Retirement seems a long way off for most youngsters and of course that is very understandable given that most of our students will not retire until sometime in the 2080’s. Given the accelerated rate of change we’ve witnessed over the past two years, it’s impossible to predict what employment will be like a few decades from now.
But while we cannot predict the future of our young people, we must prepare them and equip each individual to thrive amid the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world.
The education we provide must ensure they can navigate the headwinds of environmental degradation, geopolitical upheaval and technological change. That’s not to say the outlook for youngsters is bleak; Each generation will experience unprecedented opportunities, and a world of constant innovation offers no shortage of hope and optimism.
It is neither necessary nor helpful that we attempt to predict future trends; We could hardly have expected our own schooling to have schooled us in the etiquette of online meetings or the epidemiological benefits of wearing masks.
Instead, the best preparation and education is one that prepares for all eventualities—enabling each learner to have the skills, traits, qualities, and dispositions needed to meet the difficulties and seize the opportunities. This ultimately means being ready for the real world and this is the heart and structure of what we aim to offer at Hereford Cathedral School.
culture and curriculum
There are two core principles that underpin our work to ensure every student leaves school ready for the real world. This is our culture and our curriculum. Culture is best defined as ‘the way we do things here’ and in our beautiful cathedral city in the heart of rural Herefordshire we make it a priority.
For the past 1,300 years, Hereford Cathedral School has taken the Christian faith and our cathedral foundation very seriously. All students, including those of all faiths and none, understand their purpose and significance in God’s world and are outward-looking, philanthropic, and compassionate individuals.
Appreciating their role and purpose in life allows them to develop the resilience, integrity, and strength of character they build amid the uncertainty and changeability of modern society.
Another important part of our culture is an unwavering commitment to holistic education that emphasizes the breadth of opportunity. From debating society to dissection, programming club to chamber choir, there really is something for everyone and a chance for every student to find an area in which they can excel and develop, step out of their comfort zone and try something new and exciting .
By curriculum we mean much more than just the work plans taught in the classroom; This includes opportunities for students to sing with professional musicians, speak to the whole school at church services, and engage in competitive sports.
Certain basic skills are required to be ready for the real world. One of these is, of course, digital literacy, and countless jobs in the modern world require not only a familiarity with Microsoft Office, but also technological versatility and programming skills.
The introduction of personal devices in the classroom, the use of virtual reality headsets and early learning to code in our 3- to 18-year-old full-time offerings point to this.
However, to be ready for the real world, students need to understand how this works in reality and how their learning is relevant in the world of work. A few weeks ago, a tech company brought a robot into the school and the students learned how they transformed specific sectors and had the opportunity to write the code for the robot to perform specific functions.
Practicality also means helping students understand interdisciplinarity and that problem solving requires broad understanding and working across narrow subject disciplines. While qualifications require lessons to be given in specific subject areas, we encourage opportunities to make connections and linkages.
A vivid example from last week is a presentation by an Associate Publisher at Macmillan, who discussed a book’s journey from idea to shelf; the students’ eyes were opened to the complexity and multi-layered nature of the process from contractual agreements to global supply chains.
Similarly, our annual Academic Super Saturday events address an important multidisciplinary topic and examine it from multiple angles.
The school’s future department works with students of all ages to help them understand the range of careers available
Last term’s Super Saturday was devoted to the theme of leadership, which included an address and question-and-answer session with political and diplomatic behemoth Sir David Manning, which was then applied in a simulated geopolitical negotiation. Providing opportunities and emphasizing leadership and service are central to our culture and curriculum.
Both are about being a force for good in society and I am always amazed by the number of students who volunteer in the community and support local organizations like Street Pastors.
Others serve through paid employment, working in shops, restaurants, and on farms. There are few things more effective in developing real-world readiness than finding a job where young people will quickly learn the importance of punctuality, the value of money and the diplomacy required when facing a challenging client to face
Develop Diploma
At Hereford Cathedral School, we give all of this a framework in the form of the HCS Diploma, which will start as a senior program from September 2022. The core are elective subjects to supplement the Abitur, which focus on the skills and attributes that are needed for the modern world.
These include courses ranging from programming to cooking, from finance to video editing and web design. Alongside this, there will be a need to engage with the community and show how each student is an active force for good in society. This could be regular visits to a retirement home, helping elementary school children read, or volunteering at a charity shop.
Pupils in the upper school also have a wide range of opportunities after the age of 18. For some, the traditional British university route may be the preferred option, for others, an apprenticeship with a degree, where you can work and study at the same time and end up debt-free and with a job, might be a better option. Others might still think of universities in North America or Europe.
Whatever their ambitions, the future department allows them to be guided through the processes and make informed decisions.
This support doesn’t just start in high school. Working throughout our range from ages 3 to 18, our futures department develops aspirations and understanding of the incredible range of exciting opportunities available to our young people, from careers in cybersecurity to space exploration.
Students don’t randomly leave school for the real world; As educators, we must make conscious choices to ensure our values and vision, culture and curriculum make this possible. There is no shortage of global challenges, and it is the responsibility of our young people to address them. It is our duty to make sure they are prepared.