Core Beliefs

We believe that it is the job of teachers to give pupils the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. Everything we do is aimed at helping teachers to achieve this goal.

We have a global outlook and are influenced by best practice and latest research from around the world. We’re constantly looking at the curriculum and assessment in high-performing jurisdictions so that our innovations are always informed and effective. In particular, we’re influenced by the work that Dan Willingham has done in explaining the applications of cognitive psychology to teaching and learning. We’re also influenced by E.D. Hirsch’s concept of cultural literacy and his Core Knowledge Curriculum, which is based on the research about how children learn.

We believe that the concept of knowledge has been misunderstood. For too long, there has been a false and distracting dichotomy between knowledge and skills. This has resulted in curriculums which pretend that skills can be taught in a knowledge-free way. We know that skills and knowledge are inextricably intertwined. Our curriculum, resources and training are built on this premise.

We believe in powerful knowledge: knowledge that has stood the test of time, that has inspired people through the ages and that has led to some of the great advances of civilisation. We believe that all humans have an equal right of access to this knowledge. As Robert Tressell said,

‘What we call civilization--the accumulation of knowledge which has come down to us from our forefathers--is the fruit of thousands of years of human thought and toil. It is not the result of the labour of the ancestors of any separate class of people who exist today, and therefore it is by right the common heritage of all. Every little child that is born into the world, no matter whether he is clever or dull, whether he is physically perfect or lame, or blind; no matter how much he may excel or fall short of his fellows in other respects, in one thing at least he is their equal--he is one of the heirs of all the ages that have gone before.’

We believe that it is wrong that some pupils have been excluded from understanding the great advances of civilisation. We believe, along with William Beveridge, that such exclusion undermines democracy: ‘Ignorance is an evil weed, which dictators may cultivate among their dupes, but which no democracy can afford among its citizens.’

The methods we use to achieve our democratic vision are pragmatic. We have experience of working in state schools, and we know that engaging and inspiring 30 pupils at a time for 25 lessons a week is not easy. We want to help. The resources we’ve developed to support our curriculum free up teachers to focus on engaging all of their pupils all of the time. We work closely with teachers when we prepare our resources, and we use their ideas and feedback to make them even better. We have a big vision of what education should be, but we know that big visions are made up of small details. We care about the small details.

Click here to see how we put these beliefs into practice.