Miliband calls for discussion on personalised learning

Wednesday, 13 October 2004 12:00 AM

The Government has invited school staff, governors, pupils and parents to take part in a "national conversation" about personalised learning.

Themed "curriculum weeks" in schools, wider vocational choices and 24 hour access to e-learning could all become part of the school day, Schools Standards Minister David Miliband said.

Launching the consultation, he called on schools to set out a foundation for the development of personalised learning where education is tailored to meet the individual needs, aptitude and aspirations of every child.

Personalised learning is part of the Government's wider agenda to provide public services that are tailored to an individual's needs, rather than a generic product. In a key note speech on Monday, the Prime Minister said that the Government is working for a new relationship between the state and the citizen. Tony Blair argued that the correct relationship is "with the citizen not at the bottom of the pyramid taking what is handed down; but at the top of it with power in their hands to get the service they want."

"Personalised learning is the best practice of the best teachers and support staff in schools across the country. Our drive is to make these practices universal," Mr Miliband told an audience of more than 500 head teachers yesterday.

"If we are to ensure that every child gets the best possible education, we must tailor teaching and learning around the needs and aspirations of individual students."

He cited Westbury Primary School in Bristol, where the curriculum is focussed in themed weeks, and Gateshead College, where students are offered a wide range of academic and vocational courses.

On Monday, the National Council for School Leadership called on Mr Miliband to cut the "bureaucracy of accountability" that stands in the way of teachers' delivery of personalised education.

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