Homework: the result of an “overburdened” curriculum? Written by Ellis Brown (published 03/02/2024 - reviewed 15/12/2024) Summed Up Homework takes up too much valuable time; young people have lives to live, responsibilities to fulfil and hobbies to pursue. It is too often an additional stress. There’s rarely an occasion when anyone’s happy to hear that they’ve just received homework; it’s quite the opposite to receiving £200 when you pass ‘Go’ in Monopoly. And why would you be happy about it when you have hobbies and passions to pursue, family and friends to see, responsibilities to fulfil and yourself to look after? I’m in year ten now and when I ask my friends ‘What are you doing after school?’ I’ve been getting more answers like ‘Doing homework, I have so much to do, it’s so stressful’. They’re sadly not alone though, 66% of the 2,000 children surveyed by the Children’s Commissioner said homework (and / or exams) is the most stressful thing for them. Not only does homework take time, it can create barriers for disadvantaged pupils who cannot easily access support out of school. So is homework worth it? According to some, yes. Homework often includes finishing tasks from class, revision or practicing something. They say there’s just simply not enough time to cover everything at school and they’re not wrong. So homework seems like a reasonable solution to the bigger problem right? Well perhaps we don’t need to learn ‘everything’. Perhaps the current curriculum contains too much to learn. In fact, the recently published House of Lords report [3] described the current curriculum as “overburdened” necessitating “rote learning and ‘cramming’ subject knowledge” into lessons. As a result, teachers are often left with no option other then to issue homework. Only if the curriculum is reformed by reducing content down to a broad, balanced range of essential skills and knowledge, which values all subjects equally, then homework could be massively reduced. Wider reform to the English education system is also in order including reform to the assessment system. Reform would also allow young people to do more of what they’re interested in and passionate about, surely that’s more worthwhile than doing homework. So to sum up, is homework necessary? Yes, at the moment it probably is, but it shouldn’t be; homework can, and must be, massively reduced for secondary education but that can only happen when there’s proper curriculum and wider education reform. References (in order) House of Lords: The Committee described the current secondary school curriculum as “overburdened” in the recently published report (December 2023). Read it here . Children’s Commissioner: 66% of the 2,000 children they surveyed said homework (and / or exams) are the most stressful thing for them (May 2020). Find out more here . House of Lords: The Committee described the current secondary school curriculum as “overburdened” necessitating “rote learning and ‘cramming’ subject knowledge” into lessons in the recently published report (December 2023). Read it here . Notices Project Positivity Education shares information relating to it's mission however may not fully endorse all the content of referenced reports. This article was published on the 03/02/2024 and reviewed on the15/12/2024.

Project Positivity Social Hey, it's Ellis here - Project Positivity's founder I believe everyone should have the chance to thrive but many people don't get that opportunity. Here, I offer my take on different social issues through articles and poetry . My poetry: reflecting on our world No Coming Back A few in many million Can simply order oblivion Attack, attack, attack Theres no coming back For the now turned fighters Once actors and bikers Doctors and teachers Parents and preachers Human beings, now buried in mass Rotting under the green grass Death for what, fellow civilians? Oh no, for a few in many millions About I wrote this poem about dictators and war after Putin's horrific invasion of Ukraine. A war that is putting millions of people in peril and killing many thousands, including the people he's meant to care for - his own citizens. It's heartbreaking how a few people out of many millions can cause so much suffering for so many - and for what? History repeating itself many times over. More poetry by Ellis Brown coming soon My articles: exploring social issues Social media; company wealth at the expense of user wellbeing? Published 08/12/2024 New articles coming up Crime; Is the justice system failing society? Democracy is imperfect; here is why we must fight for it 'Pancakes' - a recipe for human thriving Essential to Project Positivity's mission, 'Pancakes'. This analogy explores the fundamental conditions I believe necessary for humans to thrive. Learn more

'Logic at Last' - Personal Opinion Piece Written by an interested individual (published 20/01/2024) “At last a logical and sensible project by the most qualified person, a young person actually in the system who can see and feel that the present system isn’t working. Yes we need education, but the educator and educatees don’t need the pressure of unnecessary testing. Trust and allow the teachers to teach and pupil's to learn in a less stressful environment. Creativity and actual practical everyday life skills shouldn’t be feared. We should be preparing ALL young people for their future life not isolating or belittling and squashing them into an academic box only valued or judged by pressurised exams. And shaming by a brainwashed system of value is only achieved by a “high” mark. But who says what the “high” mark is and how is that viewed? I feel unfortunately by a system and society that is too judgmental as opposed to nurturing and one the fosters difference and change. Thank you Ellis Brown, for bringing some logic and sense to our awareness.” Want to anonymously share your unique perspective on, or personal experience with, our English education system? Find out more about Personal Opinion Pieces here .

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'Pancakes' - a recipe for human thriving Hey, Its Ellis here - Project Positivity's founder Early in 2023, age 13, I asked myself 'what creates a thriving human being?' and 'how can I illustrate this in an accessible, easy to understand and visually engaging way?'. I came up with 'Pancakes' where each food ingredient represents a different element for human thriving. It shows that when you reduce or take an element away that it can become harder to thrive. Watch or read 'Pancakes' below. Read 'Pancakes' - a recipe for human thriving To make some tasty pancakes, you'll need 150g of plain flour, 1tsp of baking powder, two pinches of salt, 30g of caster sugar, one egg and 150ml of milk. Add this all together, give it a good whisk to create the batter and then cook the pancakes in a pan. Delicious. Now imagine the 150g of plain flour represents having access to clean water, food, clothing, money, fulfilling work and a home. The one tsp of baking powder represents a loving family or carer. The two pinches of salt represents a positive social experience in person and online. The 30g of caster sugar represents a supportive and stimulating education system. The egg represents access to other essential services including healthcare, financial services, legal support and public transport. The 150ml of milk represents a peaceful, thriving, sustainable environment. There can be slight variation in the amount of each ingredient used to create a thriving human life, but if the required ingredients are lost or too little it becomes hard to thrive. For example, if only 25ml of milk goes into the batter instead of 150ml, the desired pancake will not be created. 'Pancakes' and Project Positivity The 'Pancakes' analogy identifies fundamental conditions for human thriving. It is not simply black and white for whether a human thrives or not - people often find ways to overcome difficulties and thrive. There are many more complexities to human thriving than 'Pancakes' highlights. Project Positivity is made up of three campaigns with the collective mission of supporting human thriving and helping to save our planet: Education, Social and Environment. Project Positivity Education focuses on the need for education system reform to better support human thriving. Social focuses on social issues which can negatively affect human thriving such as poverty. Environment promotes environmental action because without a thriving planet, there can be no thriving humanity. Education Social Environment

Social media: company wealth at the expense of user wellbeing? Written by Ellis Brown (Published 16/12/2024) Summed Up Social media algorithms are designed to be addictive; higher usage results in more ad views and therefore greater ad revenue - making billionaire companies richer. Social media allows you to easily connect with others, express your personality and share with the world whatever you want, whenever you want. That’s what it can often appear to be on the surface, but below that, social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram are built with algorithms designed to keep people engaged for as long as possible - keeping users scrolling, watching, liking and coming back. Why? The more time users spend using social media, the greater the amount of advert views; meaning more ad revenue therefore more money for the already huge social media companies. However, this does not happen without issue; its addictive design often comes at an expense to user wellbeing. It can have a highly negative impact on physical health (sometimes contributing to obesity and eating disorders), lead to lower life satisfaction, waste valuable time and fracture relationships through its anti-social design. It can also cause lower self esteem through the normalisation of heavily edited looks, creating damaging pressure to alter personal appearance to meet unattainable standards. Social media can also make it feel like everyone else is living a better life, often because people only share the highlights of their life. In addition to this, social media can often promote harmful content, including violence, extremism, hate and misogyny; it can open doors to strangers along with darkness. All of this, and more, can contribute to poor mental health including anxiety and depression where in some severe cases, has lead to suicide. Sadly, the biggest impact is often felt among children and young people. To put it simply, social media companies are too often making money at the expense of user wellbeing. Aside from individual users, social media has a huge impact on society too. It often can act as an echo chamber, offering a limited perspective on different issues, with little to no variety or challenge. This can often be influenced by bad actors, both domestic and foreign, and have real world consequences such as affecting elections. Content shared on social media, such as attitudes towards woman or minorities, can also distort people’s perspectives and exaggerate existing issues. Furthermore, misinformation can spread like a wild fire, partly because the line between fiction and truth often gets hazy, having both online and real world impacts. For example, in the wake of the horrific Southport stabbings in the UK, misinformation around the attacker’s identity spread fast including claims that he was a migrant when in fact, he was not. Riots then ensued where migrants where targeted, people threatened and many police officers injured. Of course, social media isn’t all bad, it can be essential for businesses and play a vital role in everyday communication. But the damage caused by social media to society must not be ignored. The big multi-billion and multi-trillion companies must be held to account for the problems they have knowingly caused with their damaging greed. Greater power must also be given to the user, so that they have greater control over what they want to see, not what the algorithm wants them to see. More moderation to detect and remove inappropriate content is also needed. The government must take more action to ensure the young and vulnerable are shielded from the dangers of social media, whether that's with new regulation or better law enforcement. It’s time for companies and governments to act.

Project Positivity Environment Hi, It's Ellis here - Project Positivity's founder I'm fifteen, and the fact our universe and planet exists is to me, mind-blowing. The sheer beauty of it, simply remarkable. I try to capture some of our planet's beauty through photos. Sometimes, I will explore for hours - walking thirty miles or so. While I believe it impossible to truly comprehend our planet and universe, I love it with certainty. How could you not? Visit my photography website Though its existence often baffles me, us destroying it baffles me further. Our human activities continue to have a detrimental impact on the planet , our only home - our shared home. Melting the glaciers Raising sea levels further, impacting millions of lives and habitats Polluting the atmosphere Contributing to global warming, with profound impacts on all We're poisoning the waters Spreading disease to both animals and humans alike Destroying the forests Leading to the loss of animal habitats and life - and impairing the 'lungs of the earth' And for what? It doesn't have to be this way . It is possible, and necessary, for humanity to exist in harmony with the rest of nature. If we fail to do that, our time will likely be limited. A harsh truth, but we're already seeing the effects of climate change, and it's bad. Today, we're at a crucial point in humanity's history, our planet's history. To give up now, would mean catastrophe. Yet, seeing how humanity often comes together in times of great difficulty, the effort of many and nature's incredible resilience fills me with great hope. Hope must not be lost, but rather be used to drive for change. Action we can take Apart from taking responsibility for our own actions, we must hold governments and companies to account for their actions, and lack of action. It is simply not right that big companies are making millions while knowingly destroying our planet. It is not right that the words of governments are often empty, accompanied by little change. We must push governments for greater climate action including more renewable energy, better public transport and cleaner waters. We must demand companies stop exploiting our planet. We must never give up in the pursuit of climate and social justice. We thrive, when nature thrives To think humanity and nature are in competition, would be a mistake. We are one. Humans thrive when the rest of nature thrives. My 'Pancakes' analogy explores the fundamental conditions for human thriving, including a healthy environment. Learn more All photos copyright Ellis Brown. All rights reserved. Explore more of my photography here .

Project Positivity Education Hey, It's Ellis here - Project Positivity's founder I'm fifteen years old, I'm currently in year eleven and with my time at school coming to end, I've come to this conclusion; that our English education system is broken . I love learning but I don't love schooling yet I wish I could Yes our education system is functioning, but it functions in a way which can often limit creativity, be too test focused, cause avoidable mental health issues and can kill the joy of learning. It's something myself and many others frustratingly experience every school day. Below are three key areas I'd like to see addressed - click for more Curriculum Assessment Funding Join the chorus for change Open to all, Personal Opinion Pieces gives you the opportunity to anonymously share your unique perspective on, or personal experience with, our English education system in up to 250 words and to have it amplified across Project Positivity's platforms. Together, the case for reform grows stronger. Type your Personal Opinion Piece here Title your Personal Opinion Piece What best describes your relationship with the education system I agree to the terms and conditions Submit Thanks for your submission! "Logic at Last" - Personal Opinion Piece by an interested individual Published 20/01/2024 Reform is long overdue and desperately needed I believe a good education should support personal development, equip individuals with essential skills and knowledge for life and vitally, support human thriving. The impact of education is also felt beyond the individual in wider society - it affects pretty much everything from democratic participation to technological development. A good education benefits all. The latest from me: education articles HoL report: "urgent change" needed to secondary education Published 03/02/2024 - reviewed 15/12/2024 Homework: the result of an “overburdened" curriculum? Published 03/02/2024 - reviewed 15/12/2024 New articles coming soon 'Pancakes' - a recipe for human thriving The 'Pancakes' analogy explores the fundamental ingredients I believe necessary for humans to thrive such as education. Learn more

Project Positivity By inspiring action and bringing awareness to issues, Project Positivity is on a mission to support human thriving and help save our planet. Explore the campaigns below Project Positivity Education Our English education system can often be too test focused, limit creativity, cause avoidable mental health issues and can kill the joy of learning. It’s time for reform. Project Positivity Education explores the issue from a student's perspective. Explore campaign Project Positivity Social Today, we face unprecedented social challenges - there are too many barriers to human thriving from poverty to dangerous social media. Project Positivity Social explores social issues through poetry and articles. Explore campaign Project Positivity Environment Our planet is incredible; not only is it our shared home which we rely on but a place of great beauty. And yet, we are destroying it. Project Positivity Environment celebrates our planet through photography and highlights the damage we are causing. Explore campaign

HoL report: "urgent change" needed to secondary education Written by Ellis Brown (published 03/02/2024 - reviewed 15/12/2024) Summed Up The recently published House of Lords report by the Education for 11– 16 Year Olds Committee says it is “convinced that change must be undertaken without delay”. The recently published House of Lords (HoL) report (December 2023) by the Education for 11– 16 Year Olds Committee states that secondary education is "moving in the wrong direction" and that the Committee is “convinced that change must be undertaken without delay”. The Committee highlights several “priority areas for attention” to bring reform to our English education system in the short term and longer term. The Committee heard repeatedly that the current English education system “fails to take account of wider societal and economic shifts”. The recommendations include reducing the amount of content in the curriculum, reducing the volume of and lowering the stakes of exams taken at age 16, increasing the use of non-exam assessment and abandoning EBacc school performance measures. An “overburdened” curriculum The HoL report calls for a reduction in the "amount of content in the 11-16 curriculum” describing the current curriculum as “overburdened” necessitating “rote learning and ‘cramming’ subject knowledge” into lessons. “There is also little scope to… apply learning to real-world issues such as climate change, with pupil engagement suffering as a result”. It also states digital, creative and technical skills are likely to be in even greater demand in the future yet "opportunities to develop these skills have, however, been squeezed out of the 11-16 phase”. The report calls for "additional pathways to support the development of pupils' digital skills”. In addition, it calls for an "adequate set of literacy and numeracy qualifications available to pupils age 14 to 16, focused on the application of these skills in real-world contexts”. The skills gained from creative, technical and digital subjects can be incredibly enjoyable, useful and rewarding to learn. This is regardless of the fact our society relies, and thrives, on many of these skills. Project Positivity Education fully supports a curriculum which contains less content, values all subjects equally, focuses more on real life application and equips people with the essential skills and knowledge they need to thrive now and in the future. Alternatives to a high volume, high stakes exam system The Committee calls for a reduction in the "volume and lowering the stakes of exams taken at age 16”. The Committee believes “the pressure created by the current assessment system has became unsustainable” and “those who do not excel in this type of assessment have few other opportunities to demonstrate their achievements”. It also suggests "increasing the use of coursework or other forms of non-exam assessment, including project-based qualifications” as “Pupils are now tested purely via exams in many GCSE subjects”. Project Positivity Education fully supports a reformed assessment system which would reduce stress and allow pupils who don’t excel in exams to show off their achievements, abilities and capabilities with different types of assessment. This would remove unnecessary barriers for future aspirations. Assessment system reform would also allow teachers to focus more on teaching students for life, rather than training them for tests, putting the joy back in to teaching and learning for many. Yes, exams can be a way of measuring some understanding, knowledge and skills but it shouldn’t be the only way. Abandon EBacc school performance measures The report also calls for the abandonment of EBacc school performance measures as it “incentivise[s] a focus on a limited set of traditionally academic subjects” and states “Schools must be given greater flexibility to offer the subjects and qualifications that would best serve their pupils, based on a balanced curriculum”. It highlights “the impact [of EBacc] on creative subjects, including art and design, design and technology, drama and music” being responsible for the “dramatic decline in take-up” of these subjects (as well as vocational ones). The report also states “Opportunities to experience more practical, applied forms of learning have become increasingly limited, even though many pupils enjoy, and excel in, this way of acquiring knowledge and skills”. The report also calls for a review into other school measures for secondary education. Project Positivity Education supports the abandonment of the EBacc school performance measure as this would help reduce pressure on schools, encourage students to take GCSE courses that they’re interested in, enjoy and excel in and support the creative, technical and vocational subjects which have suffered because of EBacc. According to the Joint Council for Qualifications, between 2010 and 2018 with the introduction of the EBacc, there has been a fall of 154,000 (57%) in entries to Design and Technology GCSEs and a reduction of 77,000 (20%) in entries into creative subjects.* The full House of Lords report is available to read in full here Notices *Data from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) highlighted by Edge Foundation in its ‘Skills shortages in the UK economy’ report (2022). All HoL quotes above are from the report’s summary pages. Project Positivity Education shares information relating to its mission however may not fully endorse all the content of referenced reports. This article was initially published 03/02/2024. However, it was reviewed, altered and re-published on 15/12/2024 in an update to Project Positivity. Article dictionary House of Lords - the upper chamber of UK Parliament Curriculum - what is taught in a given course or subject General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) - a type of secondary education qualification in England English Baccalaureate (EBacc) - a school performance measure in England linked to the GCSE results of a set group of subjects

About Project Positivity Hey, It's Ellis here - Project Positivity's founder Back in January 2024, age fourteen, I founded Project Positivity Education with the mission of inspiring and empowering education system reform. Now, Project Positivity is made up of three different campaigns - Education, Social and Environment - with the overall mission of supporting human thriving and helping to save our planet by bringing awareness to issues and inspiring action. Education Social Environment A bit about me, Ellis Asides from running Project Positivity, I like to spend time outdoors exploring our incredible planet - sometimes I will trek thirty miles or so. I also love photography, especially the diversity of it; whether it's beauty or a story which needs telling, no moment or photo is ever the same. Creativity is an area of great enjoyment for me - I've been acting, writing and creating things for as long as I can remember. Visit my photography website IMG_6007 1/19 Some of my favourite photos