With teachers and pupils across the UK returning to the classroom after another record year for A-level and GCSE results, 2012 promises to be an exciting, if not challenging time for the nation’s schools. With the new government now into its third academic year, many of their pledges are now coming into fruition, so what will 2012 bring?

 

This week, Encyclopædia Britannica revealed results of a survey in which over a thousand UK adults were asked what they believed would be the biggest education trends of 2012. Here’s what they came up with…

 

Bettering discipline in schools, raising exams results and an increased emphasis on Maths and Science came out as the top three predicted trends for the coming academic year. Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of people questioned stated that they thought that school discipline would feature as the principle issue facing schools. Improving exams scores and readdressing the balance between Maths, Science and the ‘softer’ subjects will also be prevalent in the coming year, with 16 per cent and 10 per cent of votes, respectively.

 

 

The fact that more and more schools are embracing the technological revolution has not gone unnoticed by the public either; mobile learning through educational apps on smart devices and netbooks also feature on Britannica’s top predicted education trends list, as well as the need to invest more in ICT infrastructure and develop a more creative curriculum.

 

Britannica’s research also showed that many of this year’s educational debates are also likely to continue well into 2012. Nearly one in 10 (nine per cent), are convinced that for many schools, the assumption of academy status will dominate the UK newspapers’ education pages, while the introduction of the English International Baccalaureate, which is growing in importance, is at the forefront of many people’s minds. The threat of possible cuts and reforms to schools career advice is another top predicted trend.

 

To help schools meet these challenges and prepare for the 2012 academic year, Britannica is offering schools free monthly trials of Britannica Online School Edition, Image Quest and Britannica Pathways: Science. Covering the whole curriculum, these products offer a huge range of interactive digital resources, making learning a fun, interactive and informative experience.

 

Britannica’s top predicted trends in education in 2012 are:

 

1.       Improving discipline

2.       Improving exam results

3.       Increased emphasis on Maths & Science

4.       Moving to Academy Status

5.       Increasing parental engagement

6.       Developing a more creative curriculum

7.       Providing more career advice

8.       Shift to mobile learning (e.g. iPads)

9.       One-to-one ICT learning

10.   Home education

 

For more information about Encyclopædia Britannica, click here.