Dear Fellow Members of The FOSIL Group,
In a world where sustainability must be at the forefront of our minds, there can be no greater challenge than to ensure that the children of today are prepared for the road ahead and all the challenges that their world will bring. At Oakham our vision is to fully embrace that challenge and to do so we must enable every student to learn effectively and discerningly for themselves. This is formally encapsulated in one of our six strategic priorities which places the Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning (FOSIL) at the heart of learning at Oakham.
As educators we cannot simply be concerned with only the learning of our own students, but as all responsible citizens with the means, however limited, to help others to learn, we must share our ideas and practice with likeminded people around the world. This is why we established The FOSIL Group – a community that we are confident will bring together ideas, perspectives and best practice from many different schools and related institutions across the UK and beyond.
Our children must be equipped to be able to ask questions, make inquiries for themselves and be discerning of the information that all too often is presented to them in a poorly researched, inaccurate, and sometimes harmful way. FOSIL is a powerful tool for doing this, and its development at Oakham has been a remarkable one, but I predict that its future in the hands of this vibrant community will be more remarkable still.
As I move on from Oakham after 10 incredibly exciting years, I look forward to hearing and hopefully playing a part in the ever growing momentum of FOSIL.
Nigel
