Foreword

The purpose of education has long been a point of discussion for parents, politicians, educators and society more generally.The diversity of responses and the passion with which ideas and beliefs are presented have grown, especially since the invention of social media.Everyone has an opinion about educationand so they should: it is the most important consideration of any societythe value given to children, their childhoods and the pathways to adulthood that lead to a flourishing life.But what does it mean to flourish?What does it mean to achieve and become educated?And what is the purpose of school?The teaching profession holds the key to the evolution of schooling and to considering answers to these questions.To this purpose, the Chartered College of Teaching, an international, professional body designed to empower teachers and teaching assistants by providing them with support, challenges and access to research, was founded in the UK.We encourage the development of practice through reflective collaboration, providing learning pathways to new ideas and opportunities.Increasingly, the role of the College is to stimulate and lead professional enquiry into practice that supports teachers (and those who work with them), not only to support them in their thinking about what they do and how they do it but also to reflect on why they do it.To truly reimagine the purpose of education, educators must believe that all children can be educated and can flourish within the classroom.Inclusion is vital.We know that there are many changes (and challenges) ahead.For our teaching profession, the art is to continue to teach as well as we can, whilst providing space for children to imagine and to dreamand also providing those spaces for the educators who enable learning to happen.A reimagining of education raises the following aspects:• To support the development and flourishing of children beyond the family xiii