Education on a human scale
The Human Scale Education Movement has been formed to increase the general awareness that, for education to be truly effective, the whole physical and social environment must provide young learners with the feeling that they, as persons, are what matter most to the learning community.
It also promotes such structures and relationships by pointing to good practice and encouraging new initiatives, and supports parents and teachers working for change in the mainstream.
Human scale education can be achieved in large as much as in small schools. If the will to establish supportive relationships is there, the means can be found irrespective of the school's size.
Action for Change
The Movement's patrons include Lord Young of Dartington, Anita Roddick and Sir Yehudi Menuhin. The Movement has selected three initiatives for action and support:
'Allow large schools to restructure on a human scale'
Minischools and other schemes that allow large schools to restructure on a human scale. Examples of minischooling such as Stantonbury Campus in Milton Keynes show that it works well.
Small schools, especially where the intention is that they should be non-fee paying and have open access. The challenge is to provide a wide curriculum and high adult/pupil ratio without being 'uneconomical.'
Flexischooling, which encourages schools to combine school with home-based or community-based education.
How the Movement works
The Human Scale Education Movement, launched in 1987, operates at both a national and local level and provides conferences, a newsletter, a handbook 'Working Together: exploring values in education', a forum for dialogue between the maintained and alternative sectors and local branches which form for discussion, support and action.
Minischooling
Minischooling was discussed by Philip Toogood in a booklet published by the Movement ('Minischooling - The Answer for Overlarge and Falling Rolls Schools', 1987, L2-50). One part of the book charts the story of the minischools experiment between 1970 and 1983 at Madeley Court Comprehensive in Telford New Town. A striking transformation was achieved:
'Theft in the minischools was almost as absent as it is in a submarine. Attendance was well over 90% on average'
'Theft in the minischools was almost as absent as it is in a submarine. Attendance was well over 90% on average. Children could communicate with each other. The teachers related to each other as people and not as members of a subject discipline area. Parents got to know teachers, often holding committee meetings in pubs and homes.
'We could have introduced a school dinner parent cooperative and done our own maintenance and cleaning too, had this been permitted.'
'The vision is one of federations of minischools within old large school sites; above all, of children in a setting small and sane enough for them to be treated as human beings'
The vision is one of federations of minischools within old large school sites; associations of autonomous small schools; and networks of 'flexischools' for all ages. But above all, children in a setting small and sane enough for them to be treated as human beings.
Fiona Carnie, Human Scale Education Movement, 96 Carlingcott, near Bath BA2 8AW, Avon (tel 0761 433733). A subscription to their newsletter costs L12 (L8 for the low-waged).
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