Faced with all the challenges and opportunities in our education system, it is understandable that we are often drawn to short-term thinking: the next term, the next academic year, the next political cycle.
But instead we should be asking the question: “What could only happen in the long-term, by collectively taking a long-term view now?”
Our answer is to frame today’s decisions through the lens of the “Class of 2040”.
Imagine Lena, who will graduate from Year 13 as an 18-year-old in 2040. Who can say what they will study, how they will be assessed or where they will progress after school.
It feels a long time away.
However, Lena, who will be part of the Class of 2040, is already in the education system - currently in early years foundation stage. They are known and loved and need a system in which they can expect to flourish.
A narrative for the future of education
That is why the Church of England, Confederation of School Trusts and Catholic Education Service have come together to co-publish Flourishing Together: A Collective Vision for the Education System. In this paper, we argue that flourishing is the best unifying narrative around which to build our education system.
That’s because our education system needs a clear and convincing narrative around which to build over the coming years and decades - and a collective purpose, shared vision and uniting concept towards which we focus our time, resources, leadership, energy, expertise and wisdom.
This should be a generous, hospitable table to which all are invited and at which everyone feels welcome. It should be a shared vision that begins with the core belief in the inherent worth of every child and adult in the system.
There are many narratives that already permeate and characterise our system - some born out of immediate responses to global events such as Covid-19 and the climate crisis, others shaped by shorter-term changes of policy or procedure. Frequently this can feel “done to” rather than “developed by and with” the school system.
Some of these narratives can be positive, such as success in international academic excellence comparisons, raising standards in core measurements, structural integration of schools into trusts that work in purposeful collaboration.
Other narratives can be deeply problematic, such as the chronic deprioritisation of resources for the most vulnerable, comparative judgement accountability, fear and anxiety, workload challenges, the demand to do “more with less”, competition over systemic collaboration.
10 key shifts
In Flourishing Together, we offer a compelling vision of flourishing, grounded in research and drawing from both virtue ethics and religious traditions. We outline 10 seeds of flourishing - key shifts that we’re committing to promoting as three organisations that serve a significant proportion of the nation’s schools.
These include: eradicating childhood poverty; the prioritisation of the voices of children and young people; reforming accountability; pursuing equity, diversity, inclusion and justice; deepening long-term commitment to the flourishing of the most vulnerable; and reimagining education as a career where adults can flourish.
For where there are few flourishing adults, there will be few flourishing children.
A long-term vision
The paper invites us all in education - school leaders, trusts, dioceses, further education colleges, universities and other sector bodies - to join in nurturing this long-term vision. The Church of England has launched the Flourishing Leadership Framework, a set of leadership development programmes to be piloted from autumn 2025 that will help to embed these values and prepare leaders to make lasting impacts.
We are committed to a long-term vision for the flourishing of children and adults alike, dedicated to the Class of 2040. This vision is grounded in the conviction that true success in education requires a compelling narrative - one that’s built around collective, rather than individual growth. For we flourish together, not alone.
Paul Barber is director of the Catholic Education Service. Leora Cruddas is chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts. Andy Wolfe is executive director of education for the Church of England
For the latest education news and analysis delivered every weekday morning, sign up for the Tes Daily newsletter
