root causes of a problem and allow politicians to deflect responsibility on to teachers.
Of course, in 2022 schools are, in principle, happy to take on a broader remit than before - many teachers have spoken eloquently about the drive in Scotland to help all pupils succeed in a way that wasn’t true in the past - but this must not be used as an excuse to dump everything at the school gates.
Last month’s report was pulled together by Scotland’s Futures Forum - a Scottish Parliament think thank - and the Goodison Group in Scotland, a related think tank specialising in education that has strong historical links to the banking sector but draws expertise from a number of sectors, including education, financial services, energy, hospitality and the third sector. It emerged at around the same time as education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville announced a “national conversation” on the future of education in Scotland.
The report is clear that a truly meaningful discussion on education cannot be restricted to those directly involved in education.
“Given the importance of education to everyone in society, a truly national conversation is required,” it advises. “We need to get the whole of Scotland talking about the purpose of education and what that means.”
What’s more, “it cannot be an easy conversation, especially for those who have power in the system”, and national and local government politicians “will have to be challenged on their role” and how they go about tackling the big issues facing our world today.
In other words, politicians have been warned, don’t just tinker with what schools do - think about what we ask schools to do in the first place, take responsibility for what has an impact on school but begins elsewhere.
Successful schools are inspirational places whose influence can last a lifetime. But school staff are not miracle workers, and they should not serve as proxies for the politicians we elect to solve society’s problems.
In short, schools are of critical importance - but don’t expect them to do it all.
Henry Hepburn is Scotland editor at Tes. He tweets @Henry_Hepburn
