Over the last few years, growing numbers of education policymakers and researchers have become focused on reforming the country's education and assessment system. A task of this enormity has many threads, but one approach gaining traction is project-based learning (PBL), advocated for by Edge as a way of equipping young people with essential life and work skills for the 21st century.
Edge recently released a new report, 50 Years of PBL: Policy, politics and practice, led by colleagues from UP2UNI. The research explores how PBL has fluctuated over the years, offering insights into the factors that have supported or hindered its implementation. While the pros and cons of PBL are covered elsewhere in Edge's research, the report provides some back story and offers a practical, flexible framework for implementing PBL across different contexts.
Highlighting the cyclical nature of project-based learning
For those less familiar with it – not least, a generation of teachers accustomed to summative evaluation via league tables and end-point assessment – PBL may seem like just another in a long list of ideas driven more by rhetoric than rigour. However, as our report shows, PBL is no fleeting fad. It has deep roots in the educational system. As early as the 1970s, initiatives like the Nuffield Science Project and Geography for the Young School Leaver embraced principles like enquiry-based learning, real-world application, and ‘learning by doing’ – all hallmarks of PBL.
One of the study’s key benefits lies in exploring these cyclical patterns, which are influenced by policy changes, political climates, and other shifts in educational priorities. Depending on their nature, all these factors can contribute to environments that either support PBL or are hostile towards it. But this ebb and flow is easily overlooked, especially when policy memory is short and with popular qualifications like A-levels more consistently dominating the academic landscape over time.
Yet PBL has persisted, even if behind the scenes. BTECs, for example, emerged in the 1980s to meet employer demand for an alternative curriculum and means of assessment. A common characteristic of these much-loved qualifications? Project-based approaches rooted in real-world assignments that aim to prepare learners for employment and higher education. This understated aspect of their delivery is one reason their uncertain future faces such fierce opposition from within the sector.
The report also highlights how the emergence of the National Curriculum in 1988 and the subsequent shift towards standardised testing in the 1990s limited the scope for integrated, cross-curricular project work. While project-based learning was academically stifled it proliferated through extracurricular activities. An excellent example is the Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award, of which the project is a major component. The choice of activity is broad. Assessors, plucked from local communities, are chosen for their competence and expertise. Crucially, the DofE lacks restrictive academic entry requirements or examinations, meaning every participant can potentially achieve high-level success. And, of course, the DofE is renowned for building skills like teamwork and leadership – common attributes of PBL. While it was established in 1956 – long before the introduction of the National Curriculum – the DofE has served as a key lifeline at times when PBL has been edged out of academia
Today, PBL is edging its way back into the mainstream. It is commonly used in studio schools, university technical colleges and academies. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), for instance, is well-funded, carries UCAS points and is respected by universities. But it faces challenges. The EPQ, and qualifications like it, require high levels of teacher oversight that resource-constrained institutions may struggle to provide, making these types of qualifications a challenge to deliver.
A framework for implementing PBL
While the report acknowledges the challenges associated with implementing PBL, its real value lies in its carefully considered PBL delivery model, founded upon Bronfenbrenner’s Ecosystems approach – a well-established theory of childhood development.
The framework, found in section 9 of the report, illustrates how various elements of delivery – from the input of national organisations to government policies and the motivation of individual teachers – must work in harmony to create an environment conducive to PBL. If these elements are misaligned, opportunities for widespread, sustainable adoption become limited.
However, the report also highlights the importance of personal agency and passion. Even in contexts where PBL is not fully embraced, dedicated teachers and institutions have found ways to incorporate project-based methods, often through external initiatives and employer partnerships. Such examples underscore the impact that individual educators can have. This should provide hope to those who wish to deliver more impactful, engaging learning experiences, even in the face of uncertainty.
The upcoming general election offers a unique opportunity to situate this student-centred methodology more strategically into our education and assessment system. I hope this new report will provide some inspiration for the sector to achieve that.