Beyond all this noise of the hard logistics of getting physically re-opened there has been more important, richer talk. Talk that begins to question the sort of education we want for our children, the constraints of the hugely reductive examinations-led system, the gaps that lockdown has laid bare for many in our society – not even glue and paper in a home let alone the digital connectivity to make use of the plethora of digital resources that appeared – and just what the future normal might be for education and educators.

At one level it has sounded sharply clinical; what does government talk of re-socialisation smack of more than a sense that children have gone feral in the absence of school? But more empathetic language has also emerged, one that talks of recovery, a genuine thinking about what children, staff and communities will need from schools in the months and years to come and which begins to think differently about the very purpose and practice of education.

It was this theme that formed the focus of a recent Real Ideas webinar I hosted titled ‘Imagining the Future Normal: Exploring Education Post-Lockdown’. Featuring panellists with a range of perspectives, it was designed to be both thought-provoking, positive, the start of a conversation and – perhaps – even a movement. After all, as Maya Angelou, the great American writer once said, ‘there’s nothing so strong as an idea whose time has come’.

Many of its themes have been bubbling away for some time only to be brought to the surface by lockdown and they were neatly encapsulated by a series of hashtags one audience member tweeted after the webinar:

They also chime with the contributions of the webinar panellists, whether the well-known (but under-valued) proverb espoused by Dave Sammels – ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ – the HEART values of Cabot Learning Federation, the Trust Kate Richardson works for or the ‘whole education’ philosophy of Seb Chapleau’s Big Education Conversation. They also speak to the views of our own Matt Little, shared in his recent blog.

From a personal perspective those hashtags have underpinned the work we have been doing at Real Ideas for some time to support arts, culture, creativity and digital opportunity as part of a rich school provision, work that had been positively supported by the most recent Ofsted (remember them?) framework, with its re-focus on breadth and balance in the curriculum and recognition of the importance of cultural capital. It’s also work that has been bolstered by the creative explosion of activity in lockdown homes across the country, as home-working parents appreciate the power and impact of arts, creativity and digital solutions to sustain and soothe families as well as meaningfully fill the education gap.

What the past few COVID months have done is help us refine our education work going forwards, shaping it around our expertise and its place in supporting recovery, with a re-focus on the importance of community, wellbeing and digital equality. And because I’m a sucker for a bit of alliteration, we’ve articulated this by way of 4Cs:

But for us, this process isn’t just about ideas; it’s about real sleeves-rolled-up action and (socially distanced) arms-around-the-shoulder support for schools and educators. Lockdown has seen us organising Let’s Create arts and crafting packs and getting them to schools for families who need them; creating creative-techy-making Future Make Future Make video challenges for children; launching FromLockdownWithLove to capture and celebrate the positive creativity of children and families; curating links to help teachers and parents navigate the wealth of online resources out there; and providing effective advice and support just when it’s been needed.

All these things have helped in the here and now but we’re not going anywhere once the pandemic dust has settled. We will continue to work with schools long after lockdown to deliver and help make practical connections to broaden curriculums, to ensure vulnerable families are looked after, to shape digital opportunities, to build a community of engaged and experienced doers who care and are great at having real ideas to make stuff just that little bit better.

After all, there’s no heading back in the direction of the same old same old. Because the future normal for education is a set of ideas whose time has come.

Join a community of doers; willing to talk, explore ideas, help you make connections and work together to make good ideas real. As a member you will be able to access our library of practical resources, receive our regular updates, access our noticeboard of opportunities (offers of support, links to funding etc), make connections to other members, participate in our event and workshop programme, work from one of our spaces and get access to reduced prices for your school to participate in our programme of activity for schools (Market Hall visits, Future Make days, Illuminate workshops). Choose membership and make it easier and more fun to make the difference you believe in. Find out more and sign up to the Real Ideas membership here.