Press Release

Holistic education approach risks being mired in targets

Tuesday, July 22 2008

"Every Child Matters with its current emphasis on blunt and predetermined outcomes may become – or risk being seen as – another means for governing children, parents and the children’s workforce." Every Child Matters and the Concept of Education.

The government's Every Child Matters agenda (ECM), intended as a holistic approach to education, may fail because of too much emphasis on predetermined outcomes, warns a new report.

This may lead educators to focus on narrow objectives at the expense of promoting the general well-being and development of children, says the paper, from the Institute of Education. 

Every Child Matters and the Concept of Education proposes "education-in- its-broadest-sense," where all services for children, not just schools, are sites for education, and all members of the children’s workforce can be educators. This is in contrast to "education-in-a-narrower-sense," which concentrates on schooling, subjects, targets and tests.

The report asks several questions including, "What are the boundaries of education – should services such as childcare, social care and play be included?
Should children be included in decisions about the aims and methods of education? Should schools focus on "education-in-its-narrower-sense" and leave "education-in-its-broadest-sense" to other services? 

Co-editor Professor Peter Moss says, "We need to be asking what is the purpose of education and how it contributes to a good childhood and a democratic society."

Co-editor Dr Graham Haydon adds, "As a society we are rather confused about how we see the place of formal education in relation to society’s overall responsibilities for children’s upbringing and welfare."

Every Child Matters and the Concept of Education is published by the Institute of Education, London.