New Integrated Education qualification for schools

Crossfields Institute is delighted to announce that a new qualification for schools has been launched.

Crossfields Institute Level 2 Integrated Education Diploma

is now open for registrations and interested schools are invited to seek centre approval.

This qualification is for students aged 14 and over and contains twelve modules, three of which are mandatory. The qualification delivers a broad curriculum which will be taught and assessed using transdisciplinary work, with a focus on collaborative and individual project work and problem solving.  It includes an Independent Project module that enables students to follow their passion and explore an interest or career aspiration in depth and modules that assess Creative Thinking Skills, and Personal and Social Learning Skills, drawing on formal, non-formal and informal learning and any area of the taught curriculum.

This qualification has been developed to encourage more transdisciplinary work across subjects, increase students’ ability to think laterally and work creatively. As schools are increasingly constrained by knowledge-focused, high stakes exam based qualifications this provides an opportunity for students to think for themselves and develop as more autonomous learners. This approach is in direct response to the needs of employers who want more creative thinking in their future employees.

This qualification was developed as a result of the ACTS project (https://acts.cloud/) which was recognised and funded by Erasmus+ (Key Action 2, School Education Strategic Partnership Project 2015). The project was led by the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (UK) in partnership with Sammenslutningen af frie Rudolf Steiner skoler i Danmark (Denmark); Steinerskoleforbundet (Norway); Steinerkasvatuksen liitto (Finland) and Crossfields Institute. Together, the four national federations of Steiner Waldorf Schools brought a wealth of curriculum and pedagogical expertise to the project and development of this qualification.

Crossfields Institute is a Gloucestershire based education charity, approved by Ofqual (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulations in England) as an awarding organisation. The Institute specialises in the development of qualifications that take an integrative, human-centred approach to learning and development.

Any schools who are interested in finding out more about offering this qualification should contact qualityassurance@crossfieldsinstitute.com

New Integrated Education qualification for schools

Crossfields Institute is delighted to announce that a new qualification for schools has been launched.

Crossfields Institute Level 2 Integrated Education Extended Diploma

is now open for registrations and interested schools are invited to seek centre approval.

This qualification is for students aged 14 and over and contains sixteen modules, eight of which are mandatory. The qualification delivers a broad curriculum which will be taught and assessed using transdisciplinary work, with a focus on collaborative and individual project work and problem solving.  It includes an Independent Project module that enables students to follow their passion and explore an interest or career aspiration in depth and modules that assess Creative Thinking Skills, and Personal and Social Learning Skills, drawing on formal, non-formal and informal learning and any area of the taught curriculum.

This qualification has been developed to encourage more transdisciplinary work across subjects, increase students’ ability to think laterally and work creatively. As schools are increasingly constrained by knowledge-focused, high stakes exam based qualifications this provides an opportunity for students to think for themselves and develop as more autonomous learners. This approach is in direct response to the needs of employers who want more creative thinking in their future employees.

This qualification was developed as a result of the ACTS project (https://acts.cloud/) which was recognised and funded by Erasmus+ (Key Action 2, School Education Strategic Partnership Project 2015). The project was led by the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (UK) in partnership with Sammenslutningen af frie Rudolf Steiner skoler i Danmark (Denmark); Steinerskoleforbundet (Norway); Steinerkasvatuksen liitto (Finland) and Crossfields Institute. Together, the four national federations of Steiner Waldorf Schools brought a wealth of curriculum and pedagogical expertise to the project and development of this qualification.

Crossfields Institute is a Gloucestershire based education charity, approved by Ofqual (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulations in England) as an awarding organisation. The Institute specialises in the development of qualifications that take an integrative, human-centred approach to learning and development.

Any schools who are interested in finding out more about offering this qualification should contact qualityassurance@crossfieldsinstitute.com

New Integrated Education qualifications for schools

Crossfields Institute is delighted to announce that two new qualifications for schools have been launched.

Crossfields Institute Level 2 Integrated Education Certificate
Crossfields Institute Level 3 Integrated Education Certificate

are now open for registrations and interested schools are invited to seek centre approval.

These qualifications are for students age 14+ (Level 2) and age 16+ (Level 3) and contain two modules. An Independent Project enables students to follow their passion and explore an interest or career aspiration in depth whilst developing the ability to self-direct and coordinate their own learning. Creative Thinking Skills develop the skills of making connections and using different perspectives to communicate ideas or concepts. Students will also develop skills of reflection and making reasoned judgments. The Creative Thinking Skills module draws on formal, non-formal and informal learning and any area of the taught curriculum.

These qualifications were developed as a result of the ACTS project (https://acts.cloud/) which was recognised and funded by Erasmus+ (Key Action 2, School Education Strategic Partnership Project 2015). The project was led by the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (UK) in partnership with Sammenslutningen af frie Rudolf Steiner skoler i Danmark (Denmark); Steinerskoleforbundet (Norway); Steinerkasvatuksen liitto (Finland) and Crossfields Institute. Together, the four national federations of Steiner Waldorf Schools brought a wealth of curriculum and pedagogical expertise to the project and development of this qualification.

Crossfields Institute is a Gloucestershire based education charity, approved by Ofqual (the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulations in England) as an awarding organisation. The Institute specialises in the development of qualifications that take an integrative, human-centred approach to learning and development.

Any schools who are interested in finding out more about offering these qualifications should contact qualityassurance@crossfieldsinstitute.com

Is 14 too young to choose your educational path?

The UK government initiative to introduce University Technical Colleges, to create centres of excellence for vocational education is under scrutiny, following news that seven have recently announced their impending closure. The impetus for these colleges came from the 2004 Tomlinson review into secondary education.

Significantly, Tomlinson did not recommend separate pathways for academic and vocational education, rather the replacement of multiple exams and qualifications with a single, integrated Diploma approach, utilising an extended project as a significant component.

Crossfields Institute is working on an Erasmus+ funded project with schools in four countries to develop a Diploma that combines academic and practical learning, and requires students to complete an Independent Project and, in doing so, seeks to respond positively to the recommendations in the Tomlinson review and create an integrated approach to learning that will enable a wide variety of students to achieve their full potential.

Erasmus+ funded development of a diploma for 14-19 year olds

We are excited that the Erasmus+ funded development of a diploma for 14-19 year olds address the all-important integration of art and science. Together with the SWSF UK and schools in Denmark, Norway and Finland, Crossfields Institute is making a difference to the way we think about critical inquiry and transdisciplinarity. Read what Times Higher Education says here and what we are up to here.

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European Commission states: No immediate change for Erasmus+ programmes in the UK

There is no immediate change to the UK’s participation in the Erasmus+ Programme following the EU referendum result and the UK National Agency will continue to manage and deliver the Programme across the UK. All participants and beneficiaries in the school education sector should continue with their Erasmus+ funded activities and preparation for the published application deadlines – in 2016 and 2017. This position is supported by the statement from Jo Johnson, Minister of State for Universities and Science, published on 28 June 2016. His statement also outlines some initial information regarding the UK’s future access to the Erasmus+ programme and we will update all those involved in the programme when further information becomes available. The European Commission (EC) has also published an update on their Erasmus+ website here which links to an article on the UK’s status within the EU here.

Danish State Approval for Steiner Upper Schools

The Rudolf Steiner Upper Schools in Denmark have been state accredited for classes 11 and 12, which have hitherto been financially unsupported. This official state recognition also includes the grade and exam free approach that is applied in the Danish Steiner Schools. Crossfields Institute congratulates the students and their parents, the Danish Federation of Steiner Schools and the hard working parent and teachers who worked on this approval process over the last eights years. We are excited that this news will also enable Denmark to continue to engage with the new Erasmus Diploma currently in development with teachers from Norway, Finland, the UK and Denmark, lead by the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, UK.