Promoting creativity in learning:
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The Plan for Children is launched
December 2007
Ignite! welcomes the recent policy plan launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF – department for curtains and soft-furnishings to help you remember the order of things). The Plan is a long-term vision to improve schools and a step-change in the way parents and families are supported to deal with the new challenges faced by young people in the 21st century.
Ed Balls, Secretary of State, said: “Our aim is to make this country the best place in the world for our children and young people to grow up. For most children, 2007 is a great time to be a child. Most children are happy, most are achieving to a higher level than ever before, enjoying better health, more opportunities to travel, to engage in sport or cultural activities than was the case for any previous generation. We also need to recognise that the world is changing rapidly, presenting new and exciting opportunities, but also risks and challenges, and it is hard for families to strike the right balance.”
At the same time, the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority), is developing the strategies for change to the way the curriculum is delivered in schools – emphasising the aims to support young people as 'successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.'
The Arts Council has launched an enquiry into Learning Outside the Classroom.
The coincidence of these announcements and plans for the future of services for children and young people offers an opportunity to re-examine how we help kids to grow, to thrive and to learn.
Not surprisingly, Ignite! believes that the key to children's and young people's well being and happiness lies in their capacities for invention and play; the active celebration of their imaginations.
A summary of the Children's Plan from the DCSF is available to download here. Children's Plan summary