What does the future have in store for schools?

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue, the world economy is still struggling in a quicksand of high interest rates, inflation, and supply issues, and climate change is at the forefront of many minds 

 

Add in demographic transformation, the lingering threat of COVID, and the rapid pace of AI and tech development, and it can look like an unsettling picture. That’s without including entirely unforeseen events.

There’s little that individuals or businesses can do about international geopolitical events. But we can certainly develop strategies to minimise our exposure to them, as well as define the triggers for action.

 

A proper, rigorous approach to risk management may even allow schools to turn some of these difficult situations to their advantage – there are opportunities here, as well as threats.

It's likely that climate change poses a far greater risk to school buidlings, especially older building. If, as the experts suggest, we are entering a period of extreme weather events, a more imaginative approach over and above the regular inspection and maintenance programme is advisable.

 

What can schools do to protect their estates against flooding, or to cope with extremes of temperature or more frequent high winds? Plan ahead, anticipate small problems before they escalate, and the cost savings could be considerable. And cost savings are likely to be top-of-mind in the years ahead.

It’s important to note that there are bright spots on the horizon. We’re on the cusp of incredible technological change which will allow schools to deliver a lot more bang for the parental buck.

 

It’s too early to say for sure how tech such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence will develop in the educational context, but it will certainly have an effect; it’s as inevitable as the change from slate and chalk, to pen and paper, to classroom computing.

 

It’s a positive message: the evidence from major trials by economists at the Copenhagen Consensus Centre shows that children using tablets with educational software can learn in one year what normally takes three¹. The question is: what can schools do to seize the clear opportunities as they emerge?

 

Now is the right time to investigate those questions, employing a strategic risk management process to game all the reasonable possible scenarios, and nailing down response plans.