Glass slippers and symbols of hope: rebuilding further education teachers' agency

Picasso is attributed with the quote 'all children are artists, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.' (in Thompson 2018) Perhaps a reference to the ways in which education and life experience impact on creative abilities? A similar sentiment is expressed by Robinson (2017) who suggests that our education system does not prepare for workplaces where creative abilities would be of value: ‘Current systems of education were not designed to meet the challenges we now face. They were developed to meet the needs of a former age.’ (Robinson 2017 page 40). Robinson suggests that schools are modelled in the image of industrialisation - a product model, educating children in ‘batches’ based on their age- group and fuelled by a desire to evidence success through achievement data. But what of the Further Education Sector (FE)? This phase of English education is recognised for its diversity and applauded for its ability to transform lives (Duckworth and Smith 2018). Does it offer a creative curriculum and the scope for each learner to develop the skills that they need for the modern workplace?