Surrey Homes | SH41 | March 2018 | Fashion supplement inside

Nurture the child
– not the targets
Our new education columnist Hilary Wilce believes passionately
that a successful education starts with a child’s sense of self
This winter we got a new Minister for Education
and for once the person in charge of the country’s
schools had something interesting to say.
In his first big speech Damian Hinds announced that he
wanted schools to focus as much on developing children’s
character and resilience as on boosting exam results. And that’s
really good news - up to a point.
It’s vital that we help pupils learn how to stick at difficult
things, bounce back from set-backs, and be kind and thoughtful
to themselves and others. This inner strength is the greatest gift
we adults can give to children as they grow up.
But it’s wrong to think – as Damian Hinds seems to – that
teaching these so-called ‘soft skills’ is somehow separate from
teaching reading, writing, maths and science.
In fact, they are indivisible; you can’t make progress in maths if
you are terrified to make a mistake, understand literature without
empathy, or get your head round the hard parts of any school
subject without being willing to stick at it.
So schools should not just be told to offer character education
lessons, but encouraged to develop their pupils’ character at every
turn. And parents must play their part too – a much bigger
part than any school will ever play. Research shows that children
mainly take their values from home, so parents will always need
to be proactive and committed if they want to build strong, wellbalanced
children.
What’s testing you about education?
With an education system which seems to get ever more
complex the whole schools experience can be bewildering
for parents. With our annual education magazine,
supplements and regular features we address a wide range
of issues in the field, but we would love to know what
your particular areas of concern are. We won’t be able to
answer individual questions, but please email to tell us
what you would like to read more about at education@
surrey-homes.co.uk
145 surrey-homes.co.uk
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