It’s Your Time You’re Wasting

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If there is no free will who would ever discipline a child? It's not their fault!

In this week's cornucopia of delights we look into Free Will and the implications of the science and the philosophy - do we have free will or not?

We put Descartes before the Hume. Dennett and Searle, you name it we name drop it. We can't help ourselves!

Some links to articles mentioned: https://powerfulknowledge.substack.com/p/how-should-we-think-about-the-engagement

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/curriculum-labour-is-on-the-right-path-but-its-a-tightrope/

https://daviddidau.substack.com/p/what-do-you-mean-by-engagement?selection=8e3325ff-837e-40fd-becb-cc379a5e3fb3

Fiona Millar was quoted from the RSA Journal Issue 2, 2025

In this episode, we take apart the myth that schools can paper over the cracks of a society in crisis with mindfulness sessions, gratitude journals and breathing techniques.

We look at what the data really tells us: a fifth of children now meet the threshold for a probable mental disorder. Over a third of 17 to 19-year-old girls are struggling. Services are overwhelmed. Yet instead of fixing what’s broken, we offer sticking plasters and tell young people to breathe through the damage.

We explore why wellbeing initiatives often individualise failure, how schools risk medicalising ordinary distress, and what we should be doing instead.

If you’re tired of seeing schools made responsible for society’s failings, this one’s for you.

Links Below:

NHS Digital (2023) — Mental Health of Children and Young People in England:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up#:~:text=Key%20Facts,36.9%25%20compared%20with%207.6%25

Mind — Facts and figures about young people and mental health: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-strategy/doing-more-for-young-people/facts-and-figures-about-young-people-and-mental-health/

Health Foundation — Understanding the crisis in young people’s mental health: https://www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/blogs/understanding-the-crisis-in-young-people-s-mental-health

House of Commons Library — Children and young people’s mental health services:

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7749/

According to the Times Newspaper, the English Department at Alleyn’s School in southeast London are in the process of diversifying their curriculum and are introducing students to the 'works of a drag queen and non-binary authors.' We're not sure that the Times approves… There is another question underlying the discussion here and that is ‘should children see themselves in the curriculum?” and in times of growing individualism and self-authorship is that even possible?

Some Links:

https://www.thetimes.com/article/7c9a532d-c23e-4bcb-b649-d26562cda39a

https://www.thetimes.com/article/4611de82-f49a-47ef-9c43-7d7395e38105

https://www.them.us/story/uk-gender-identity-schools-proposed-ban

https://www.vox.com/scotus/408356/supreme-court-mahmoud-taylor-dont-say-gay

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-lgbtq-books-religion-maryland-069d155fa862d2a16619fc7f513819ab

4a2e2a29e3729ef11c57c7d8e8cb044aa0c5855a

Is our obsession with testing failing students?

Is Oracy a fad or part of the ongoing tradition of Western Education?

Links to some of the things mentioned in this episode:

https://oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/oec-report/

https://www.education-uk.org/documents/pdfs/2021-appg-oracy.pdf

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-commission-conversations/id1739353277?i=1000658062482

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-commission-conversations/id1739353277?i=1000659285974

What is the case for school uniforms? Would schools become chaotic places (more chaotic?) without them? Do they provide a ‘discipline distraction’ for some naughty pupils to hit out against? All this AND MORE in today's episode!

Some links which are referred to:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14777071/parents-fury-school-ban-skirts-gender-neutral-options.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=social-twitter_mailonline

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2417240-school-uniforms-may-prevent-children-from-getting-enough-exercise/

https://www.playscotland.org/play-scotland-backs-new-made-to-move-campaign-on-active-school-uniforms/

https://www.youthsporttrust.org/news-listings/news/youth-sport-trust-research-reveals-parents-and-teachers-support-an-always-active-uniform-policy#:~:text=Research-,Youth%20Sport%20Trust%20Research%20Reveals%20Parents%20and%20Teachers%20Support%20an,break%20time%20to%20active%20learning

Guidance from NEU: https://neu.org.uk/advice/classroom/dress-code

A replay of our February 2021 interview with Professor Michael Young. The original is still viewable on our YouTube Channel, it has been reproduced here for new viewers but also for our growing band of listeners on sound only platforms, where the original wasn’t available… until now!

NB: This broadcast takes the place of our usual Thursday broadcast this week. Hopefully you managed to catch our bonus episode earlier this week, if not, check it out, it's on AI in education.

Are you the maker or the tool?

Is AI a threat to schooling or an extension to the accessibility of knowledge for humanity? (First there was writing, then the book, the library, printing, the internet and now AI...)

Some references in the chat:

The Ballad of Accounting, Sung by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger: https://youtu.be/MY3kYU5CYmk?si=oMwecn8TQV2s9Xmz written by Ewan MacColl (I think we inadvertently said Pete Seeger wrote it, can we blame AI?!)

What If AI is not Actually Intelligent? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTb2Q2AE7nA @InnerCosmosPod with David Eagleman and Alison Gopnik

Andy Clark and David Chalmers 'The Extended Mind': https://web-archive.southampton.ac.uk/cogprints.org/320/1/extended.html

Phil Beadle's AI post on SubStack: https://open.substack.com/pub/philbeadle/p/the-limits-of-ai?r=1rvl5x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Daisy Christodoulou's SubStack on How should England's curriculum and assessment review respond to AI? https://substack.nomoremarking.com/p/how-should-englands-curriculum-and?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Do schools contribute to whether we see ourselves as an Island of Strangers or not?

Some links for your delectation:

Our interview with ED Hirsch: https://youtu.be/H097vPnDpkI?si=erXALkeyInTYmRTY

Our Interview with Michael Young: https://youtu.be/xi_AhfWjeis?si=oanbhXx4OC8vc_W8

EmanRTM: https://youtu.be/OXn4lFNVb-Y?si=nAQmw4B8cXkaA_tP

Sutton Trust Report: https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/the-opportunity-index/

Policy Exchange Report: https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/lessons-from-the-past/

More in Common Social Cohesion Report: https://www.moreincommon.org.uk/our-work/research/social-cohesion-a-snapshot/