By Kate Bevan, Head of Junior School

Many Heads, myself included, will have spent some of the summer break ruminating on artificial intelligence and its implications for education. Whilst elements of it have been around for years, the great leap forward that generative AI represents is transformative. As a prep head, how do I now conceive of the world we are preparing our pupils for? What do they need to know, and what skills do they need to have, to thrive in this new paradigm?

Predicting the future, especially for such young children, is difficult. Will knowledge matter any more, when it can so easily be sourced from the internet? Should we re-prioritise the curriculum to reflect that? Should we re-balance the lessons for this generation of digital natives, so that more of their time in school is spent on digital skills and computers? Is there even a need for handwriting skills anymore, when typing is the norm?

At Notting Hill & Ealing Junior School, we have not shied away from technology. All girls from Year 3 have a Chromebook, a Google Classroom for resources and their own work, and the older ones are trained as Digital Leaders (with help from Childnet) to role model skills and behaviours to others. Every child has a weekly computing lesson from Year 1, in which they learn a wide variety of skills and build knowledge on topics that evolve to reflect advances in technology. Our Parents Guild has also generously funded a set of VR headsets that will enable pupils to be transported to places a risk assessment might otherwise preclude! And we will shortly be opening our brand new Junior School building, designed with the most flexible computing room we can create, to enable collaboration in the Cloud as much as robotics on the floor. 

So, Luddites we are not. But, we do hold certain educational principles dear which help us navigate through the unchartered territory that lies ahead. Firstly, knowledge has innate value. How else do you critically consume new information? We also believe in using technology when it augments the learning, not for the sake of using it. We love how technology can facilitate pupils learning together, how it enables girls to show what they know in new ways, and how it can support those who find some traditional methods a barrier to absorbing new information or demonstrating their abilities. 

However, we have a long tradition of experiential learning and know the joy that comes from learning in real life. We have designed an integrated curriculum that connects learning objectives from different subjects into fascinating topics that engage the girls and help them develop a sophisticated understanding. Each one has a ‘Super Start’ which fires their imagination and launches their learning, followed by a ‘Marvellous Middle’ to keep up momentum and then a ‘Fabulous Finish’. For example, Year 4 travel to Verulamium in Hertfordshire for hands-on workshops about the Romans; disaster strikes their classroom halfway through, as a stimulus for learning about Pompeii; and they finish by creating exhibits for their own museum for their parents to visit, showcasing all they have learnt. Along the way, they make Roman sandals in DT, clay busts in Art, learn about the Empire through Geography and build historical skills.   

I often say to prospective parents that young children come to us with an innate love of learning and our job is to keep that flame burning brightly. We know from the periods of remote teaching that school is the best place for children to learn, and so whilst that experience accelerated our use of technology, we are clearer than ever on what helps make learning ‘stick’. More than that, we cherish the activities that could not be done through a screen, the ones that spark joy, wonderment, pride and nourish the children’s curiosity and love of learning. They deserve a multi-sensory experience that will embed learning and encourage a life-long enjoyment of discovering something new. After all, whatever the future holds, one thing is for certain: there will always be new things to learn!

First published – Independent School Parent – October 2023