Are schools places in which children and young people are encouraged to think for themselves and introduced to the great fields of knowledge covering the artistic, scientific, creative, mathematical, technical, cultural and linguistic subjects?

Or are our school’s places in which the workers of the future are prepared to take their place in the national economy?

Perhaps a little of both but one thing that many will agree upon is that our schools must not be immune to the needs of the wider society and we do have a responsibility to give our pupils the skills needed to thrive in the wider world.

Therefore today on #AGICHAT we ask ‘What is the purpose of education?’