In Depth:  Nick Seward

The nation’s best-known headmaster is probably Dr. Anthony Seldon.

A regular voice on Radio 4, he runs Wellington College, is a voluble proponent of the sponsorship of academies by independent schools, and is Tony Blair’s biographer, among other things. He is also at the forefront of a movement to introduce lessons in happiness to school pupils. Ridicule has been a common response, but often from a shallow understanding of the intentions and philosophy which drives education in well-being. This is a serious and, in many ways, laudable attempt to grapple with some of the besetting ills of our society. There is much to admire, but also a great deal to challenge, and above all an opportunity for biblically orthodox Christians involved in education.

There has been much talk in the media recently about the ‘green shoots of recovery’ (real or imagined), but also of the role education might play in driving the country out of recession.

It’s fashionable to suggest that there needs to be an increased emphasis on vocational routes to individual career choices — on education serving the economy. I would argue, however, that this reflects a philosophy which involves ‘putting the cart before the horse’ (heretical as that may sound in the current climate), and that a distinctively Christian vision of what education is, and what it is for, offers a far better hope of a well-educated and effective workforce than its secular equivalent.