Big Education is about a big ambition. To bring together the energy and spirit of our schools, teachers and communities to deliver a bigger and bolder vision of what education can be about.
We believe deeply that we need to educate the whole child – head, heart and hand. And if we do that with innovation and rigour, then young people will be equipped to make a difference to the world.
If you want to be part of this growing movement
Big Education’s new primary school will open its doors in September 2021 and we intend it to be something special…
Our Three Pillars
To create great schools
that exemplify new models and methods of schooling and give all children, particularly those from the most deprived backgrounds, the greatest chance of success.
To develop innovative programmes
To have a wider impact on the system, we plan to develop and incubate innovative programmes just as we have with our oracy programme. Voice 21 is already working with several hundred schools all over the country.
To build a wider movement
Building on the energies, expertise and imagination of brilliant teachers, we want to be a catalyst for some fresh thinking in education.
How Are We Distinctive?
We believe…
- In making a difference to the entire system not just our own schools
- In prizing distinctiveness and centres of excellence over uniformity
- In challenging not accepting the way education is done – in becoming the first place to go for rigorous innovation and new thinking
- Good exam results and a good Ofsted grade are a minimum necessity not goals of education
- The divide between progressives and traditionalists gets in the way of true innovation that has an impact: dogma of any kind is unhelpful
- Education is an intellectual as well as practical undertaking and needs a rich blend of both
Our First Three Schools
School 21
School 21 is a state-funded, non-selective 4-18 school in Stratford, East London. An innovative school, doing things differently for the 21st century.
Surrey Square Primary
At Surrey Square we believe that children can achieve personal excellence through the teaching and modelling of values and skills.
International Academy of Greenwich
The International Academy of Greenwich (IAG) aims to shape the world through active global citizenship. It opened with 95 Year 7 students in September 2016.
There have been some important developments regarding the International Academy of Greenwich.
If you want your school to be part of this growing movement
We believe speaking and listening skills are fundamental to success in both learning and life.
Learning from Lockdown Playbooks
Our playbooks capture insights and practical ideas from the Learning from Lockdown community around a number of themes, from staff wellbeing to how to rethink as well as recover post lockdown. The aim is to support schools with the goal of building back better.
Big Thinking
Big Education has been a lot about ‘culture’ this week. Both internally, with the inaugural meeting of our ‘culture club’, looking at our ways of working as an organisation, and also with our ‘culture’ day as part of The Big Leadership Adventure.
Liz Robinson Co-Director, Big Education
- November 25, 2020
- 10:51 am
Much banded around as an idea with organisational development and leadership, culture is a fascinating topic to really unpick and get under the skin of. Every place and organisation has a culture, whether we actively...
Employers often use this phase to communicate the fact that they are looking for certain attributes, skills and qualities when they are hiring.
Liz Robinson Co-Director, Big Education
- November 9, 2020
- 3:42 pm
I am lucky enough to be a fellow on the Forward Institute programme. With the overarching theme of responsible leadership, this brilliant programme brings together leaders from across the spectrum of organisations, to...
How can we equip ourselves for the long haul this is turning out to be?
Liz Robinson Co-Director, Big Education
- September 28, 2020
- 8:30 am
