Bedales and innovation - Will Goldsmith in conversation
Describing his conversation with Will Goldsmith, Head of Bedales, as a “must-listen episode” of The Education Innovators Podcast, Eric Byron, Technology Advisor and Consultant, cites Bedales as “a great example of thoughtful and continuous innovation in education.”
Will outlined the Bedales’ founding principle of ‘work of each for weal of all’, centred on authentic working relationships developing excellence in the individual whilst appreciating their central role in shaping society on every level.
Discussion ranged around the balance in a Bedales education of the ‘head’, ‘hand’, and ‘heart’ and the unique learning community built around a rural campus, with service opportunities for students which help foster an understanding in young people of their place in the natural world. Examples of the distinctive approaches to teaching and learning at Bedales included the Bedales Assessed Courses as the School’s alternative to GCSE which give students greater choice over the curriculum and include a wider range of assessments. This results in highly motivated students who are better prepared for specialising in their Sixth Form A Level programmes and onward study at universities and creative higher education institutions. It also develops a broader range of skills for life, than the more traditional and narrow education systems.
Eric summed up Bedales as a “school with old world charm and new world perspectives on teaching and learning.”
The Education Innovators Podcast is a weekly conversation between Eric Byron and guests from all aspects of education around the world. It looks for innovative ideas and practical examples of things happening in schools and learning environments that are of interest to teachers, corporate trainers, school administrators, EdTech providers, students, parents, and anyone else interested in education.
To hear Will’s take on The Bedales Difference, and future plans for the School, you can watch this edition of The Education Innovators Podcast as a video here (audio available here).