My colleague Valerie Hannon, Director - Strategy at The Innovation Unit sent me this e-mail about a project that builds on the Musical Futures initiative we have been working on...

"Dear Chris, I would like to draw your attention to the ‘Learning Futures: Next Practice in teaching and learning’ booklet which will be arriving on your desk very soon, if you have not received it already. This project, in partnership with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, is founded on our shared belief that to make really significant advances now, we need to hone in on the learning-teaching process: particularly on how students become deeply engaged in their learning in classrooms and beyond. We have sent this booklet to all secondary schools in England with an invitation to engage with the work. That engagement may be at a variety of levels – from becoming part of a community of interest to applying to come to one of two forthcoming events in which we will enable people to co-design possible new approaches, which in turn could form part of a major new initiative with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

With this in mind, I wonder whether you would wish to draw it to the attention of any of the secondary schools in your authority who you feel would be well placed to take part and who might be particularly interested in this innovative project? Information on how to get involved can be found at http://www.innovation-unit.co.uk/projects/next-practice/learning-futures.html

The timescales are quite tight – schools need to have come back to us by Friday 18th April 2008. Best wishes ~Valerie"

This is a brilliant initiative and I hope schools will see how it connects with 'brilliant learning' and get involved!

Chris