A New Vision for Education

The IVET Foundation is calling for a new vision for education in the 21st century.  A huge contribution to this vision is set out in its major initiative, the transformative Values-based Education. VbE as it is known is having a major impact on schools across the world. 

Its rationale is the development of quality holistic educational provision for children and young people.

As schools embrace the ongoing changes and challenges of our age, IVET offers a consistent principle that values-based education is essential for individuals to thrive and enabling societies to flourish.  We believe that it is the very foundation for a peaceful world.

Rational

Dr Neil Hawkes, founder of IVET, explains the rationale behind our new approach to education in this short video...

Vision

Our vision for education reaches schools of all foundations and forms, offering as it does a commitment to academic excellence in union with the enhancement of moral, emotional and spiritual sensibilities.

We guide all our children to be happy and successful, able to embrace and grow from the challenges they meet with increasing resilience. They mature as people able to ethically self-regulate their thinking and behaviour.who can be seen as ethical leaders. Dr Hawkes describes this quality as ethical intelligence, which is currently being research by IVET Patron Andrei Stupu as a research scholar at Harvard in the USA.

Values-based schools embed a values culture that gives profound opportunities for critical thinking¸ reflection, and the development of wisdom through personal endeavour such as courageous advocacy.

This finest educational provision is rooted in an ethos that honours and nurtures the individual wellbeing and development of both pupils and staff.

The whole approach is characterised by care, compassion and commitment as global citizens.

Every aspect of the curriculum is values-based as our latest book shows:

Pride

We are so proud of our schools that, in a myriad of ways, live out this vision.

They regard values-based education as indispensable.

We are so grateful to their leaders who innovate in a principled way to create the best possible experiences for their pupils.

They create aspirational thinkers, reflective learners and responsible participators through:

• A strong leadership dynamic that models appropriate behaviour and empowers others.

• Empowering vocabulary and language that helps shape thoughts, ideas and attitudes.

• Shaping a values-led curriculum which supports successful teaching and learning.

• Engaging an inner curriculum, improving well-being, resilience and behaviour, infusing all aspects of education, and elevating the lives of children and young people.

Inspiration

This is a deeply practical route to a more socially inclusive, motivating and rewarding school experience, enabling learners to become more engaged and flourish in the world.

All schools, in a broad spectrum of contexts and countries, that are involved in this approach cite the profound impact it has on the pupils and staff.

The majority cite its impact on the development of positive social character traits, enhancement of behaviour, relationships and attitudes and the consequent improvement in academic performance.

It has been integral to turning around failing schools as well as to enhancing the practice in the highest performing ones.

We believe that our vision and purpose for values-based education will both inspire and endorse school practice for the present and for the years to come.

You can download the values-based vision for education document here