From the Head of Barker

An Education Worth Having

Over the years in former roles such as National Chair of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia, I have spoken to many school leaders and teachers and was able to visit many schools.

This privilege gave me a broad perspective on an important question: “what is an education worth having?” The pages that follow will serve to illustrate our answer to this question more fully than any letter of greeting that I might provide. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we awake to a vastly different set of circumstances where the old story of schooling seems less relevant to meet the needs of a more flexible and individualised future. The world of work and even the world of tertiary study has changed unstoppably and the coming decade will see this accelerate. I received a recent tweet that suggested “Remote work is for concentrating; head office is for collaborating”. In order to gather data to help us find the best path to the future, the Barker Institute is rapidly becoming a vitally important arm of our academic program. We are researching how children and young people have responded to the digital world that the pandemic response made commonplace. Our Year 6 PYP Exhibition showed how our students put their big questions directly to scientists, artists, historians or explorers outside the School, many of whom responded generously with their time. The return to “normal” after the pandemic involves more than resetting technology. The World Health Organisation advised in March 2022 that there has been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide since the pandemic. Maintaining a caring environment and promoting wellbeing in schools has never been more important. The education of character is rapidly becoming one of the most cherished purposes of our School. While digital technologies are an important enabler of a new revolution in learning, they are not its only support. Research findings from neuroscience and the social sciences are influencing school programs and pedagogical approaches. For example, schools are taking into account the effect of emotional intelligence on students’ capacity to learn and actively seeking ways to develop emotional intelligence in teachers as well as students. Other schools are introducing programs to develop mindfulness in students and report gains in student cognition and academic achievement. Several Australian schools are now world leaders in the linking of applied psychology, particularly in relation to student wellbeing, to academic learning. The question remains, however, whether the world of learning changes further now that we are resuming after the pandemic. The challenge is to nurture the things we cherish. I know from recent conversations with students and their parents that this movement is beginning to engage whole school communities. The almost unimaginable frontiers of the imminent future have created an appetite for discovery, change and innovation in schools. To meet these great challenges of the present and future, Barker remains committed. Our students and families together with the heritage of the School deserves nothing less. What is an education worth having? It is being forged right now. The pages that follow celebrate the breadth of opportunities to explore our humanity at this exciting time.

Phillip Heath AM Head of Barker College