A new commission launches to help children make sense of the news

Sam Freedman announced as Chair, alongside convenors The Economist Educational Foundation, educationalists, broadcasters and technologists

In a world of intensely polarised public discourse – and with votes for British 16-year-olds on the horizon – there has never been a more important time to equip children with the knowledge to understand and navigate current affairs. Today, a new national Current Affairs Education Commission launches, chaired by the UK’s biggest political Substacker, Sam Freedman, and convened by The Economist Educational Foundation. Working with ImpactEd Group, the commission will explore how schools can best help children make sense of the news in an age of AI and 24 hour content.

The Current Affairs Education Commission will bring together school leaders, broadcasters, academics, AI experts and young people to co-design the research and recommendations. Confirmed commissioners include:

• Emma-Louise Amanshia (BBC Newsround)

• Shuab Gamote (co-author of Inside the Mind of a 16-Year-Old)

• Nick Canning (Faculty AI)

• Sir Dan Moynihan (CEO of Harris Federation)

• Carol Dewhurst OBE (Bradford Diocese Academies Trust)

• Jo Heaton OBE (Northern Lights Learning Trust)

• Flora Letanka (Economist Educational Foundation)

• Annemarie Whittle (Kent Catholic Schools Partnership)

• Bryden Joy (Ormiston Academies Trust)

• Dan Morrow (Cornwall Education Learning Trust)

• Jennese Alozie (University of Chichester Academy Trust)

• Lee Wilson (Outwood Grange Academies Trust)

• Louise Lee (The Howard Partnership Trust)

• Vic Goddard (Passmores Cooperative Learning Community)

Over the next six months, the Commission will gather insights from teachers and pupils on their perceptions of teaching and learning about current affairs and hear from expert groups on:

• Critical thinking, social media and AI - What makes current affairs a uniquely challenging, but also uniquely valuable, context for applying critical thinking skills, and how this is changing in an age of social media and AI?

• The cost of disengagement - Who is responsible for keeping young people informed, including the role of the media.

• How can we teach it? - Why does current affairs education matter for young people, what does it look like when it works, and what is getting in the way of teachers delivering it well?

The group will share findings and recommendations before the end of the year.

Speaking about the Commission launch, Chair Sam Freedman said:

“Young people have far more access to information about what’s happening in the world than ever before, but it can be hard for them to make sense of it all, especially when so much of it misleading or wrong. I’m always sceptical about asking schools to do more but it’s hard to see how we can deal with this challenge without using the education system to help give pupils a framework for understanding”

Convening Commissioner Flora Letanka, CEO of The Economist Educational Foundation said:

“High-quality current affairs discussion is schools is rare. In an age of mass polarisation, global instability, and high-speed technological change, I believe that the ability to navigate the news should be a fundamental right for all children, regardless of background. I am excited to convene such an eminent and diverse group of commissioners and experts to discover how deep the crisis is and develop recommendations that work.”

Commissioner and CEO of Northern Lights Learning Trust, Jo Heaton said:

“I am really excited to be part of this commission into Current Affairs Education at a time in our country when I believe it is vital our young people understand how to think and evaluate with insight, independence and resilience, acting as citizens who will shape the future of things in our region and our country. I am delighted to be part of something so important, that will contribute to shaping this, as well as hearing from our young people on how we can work together to achieve this.”

Commissioner and Broadcaster Emma-Louise Amanshia added:

“I think it's so important for every child to understand the world around them and have a safe space to learn and ask questions about the headlines.”

The Commission is keen to hear from the sector. If you have evidence or examples of great practice, please share them here: www.currentaffairscommission.com/submit-evidence. You can also sign up for the newsletter at www.currentaffairscommission.com to follow the work as it develops.