TIMES EDUCATION
COMMISSION3school career students
are assessed formally on
only three subjects:
Estonian, maths and a
foreign language (most
of them choose English)
but the curriculum is far
broader than that.
It is compulsory for
pupils to study
humanities and sciences
up to the age of 19.
Students must complete
a cross-disciplinary
creative project to
graduate from basic
school and a research
project before they leave
upper secondary school.
Music, sport, drama and
art are included in the
curriculum.
The politics has been
taken out of education.
Estonia has an education
strategy running to 2035,
which has broad cross-
party support. “It’s a
problem if every time a
government comes in
they have their own plan
and want to change
everything,” Gunda Tire,
the country’s head of
international
assessment, said.
“Education is a thing
that takes time.”18 months. Nurseries are
heavily subsidised so that
parents never pay more
than 20 per cent of the
minimum wage (less
than £500 a month). At
the end of kindergarten,
children get a school
readiness card
describing their skills
and development. Those
who need support are
referred to a specialist,
such as a speech
therapist, before they
start formal education.
In “basic school”,
which runs from seven to
sixteen, there is a strong
emphasis on inclusion.
School lunches are free,
as are transport,
textbooks and trips.Classes are mixed ability
and pupils are not
routinely separated into
sets. Students who are
struggling or have
behavioural problems
are taken out for
individual tuition or
small group teaching.
Most schools have their
own psychologist and
there is a national
wellbeing survey to
assess the mental health
of pupils and teachers.
Exclusions are virtually
unheard of.
Most young people
stay in education until
they are 19. About 25 per
cent go to vocational
institutions and the rest
progress to moreacademic gymnasiums.
Everybody is expected to
pass their school
certificate and if they fail
they can take it again.
Kersna explained that
the curriculum was
moving away from
“knowledge and
understanding” towards
“implementation,
analysis, synthesis and
assessment”, with more
collaboration across
subjects. There is an
emphasis on problem-
solving, critical thinking,
values, citizenship,
entrepreneurship and
digital competence: the
qualities that employers
say they want.
At the end of theirAn entrepreneurial
spirit runs through the
entire system. Schools
have a high degree of
autonomy and head
teachers are free to
decide how to organise
pupils’ lives and shape
the curriculum. There
are no regular
inspections. Schools are
evaluated every three
years through online
tests for pupils and the
authorities intervene
only if there is a
problem. “We trust our
teachers and our
teachers have a lot of
autonomy,” Liina Kersna,
minister for education
and research, told the
commission.
Teachers feel
empowered to get on
with their job and there
are almost twice as many
per pupil in Estonia as in
England. They spend less
time in the classroom
than most teachers in
the OECD, meaning that
they have more time for
lesson preparation
and professional
development. All school
teachers have a masters
degree and kindergarten
teachers have a first
degree.
Children in Estonia do
not start school until
they are seven but they
are legally entitled to a
kindergarten place from
Schools in Estonia have
a strong focus on
technology and all
pupils study robotics
from the age of sevenRachel Sylvester Chairwoman, below
Sir Anthony Seldon Deputy chairman,
below. Contemporary historian, former
head of Brighton College and
Wellington College and former vice-
chancellor, University of Buckingham
Geoff Barton General secretary of the
Association of School and College
Leaders
Lord Bilimoria Founder of Cobra Beer,
president of the CBI and chancellor of
Birmingham University
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore Professor of
cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge
University, who leads a group studying
the adolescent brain and behaviour
Sir Damon Buffini Permira founding
partner, chairman of National Theatre
and Cultural Recovery Fund Board
Dame Sally Coates Director at United
Learning, which runs 90 schools;
author of review of education in prison
Evelyn Forde Head of Copthall School
in Barnet and winner of TES head of
the year 2020
Kiran Gill Founder of The Difference,
which sends high-flying teachers to
referral units and alternative provision
schools
Robert Halfon Tory MP for Harlow and
chairman of Commons education
select committee
Lucy Heller Chief executive of Ark, an
educational charity that runs schools
Tristram Hunt Victoria & Albert
Museum director, former Labour MP
Lord Johnson of Marylebone Former
universities minister, chairman of TES
Paul Johnson Director of the Institute
for Fiscal Studies
Lucy Kellaway Teacher at Mossbourne
Community Academy in Hackney and
co-founder of Now Teach
Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho
Chairwoman of WeTransfer, Open
University chancellor, Lords Covid-19
select committee chairwoman
Anne Longfield Former children’s
commissioner for England
Professor Heather McGregor
Executive dean of Edinburgh Business
School at Heriot-Watt University
Amanda Melton Principal of Nelson
and Colne FE college in Lancashire
Sir Michael Morpurgo author, poet and
playwright, and former teacher
Lord Rees of Ludlow Astronomer royal
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell
Vice-chancellor of Manchester
University, Russell Group chairwoman
Sir Tim Smit Executive vice-chairman
and co-founder of the Eden ProjectInternational adviser Andreas
Schleicher, director for education and
skills at the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and DevelopmentOur education
commissioners
Who’s who