New Forest Living Mar - Apr 2020

future-proofing
education
How can you prepare for a career that
hasn’t yet been invented?
Bruce Waymark, Deputy Head,
Academic, explains how they are
future-proofing education at King
Edward VI School, Southampton.
The path from education to work used to be an easily
recognisable and well-trod route. Go to school, leave school,
find work locally, or go to university first. Jobs and careers were
stable, established, and often for life.
For most children and young adults, that path has become
riddled with changes, diversions, new additions, or closed
exits. Technology and globalisation has transformed the lives
we lead, hence the career market is in constant change. The
World Economic Forum now lists jobs that did not exist in
2006: Social Media Manager, Driverless Car Engineer, Cloud
Computing Specialist, Sustainability Manager, and Millennial
Generational Expert. Advances in robotics, artificial intelligence,
and biotechnology lead the WEF to estimate that 65% of children
entering school today will ultimately work in brand new industries.
So how can schools hope to prepare students for these future
careers? Schools must invest in both the technology used
to deliver their curriculum, and also opportunities that allow
children to discover their own untapped strengths.
At King Edward’s, pupils can study subjects such as Computer
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Science, Graphic Design, and Economics, and benefit
from one-to-one technology. Introduced as a compulsory
learning aid six years ago, it has not replaced traditional
forms of learning (pens, papers, books, and essays are still
there!), rather it has added to the tools available. By allowing
collaborative projects and research to take place beyond
classroom walls, pupils can draw upon information from a
variety of sources and locations.
The co-curricular life of the school has also adapted to
accommodate the shifting skills needed by school leavers. We
have Coding and Robotics Clubs, Sustainability Committee,
Digital Leaders group, and even a Greenpower car design and
racing team. If schools can cultivate opportunities for pupils to
feed their own intellectual curiosity, they can develop the as yet
unknown skills for a work place that doesn’t yet exist.
Similarly schools must not forget or move away from the
creative arts. Participate in art, drama, and music along
with activities beneficial to the local and wider community
encourages pupils to understand and explore their generation’s
place in an ever-changing global society.
Come to our Taster
Mornings
10am-1pm
Year 5
Tuesday 28 April 2020
Thursday 7 May 2020
Tuesday 2 June 2020
Year 7
Monday 27 April 2020
To attend, email
registrar@kes.hants.sch.uk
fli
@kessouthampton
023 8079 9216