Kintsugi

A few days ago I attended a kintsugi class in London with a dear friend (finished product pictured above). Kintsugi’s literal translation is ‘gold joinery’ and is the process of mending broken pottery with gold, thus celebrating the cracks as beautiful imperfections, rather than shameful flaws. I sat entirely engrossed for two hours, concentrating deeply on the joins and applying the gold to the cracks in the ceramic. A beautiful, mindful craft. But as I travelled home, I started thinking about our education system and the cracks that have emerged over the years. It’s first important to acknowledge that these ‘cracks’ have formed due to a perfect storm of things at play and that it’s somewhat inconsequential to play a blame game. Yes, history can teach us how we came to be and plays an important role in understanding the nature of education’s current state of being. But dwell for too long and we find ourselves entrenched in a situation where further energy and time is lost to finger pointing; time and energy which would be much better spent in finding solutions to the systemic issues that will ultimately shape a generation’s educational experience. If we can adopt a hopeful and optimistic disposition to the system that we currently operate in and focus on forging a stronger path forward, we set the tone for innovation, collaboration and rethinking. Much like the gold used to forge the broken pieces of ceramic back together, we can begin to identify strong ‘compounds’ to repair those cracks, strengthen our system and create beautiful new beginnings. It sounds idealistic at first and somewhat naive but every innovation begins with challenge. Reframing in this way, can sustain our purpose, curiosity and collective thinking.

The real question is: what is the gold? Here are a few things I hypothesise it might be.

1. Research-informed practice and design: by leaning into the research and allowing the research, among others things, to inform our thinking, we maximise the chances of implementation success. Rather than innovating in ways that are potentially problematic or may not stand the ‘Year 9 rainy Tuesday afternoon’ test, we mindfully implement from an informed position. An important caveat- we must recognise that research covers all manner of things (including craft expertise of the teacher who’s been in the classroom for 20 years- our true golden practitioners!)

2. Collaboration and system leadership: seeing any problem within the system as OUR collective problem is important. We stop working in silos and start working together (across groups) for a common purpose. Collaboration over competition.The more we collaborate, the larger pool of knowledge and ideas we possess. And knowledge is power.

3. Culture and conditions: of course I would say this but getting the conditions in our school teams right is key. Without these, we’re left with high mobility in our staff teams, poor retention rates and a profession that looks increasingly unattractive to graduates. This isn’t just about stabilising our existing work force, it’s about succession planning for our future workforce. Getting the conditions rights is hard to do and leaders need to be well-supported both intellectually and emotionally to get this complex work right. Research on the best bets for leaders is virtually non-existent- this needs to change.

4. CPD: for new teachers, for seasoned pros, for leaders…for EVERYONE. Well-designed, intentional learning for all, needs to be an entitlement if we’re asking colleagues to grapple with very complex work littered with wicked problems(see below for link on ‘wicked problems’) And linking to number three, seniors leaders in particular I think, need access to training that gives them the knowledge AND practical tools to manage a job that straddles multiple domains. Leadership isn’t a passport to skip CPD, it’s a responsibility that requires continuous CPD.

It’s also important to note that there’s lots of existing gold in the system, and where that exists, whether it’s models of great practice or tried and tested innovative approaches, we must actively seek these out and spotlight these to further augment our understanding of how we can practically achieve excellence (that can actually be sustained over time!) Shout out to a few golden nugget practitioners/approaches I’ve come across this year below.

Every system has flaws. It’s important to recognise these but even more important to approach them with optimism, hope and the belief that there’s a better way forward.

Here’s to 2024! May it bring you joy, laughter and lots of learning.

https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/blogs/complexity-wicked-problems/

Shout outs-

-Having watched Thahmina Begum in action this year, I would highly recommend going to check out the work being done at Forest Gate Community Schools. The detail to attention, the culture building and the relentless drive to keep learning and teaching at the forefront of all things is quite spectacular.

-The work Steve Rollett has led over this past year to uncover to explore theory and practice of school improvement within trusts has been a true source of inspiration and learning for me. A real-life example of collaboration and rethinking at its best. More info here- https://cstuk.org.uk/knowledge/inquiry-on-sector-led-trust-improvement

-I was really impressed with the work of Ed Vainker and his team having visited Reach Academy. Learning more about the ‘Cradle to Career’ programme reminded me of the true scope of our work as educators and reinforced the importance of community in school and societal improvement.

-Slightly biased on this one but the work of Avanti Schools in developing not only educational excellence but also character formation and spiritual insight, has made me think hard about the purpose of education and kept me entirely engrossed and inspired, as I’ve navigated my first year as School Improvement Lead within the trust. The fact that yoga and meditation (practical tools for wellbeing and wellness) are tools that our pupils leave with after their time at Avanti, is both unique and expands the conventional idea of what ‘school’ has to offer.

-Heena Dave and Prof Leigh Hoath and their work in establishing and growing the work of CAPE (climate adapted pathways for education) is remarkable. They have (whilst being in full-time work!!) brought together leaders, teachers and experts to create a growing knowledge base around the best bets in educating young people about climate change. Their values-led approach and collaborative nature have added a cherry on top of this success story. Read an article by Heena Dave and Patron of CAPE, Mary Myatt here- https://schoolsweek.co.uk/the-climate-crisis-requires-a-thoughtful-curriculum-response/