In England, education has been under sustained pressure for over a decade. Successive (Conservative) governments have underfunded schools while simultaneously removing or decimating the support structures we once relied upon—mental health services, youth workers, family support, social care. The result? Schools are now expected to plug the gaps of a broken system, all while teaching, feeding, safeguarding and nurturing the next generation.
Then came the pandemic. COVID-19 wasn’t just a disruption—it was a reset. It exposed every fragility in our system, from digital infrastructure to assessment models to the wellbeing of learners and educators alike. It accelerated absenteeism, amplified inequality and deepened the workload and recruitment crisis.
And yet—what’s the current response? Tweaks. Adjustments. “Targeted improvements.”
I’ve read the interim report of the Government’s curriculum and assessment review. It doesn’t go far enough. Meanwhile, many voices are calling for “balance” or “adjustment”, “evolution, not revolution” tend to be… well, let’s just say there’s a certain overrepresentation of white men over 50 who’ve benefited from the very system we now need to question. Here’s why they’re wrong—and why we need transformation, not tinkering:
1. Systems Thinking (Donella Meadows):
“You can’t fix a system by fiddling with its parts—you have to address its purpose and paradigm.”
Our education system is still rooted in industrial-era logic and accountability cultures from the early 2000s. If we want equity, creativity, and future-readiness, we need to rethink the purpose of education itself—not just shift the metrics.
2. The Adaptive Cycle (Ecological Theory):
Big systems go through growth, collapse, and reorganisation.
We are post-collapse—exhausted teachers, disengaged learners, burnt-out leaders. The opportunity now is reorganisation: to rethink the roles, relationships, and resources within education.
3. Disruptive Innovation (Clayton Christensen):
When disruption hits, the winners aren’t the ones who patch the old model—they’re the ones who build a better one.
Small adjustments won’t save a system that’s no longer fit for purpose.
4. Post-Traumatic Growth:
Education has collectively gone through trauma.
Post-traumatic growth happens when we respond intentionally and radically—not when we scramble to return to “normal.” Normal is gone. We need something better.
5. COVID-19 as a Catalyst:
“When the world flips, a cautious shuffle won’t do. We need bold steps, a new compass.”
This isn’t hyperbole. We saw it in action - schools that adapted creatively to remote learning, rethought timetables, embraced tech and built stronger community links thrived. That’s the direction we should be heading in—not back to 2018.
6. Punctuated Equilibrium (Evolutionary Biology):
Big change doesn’t happen gradually—it happens in bursts.
Our education system is at such a point now. Trying to "evolve slowly" through small reforms is a form of denial. We either transform, or we become extinct - so I don’t believe tweaks are enough: Not for attendance; Not for staff wellbeing; Not for inclusion; Misogyny; SEND; Tech, curriculum or crumbling infrastructure. This is a moment for brave thinking, shared vision and structural change. If we don’t take it we’ll find ourselves battling the same crises a decade from now, only deeper and more entrenched.
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