Leading Educational Advancement: Progressive Schools in Lockdown

In May 2020, as education was abruptly moving into homes, Rocket co-founder Stuart Bamford joined school leaders from five countries for Qatar Foundation’s Leading Educational Advancement in Progressive Schools webinar. Ideas such as play, agency, imagination and family partnership took on a different significance when children were learning around kitchen tables, sharing spaces with working parents or navigating unfamiliar daily routines. The discussion invited progressive educators to consider what remained essential to their approaches when the physical environments of school were no longer available.

Stuart shared Rocket’s experience of adapting provision while trying to preserve opportunities for children to explore, connect and learn through meaningful experiences. Working more closely with families became especially important, recognising that each household was navigating different circumstances and possibilities. The webinar offered Rocket an opportunity to contribute to an international professional conversation during a period of rapid educational change. It also brought renewed attention to a principle that continues to shape the Rocket Approach: responsive education begins with understanding the child and their context, rather than assuming that one method or environment will work equally well for everyone.