putting education at the heart of co-operation and co-operation at the heart of education from...

Putting education at the heart of co-operation

and co-operation at the heart of education

From Co-operative Schools to

co-operative Universities?

Mervyn WilsonPrincipal

Co-operative College

Who should own schoolsWho should own schools

“How dare anyone give our schools away to a small group of unelected self appointed individuals?

I am concerned about apparent attempts to privatise or marketise education”

Secondary Head - Cornwall

www.co-op.ac.ukwww.youngco-operatives.coop


Ten Years AfterTen Years After

• 2003: Co-operation and Learning CfBT/Mutuo/Co-operative College

“demonstrated schools success in securing commitment from a range of stakeholder groups in achieving high standards”

Adding

“just small steps were needed from Government to enable co-operative schools to emerge in the UK”



Co-operative schools Co-operative schools • 552 Co-operative trust schools

September 2013 plus 85 associate/partner schools – over 100 consulting

• 6 Co-operative sponsor academies sponsored by the Co-operative Group – in Manchester Stoke on Trent and Leeds

• 33 Co-operative converter academies September 2013

• National network – the Schools Co-operative Society

Co-operative schools – International experience

Co-operative schools – International experience

• Schools run as

co-operatives• Schools running

co-operative enterprises• Teaching and learning

about co-operatives• Co-operative pedagogy

Co-operative schools - International experience

Co-operative schools - International experience

• Over 600 Co-operative schools in Spain• Over 80% of Primary schools in France

teach co-operation• Over 120 Co-operative schools in

Portugal• Over 100 co-operative schools in

Sweden• Over 1,900 school co-operatives in

Malaysia• Co-operative schools in Africa and

South America• Schools co-operatives in Poland

celebrated their centenary in 2011

Co-operatives and the crisisCo-operatives and the crisis

“cooperatives have proved themselves to be even more resilient in times of crisis than many conventional enterprises”



DRAFT REPORTon the contribution of cooperatives to overcoming the crisis

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy – Feb 2013


“this greater resilience is in large part due to the cooperative model of governance, which is based on joint ownership and democratic control by their member-stakeholders,”








“considers that this model helps to ensure that cooperatives take a long-term approach and anchors them in the local economy, giving them a stake in local sustainable development and ensuring that they do not delocalise, even when they internationalise”



What is neededWhat is needed

• Greater research into co-operatives – many disciplines – not just history!

• Research into the practice of co-operation

• Leading to

• Teaching and learning about and for co-operation



What is neededWhat is needed

• Learning from wider international experience – Spain, Portugal, Japan, North America

• Developing ideas on co-operatives alternatives to corporatisation of Universities and University services– welcoming a rich diversity of models

• Confidence in co-operative possibilities



The challengefrom organic re-action to a movement

The challengefrom organic re-action to a movement

• Challenging the dominant narrative and ideology

• Creating space for a challenger• Maintaining autonomy, diversity

and independence in an increasingly corporatised system

• Building a democratic alternative model across te education system

• Building the evidence base



Unlikely allies?Unlikely allies?

“The conditions are right for a resurgence of co-operative, mutual and reciprocal activity. And we will keep cutting back the red-tape and breaking the monopolies which constrain people who simply want to help each other.

This is what our economy needs, it is what our public services need and I have no doubt it is the way of the future”.



Putting education at the heart of co-operation

and co-operation at the heart of education

Further information

[email protected]

www.co-op.ac.uk

www.school.coop

www.co-operativeschools.coop

putting education at the heart of co-operation and co-operation at the heart of education from...

Documents

cooperative trust schools

primary schools

associatepartner schools

cooperative group

malaysiacooperative

cooperative universities

contribution of cooperatives

crisis cooperatives