ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses England and schools, referring to lessons that might be learnt from this period of disruptive administration. Redesign works with existing designs and recombines them into new forms. Redesigning schooling does not mean ‘de-schooling’, undoing schooling as a social institution. The emphasis in design, and in redesign, is always to focus on the ‘brief’ first of all. A design brief covers the intent and scope of the project, as well as its production, timing, and budget. Existing socioeconomic inequities were exposed and, arguably, increased during the pandemic. A recent survey of school leaders and teachers suggests that, despite some children thriving in lockdown learning, the already serious gap between the most disadvantaged children and their peers has become even more extreme. Educators have often debated how much, and sometimes whether, schools educate students about work and for jobs. Modern societies require schools to work in ways complementary to employment.