Children will be taught to be nice to each other under Labour plans to update the curriculum, Sir Keir Starmer will pledge tomorrow.
The Labour leader, outlining his ambition to smash the ‘class ceiling’ with reform of the education system, will call for schools to put a greater emphasis on ’emotional intelligence’ – with children working together and responding better to others.
Sir Keir will also warn that the divide between academic and vocational routes damages young people.
He is set to say that ‘snobbery’ surrounding different paths has ‘no place in modern society’ and that children need a grounding in both to succeed, with a greater emphasis on resilience. In a highly personal speech setting out his fifth and final ‘mission’ for a better Britain, Sir Keir will detail a goal to ensure children’s future earnings are not limited by those of their parents.
Sir Keir, speaking in Gillingham, Kent, will say that his ‘core purpose’ is to fight the ‘pernicious idea that background equals destiny’, adding: ‘That your circumstances, who you are, where you come from, who you know, might shape your life more than your talent, effort and enterprise. No, breaking that link, that’s what Labour is for. It runs deep for me.’
Children will be taught to be nice to each other under Labour plans to update the curriculum, Sir Keir Starmer will pledge tomorrow
Sir Keir will insist a key way forward is to end the academic and vocational divide. He will state: ‘The sheep and goats mentality that’s always been there in English education. The ‘academic for my kids; vocational for your kids’ snobbery. This has no place in modern society. No connection to the jobs of the future.
‘No, for our children to succeed, they need a grounding in both. Need skills and knowledge. Practical problem-solving and academic rigour.
‘Curiosity and a love of learning too, they’ve always been critical.
‘But now, we also need a greater emphasis on creativity, on resilience, on emotional intelligence and the ability to adapt – on all the attributes that make us human, that distinguish us from learning machines.’
Labour’s plan to break down the barriers to opportunity will include modernising the curriculum so that it properly prepares young people with the personal qualities, skills and knowledge needed to thrive in work and life.
Labour’s plan to break down the barriers to opportunity will include modernising the curriculum so that it properly prepares young people with the personal qualities, skills and knowledge needed to thrive in work and life (File image)
Sir Keir will set a target of half a million more children hitting their early learning targets by 2030.
He is also calling for the teaching profession to be ‘strengthened’ to end the recruitment and retention crisis, though Labour did not detail how.
And he will restate his party’s plan to build more houses so that 1.5million people can become homeowners.
Sir Keir, the son of a toolmaker, will add: ‘There’s also something more pernicious. A pervasive idea, a barrier in our collective minds, that narrows our ambitions for working class children and says this isn’t for you.
‘Some people call it the ‘class ceiling’ – and that’s a good name for it. It’s about economic insecurity, structural and racial injustice. But it’s also about a fundamental lack of respect.
‘A snobbery that too often extends into adulthood. Raising its ugly head when it comes to inequalities at work – in pay, promotions, opportunities to progress.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk