Here in the UK our education system is focused on a classroom curriculum. The success markers along the way—the tests, key stage milestones and exams—are all constantly reinforcing an emphasis on what happens within classrooms. But did you know that by the time a child turns 18, they will have spent only nine per cent of their waking lives in a classroom?1
Our education system is focused on this small percentage and does little to acknowledge that learning is not just a classroom activity. With the new Ofsted framework in practice, inspectors will now be making judgements on a school’s commitment to personal development and character education—recognition that there is more to success than quantitative academic results. But this is still only a small part of their assessments.
To my colleagues and I here at Children’s University, this nine per cent of a child’s life represents only part of the story. It’s the contrasting 91 per cent that remains our focus. Our mission is to inspire all children to learn beyond the classroom, create wider communities of learning and remove barriers to learning for all children.
Learning outside of the classroom
There’s no shortage of evidence that what goes on outside the classroom has significant positive impact. Sutton Trust’s Life Lessons report2 found that essential life skills such as confidence, motivation, resilience and communication are associated with better academic outcomes and better prospects in the workplace. They also reported that 88 per cent of young people, 94 per cent of employers and 97 per cent of teachers said that life skills were as, or more, important than academic qualifications. Extra-curricular activities contribute to the development of these skills.
Reports like these are great for illustrating evidence, but when I talk to people about what I do and the work of Children’s University, people readily furnish me with their own anecdotal evidence. Talk to many people about the importance of activities beyond the classroom and people are always willing to share their own experiences: the friendship groups centred around a youth club, the confidence gained from weekend drama clubs, the interests developed from a visit or school trip to somewhere new. Opportunities for learning are everywhere and so many people are walking, talking evidence of the life-long impact of participation.
Inspiring and ensuring participation
However, it is easy to assume that we all appreciate how important learning beyond the classroom can be and that activities are available by the bucket load. While these opportunities are out there in abundance, getting children to be inspired by them and ensure access them are two very real challenges.