Continuous and relentless gentle pressure

Last week I wrote about deeply ingrained attitudes. Changing them, of course, is not easy.

The existing system - the establishment, if you like - is ‘innocent until proved guilty’. And as a campaigning organisation one is always in danger of focusing only on proving the guilt – which leads to endless tales of woe, and highlighting what is wrong. The media love this too, of course. But actually change comes through inspiration and hope and ‘we can’.

Another difficulty in changing education in the UK is that existing assumptions and institutions are resolutely shored up by middle England. If the majority of the middle classes prosper as things are, why should they (or politicians) seek change? They may agree with the need for change (most people have always supported Edge’s vision and beliefs), but they are not committed to change and are thus unlikely to act.

Finally, let me ask all of you how you deal with a very untidy teenager? In my experience there is not much to be gained from repeated shouting or penalties – perhaps the only way is through continuous, relentless gentle pressure. And so it is with education.

Thus Edge has always sought to do two things, and to do them continuously and relentlessly, without being too negative:

• To lift the curtain on what is already happening, to show the current system is not ‘innocent’ (hence the film, We Are The People We've Been Waiting For)
• To build faith that another way is possible (attitudes do not change through intellectual argument, though rigorous research evidence is of course important)

I believe that there is now sufficient support for practical and vocational learning, for Edge to change emphasis, and to focus on the latter.