Sue Williamson, SSAT Chief Executive, writes…
Six chefs, all under age 30, were competing for the scholarship – some were participating for the second or third time. The challenges they faced throughout the competition tested both knowledge and skills. The judges – some of the best chefs in the world – critiqued the chefs’ preparation and final product. The feedback was often hard, but always constructive. Most importantly, each young chef accepted the criticism and used it to improve the quality of his work.
The chefs worked under time pressure, their every move observed by a judge, and their final product was tasted by eight judges. All the young chefs had aspirations to work in the best restaurants in the world and to go on to own their own Michelin-starred restaurant. Another thing they had in common was that none did well at school when judged on 5 GCSEs A*-C. Staying at school until they were sixteen was a waste of two years of their lives. Their real learning started after they had left school.
Our school system needs to transform, so that it caters for the needs of all students, including the six young chefs who want to be vocational ‘scholars’, in Michel Roux’ terms…
Read the full post on the Redesigning Schooling website
