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Tributes to Sir Ken Robinson, champion of creativity in education

Early years leaders have paid tribute to world-renowned educationalist Sir Ken Robinson, who died last Friday of cancer aged 70.

The influential teacher, speaker and author championed an education system that cultivates creativity and divergent thinking rather than one focused on simple, measurable academic knowledge.

He told interviewers that too heavy a focus on literacy and numeracy in education was a false priority. 'That’s like saying let’s make the cake and if it’s all right we’ll put the eggs in,' he said.

Another memorable comment was 'I often tell politicians: If you want to stop the problems in education, stop causing them.'

‘I trusted that his principles, values and visions were the answer to the future of education, especially in the early years,’ says early years consultant and trainer Alice Sharp.

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