Posts in Thought pieces
The Fair Education Manifesto - Fair Education Alliance
The Fair Education Manifesto - Fair Education Alliance

As a member of the Fair Education Alliance and participants in their wellbeing strand, we wanted to share the recently released Fair Education Manifesto with our community, and our Founder Lucy Stephens added calls to action, reflecting on the main points of the manifesto.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyeducation reform, education policy, school improvement, curriculum reform, teaching methods, educational standards, student engagement, educational technology, teacher development, UK education, education advocacy, inclusive education, government education, educational equity, quality education, higher education reform, education leadership, education challenges, education trends, educational innovationComment
Back to school!
Back to school!

Hearing the excited voices of my own children who attend The New School and other children on the first day of the new school year, it filled my heart with joy.  This is what learning should be about and this is what I believe the experience of education should be. 

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyprogressive school, primary schools, parenting, progressive education, education, education reform, education charity, early childhood development, democratic education, mental health, curriculum, teaching, young people, youth charity, uk school, uk schools, uk kids, uk curriculum, uk teaching jobs, u, uk, UK teachers, uk education, uk education reform, uk teaching, UK teaching, uk teachers, kids wellbeing, kids mental health, school food, London schools, London school, schools, secondary schools, democratic school, kids charity, self directed learningComment
Two exciting new jobs at The New School
Two exciting new jobs at The New School

Learn about two new exciting teaching roles at The New School and find out how you can apply.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyteaching jobs, teacher jobs, teaching, teacher, teachers, UK teachers, uk teaching, UK teaching, uk teachers, London teachers, jobs in croydon, London jobs, Croydon jobs, teaching jobs uk, uk teaching jobs, science teacher, science teachers, science teachers uk, science teacher uk, uk science teacher, science teacher jobs, teaching assistant jobs, teaching assistant job, learning support assistant jobs, teaching assistant jobs ukComment
Webinar: Persona Education - Life Skills & Wellbeing CoP Webinar with Lucy Stephens
Webinar: Persona Education - Life Skills & Wellbeing CoP Webinar with Lucy Stephens

Watch this webinar with our Founder/Director Lucy Stephens, where she discusses how we’re ‘doing education differently’ at our school.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyeducation, education reform, education charity, uk education, uk education reform, democratic education, self directed learning, progressive education, progressive school, mental health, kids mental health, wellbeing, kids wellbeing, childhood development, children mental health, children's mental health, early childhood developmentComment
Webinar: Young people's behaviour and mental health - two sides of the same coin?
Webinar: Young people's behaviour and mental health - two sides of the same coin?

Watch our free webinar discussing the link between young people’s mental health and behaviour, hearing from experts in the field and young people and their parents.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanymental health, kids mental health, children mental health, children's mental health, childhood development, early childhood development, webinars, education charity, education reform, uk school, uk schools, uk education, uk education reform, progressive school, progressive education, psychology, psychologist, new school, the new school uk Comment
Xmas Party Heroes collaboration
Xmas Party Heroes collaboration

Has covid cancelled your Christmas party? Xmas Party Heroes has been created to help businesses donate their unused Christmas party budget to their favourite charities, and we’re one of the chosen charities on the platform!

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyuk school, democratic school, education charity, education, education reform, democratic education, self directed learning, uk education, uk education reform, progressive educationComment
Fresh from the kitchen
Fresh from the kitchen

Jehn, one of our fantastic chefs, explains here how things work in the kitchen here at The New School. We do things a little differently, of course, and with nutrition playing such a huge part of mental and physical wellbeing, it’s very important to us.

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Thought piecesHannah MulvanyUK teachers, uk curriculum, chefs in schools, school dinners, school food, uk education, uk education reform, democratic school, democratic education, uk school, London schools, London school, nutrition, kids nutrition, kids mental health Comment
Hope 2020 Damilola Taylor Campaign
Hope 2020 Damilola Taylor Campaign

The New School has joined together with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation for the Hope 2020 campaign, which is inspired by the life of Damilola Taylor who was murdered in South London. The 20th anniversary campaign is dedicated to hearing from young people about their aspirational stories of ambition and hope for themselves and the future.

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Thought piecesHannah MulvanyDamilola Taylor, Hope 2020, democratic education, democratic school, creativity, kids creativity, education, education reform, self directed learning, schools, primary schools, progressive education, progressive school, South London, London schools, London school Comment
Losing Control 'Open House' featuring The New School Founder Lucy Stephens
Losing Control 'Open House' featuring The New School Founder Lucy Stephens

Lucy Stephens, Founder of The New School, will feature in the September edition of ‘Open House’ by peer-led network Losing Control. The session will focus on the topic of co-production and Lucy will discuss The New School’s democratic approach. Session runs from 3pm-5pm on 29th September 2020.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyuk curriculum, UK teachers, UK teaching, uk school, uk education, uk education reform, uk teaching, uk schools, uk primary schools, schools, new school, democratic education, democratic school, childhood development, education, education reform, self directed learning, progressive educationComment
'Fear of failure' giving UK children lowest happiness levels in Europe
'Fear of failure' giving UK children lowest happiness levels in Europe

Children in the UK have the lowest levels of life satisfaction across Europe, with “a particularly British fear of failure” partly to blame, according to a major report into childhood happiness.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyeducation reform, democratic education, uk education, education, self directed learning, uk education reform, progressive education, mental health, kids mental health, children mental health, children's mental health, childhood development, uk school, uk secondary schools, uk schools, new school, schools, UK teaching, uk kids, uk teachers, uk primary schools, teenagers, teenage yearsComment
'Tone-deaf' ministers reject BAME review of English curriculum
'Tone-deaf' ministers reject BAME review of English curriculum

To not think it’s necessary to include BAME history in the UK curriculum because ‘a broad curriculum can include the voices and experiences of BAME people’ highlights the government’s lack of understanding.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanybl, BLM, black lives matter, bame, black history, black history matters, black history month, black voices, education, education reform, democratic education, uk education, uk education reform, progressive education, uk curriculum, curriculum, uk schools, uk schoolComment
Third of youth clubs in London fear closure by end of year
Third of youth clubs in London fear closure by end of year

If youth services weren’t in a state of emergency before (debatable) they are now. This is incredibly short-sighted, and concerning for young people.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyyouth clubs, youth club, youth groups, teenagers, uk kids, children mental health, children's mental health, childhood development, teenage years, government funding, government funding cuts, funding cuts, youth charity, kids charity Comment
Back to school debate
Back to school debate

It’s understandable that parents and teachers are reticent about going back to school.  Other countries have done it differently and are no worse off.  There is lot of independent science that we don’t hear about, that paints a different picture. 

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanycovid, covid19, coronavirus, kids mental health, uk school, uk schools, uk education, uk education reform, education, education reform, new school, London schools, London school Comment
6 positive ways coronavirus can change education
6 positive ways coronavirus can change education

The more questions we ask of schools in terms of what they are doing for pastoral support, social and emotional skills development and giving our children a voice in their learning, the more schools will have to change.

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyeducation, education reform, democratic education, self directed learning, uk education, uk education reform, London schools, London school, learning through play, London teachers Comment
Why Children Must Bicker as They Play
Why Children Must Bicker as They Play

As Teacher Tom writes in Medium Magazine, this is the gold standard of a play-based curriculum: creative, cooperative play. Reflecting on his own teaching experience he says, “As a teacher in a school that engages in no direct instruction, but rather bases its curriculum on the evidence of how children learn best, which is through their own self-directed play,”

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Thought piecesHannah Mulvanyeducation, homeschool, home school, homeschooling, self directed learning, parenting, teaching, play, kids playing, learning through play, playa, childhood development, children mental health Comment