Rishi Sunak – frequently accused of having a “robotic” style of delivery himself – was championing robots as the answer to the nation’s educational ills this week.
Speaking at a global investment summit, he said that robots could help the country reach the “holy grail” of education policy – everyone having their own personal tutor. The arrangement, he said, would be particularly useful for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and improve outcomes.
While AI will clearly have its uses, Sunak’s musing was symptomatic of the view that there is a simple, relatively cheap answer to educational “underachievement”. More technology, mindfulness lessons, resilience weeks, more closely monitored teaching, tougher inspection, the list goes on.
Rather than a robot, children who are “underachieving” by the standard measures need time with trained human beings who take the time to know them and understand their needs. They can then help them see a way through the educational minefield adults have so thoughtfully created for them.
They also need warm homes, fresh air, food to eat and to not be in a state of chronic stress – things that are by no means a given, but politicians often presume.
While AI will support the adaptive learning platforms that can help children practise the basics, it will never provide what disadvantaged children need to reach their potential.
This is something that most independent schools understand, and the Independent Schools’ Council’s Partnership Week this week went some way to showing this.
As the ISC’s CEO Julie Robinson was reported saying in The Telegraph, the stereotypical narrative around independent schools is one of elitism and privilege. But most people you meet in the sector are desperate to use their advantageous positions to do good in the world.
It was heartening to hear about a wealth of partnerships going on between state and private schools – many of which are going far beyond the simple “loan of facilities” model of yore.
Rather than taxing private school fees, would it be ridiculous to suggest that the Government should support more independent schools to extend these partnerships and bring their benefits to more children?
Independent schools aren’t always “better” than state schools – as shadow deputy PM Angela Rayner once made clear. But the chances of them having highly developed music, sport, drama and languages provision are much higher.
In the week that it was revealed that a million children don’t even own a book, it seems that the nation should be leveraging everything it has to ensure everyone has good access to a broad education.
While AI might be part of the solution, independent schools almost certainly can be too.