Child-centred Education
Childhood & education in history
From ancient times, societies have debated the purpose of childhood, and tailored the education of their children accordingly.
From the earliest civilizations until the nineteenth century, most societies held that childhood was simply the ante-room to adulthood and the working life. Education was functional, geared to meet the demands of the trades and professions. The blacksmith’s son learnt to shoe horses, the shepherd’s boy to lamb and the jeweller’s apprentice to set gemstones, while the ruling classes taught their sons to ride, read and lead an army. Daughters of all social classes were taught mostly manual work; low-status girls to skin rabbits, weave cloth and tend to babies. Wealthier girls, who would have a more decorative role as adult women, served their apprenticeship in music, tapestry-making and dancing. Industrialisation changed very little for most children; those from the working class were sent to work on railways, down coal mines and into factories alongside adults, many from the age of six or seven. The child was simply an adult in miniature, their size and inexperience a temporary inconvenience.
Young boys forced to work as chimney sweeps in the 19th century
Then, between 1880 - 1970, most European countries established compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 / 16. The curriculum was defined by governments with the main aim of raising levels of literacy and numeracy, thus improving the productivity and efficiency of the labour force. Again, the motivation was largely functional; the child was seen as a future unit of the national workforce.
Modern views on childhood & education
To our modern ears, this is alien and exploitative. So where does our own, wholly different, understanding of childhood come from? It took a new generation of child psychologists to help us untether education from its utilitarian, functional purpose, and liberate childhood from the ‘small adult’ theory.
New ways of thinking were developed in the mid-twentieth century by Derek Winnicot and Jean Piaget, who built on earlier work by Maria Montessori. They proposed that a child has well-defined stages of psychological development that must be honoured if the child is to learn optimally and, ultimately, to flourish as an adult. Winnicot warned that we skip these stages at our peril; a missed or hurried stage of development makes for, at best, shallow learning; at worst, a mal-adjusted adult.
In the light of this, some educational systems began to build spaces that nurtured the ‘whole child’: the physical, the cognitive, the moral/ ethical, the social-emotional, the spiritual aspects were now considered. These schools fostered a child’s empathy, imagination and warm bonds with adults.
In practical terms, the child was now trusted to learn through experimentation rather than being fed a fixed curriculum; s/he could make choices, discover the material and the abstract world, and explore human relationships and the imagination. The focus shifted away from teaching and onto learning; away from the adult and onto the child. Most crucially, in line with Winnicot’s research, the learning needed to happen at the individual child’s pace, not at the teacher’s pace, or at a whole-class pace.
In the space of two generations, childhood had evolved from the historical enforced labour of minors to the creation of safe, gentle, personalised spaces; modern education had been born.
The child-centred approach: how can you spot it?
Today, many schools claim to be ‘child-centred’, and to follow the work of Winnicot, Piaget and Montessori. But how can you tell? Is it enough that there are walls plastered with children’s drawings and colourful beanbags in the reading corner? How can a parent tell if a school is deeply committed to creating the space and time needed for each child to construct his/her own understanding? And how can you be sure that a school will provide this from your child’s earliest years and into young adulthood?
The odds are against schools in this respect. A child-centred school is perceived by both governments and private-school stakeholders as uneconomical; so most schools do not (or cannot) opt for low teacher-pupil ratios, or a dynamic, creative curriculum or a system of welfare and behaviour based on trusting, one-to-one dialogue.
Here is a brief checklist for those families who are keen to dig deeper and find out if a potential / current school is genuinely pupil-centred.
Welfare & Care
● Is there warm, daily dialogue with a trusted adult for every child? Do low adult-child ratios support this kind of talk?
● Does the school prioritise staff awareness of every child’s state of mind and its fluctuations? Does it act on these, adapting its expectations of the child on a daily / hourly basis?
● Is there an understanding that a child needs to be relaxed and cared for in order to be receptive to learning?
● Is there a robust mentoring system for every secondary-aged pupil, where emotions and ideas can be safely expressed without fear of judgement?
Behaviour Guidance
● Is the school non-punitive? Are errors in behaviour treated gently, trustingly and optimistically, as just another valuable learning opportunity?
● Is restorative dialogue used by all staff so that children and young adults learn the tools to repair their own relationships?
● Do adults guard against labelling language such as ‘I’m disappointed in you’, or against degrading actions such as a raised voice, a public reprimand or a detention?
● Is the school non-hierarchical and democratic? Is everyone equally valued, child and adult? Teaching assistant and headteacher?
● Does every pupil feel trusted, liked and heard?
Personalised Learning
● Is the teacher’s lesson planning based on a clear understanding of who your child is? And based on each child’s starting point in this skill / topic?
● Is there a growth mindset approach that instils in a pupil positivity and a sense that they are infinitely capable?
● Does the teacher listen more than s/he speaks? Observe more than s/he acts?
● Does s/he set up provocative, inspiring learning opportunities every lesson?
● Does s/he move constantly around the classroom, checking in with every pupil?
● Does the teacher give plenty of personalised feedback to each pupil on their effort, achievement and attitude?
Active, Dynamic Learning
● Is the imagination highly prized?
● Is there a sense of wonder built into the daily learning?
● Does the learning ‘fly off the page’ through frequent experiments, cultural trips, role-play, drama work, creative writing, concerts, individual project work, debates, inspiring speakers?
● Is the early years classroom full of sensory learning and self-access opportunities?
● Is the primary school structured around inspiring cross-curricular Project Based Learning?
● Are pupils able to lead the occasional lesson, present their findings, teach the teacher?
● Is the learning only partly inside the classroom?
● Are there cosy libraries and plenty of musical instruments to be used throughout the day? Are there vegetable plots, a sports hall, a theatre?
Family-Centred Values
● Do families feel warmly welcomed by the school? Are they offered a role in their child’s learning, as well as tools to support this?
● Do families feel their voice is valued regarding their child’s learning and any issues that may arise?
● Are parents welcomed into classrooms regularly to see recent work?
● Are families able to see a teacher or headteacher at short notice?
● Does the school offer regular family workshops to share practical skills on learning and welfare?
● Does the school hold open forums with families to share future plans, the thinking behind policy, and any other questions brought by parents?
The benefits of child-centred education
Once you’ve found a truly child-centred school, you’ll watch your child thrive in these ways:
● s/he will feel trusted, heard and cared for by the entire school community
● s/he will feel inspired by learning, and know s/he has an infinite capacity to learn
● s/he will grow in confidence and empathy
● her/his critical thinking and imagination will soar
● s/he will develop a clear voice, and know s/he can effect positive change in the world.
Audrey Reeder
Headteacher, The Olive Tree School
The Olive Tree School was founded in 2010 along child-centred values. It draws on the work of Montessori, Steiner-Waldorf and other child-centred models and traditions.
It is a British-curriculum school and is fully accredited by NABSS and the Generalitat de Catalunya.
NABSS Inspection Service Report Nov 2024:
https://www.theolivetreeschool.es/nabss-report
