So on the night in question (12th November 2007, reviewing Abolition 200 in Bristol at the Malcolm X centre, as per previous blog entry), there were some pertinent questions and debate about this year. There were a few points on education brought by Cllr. John Rogers , Lisa Blackwood, well and everybody really, after a question from Jacky Davis.
This education thing took up a whole portion of the night actually. The basic thread being; Why are we still talking about reversing the mis- education for the ‘black’ child when Bernard Coard had this down forty years ago. And nothing has happened?!
Cllr. Rogers (also a school governor) cautiously suggests that there have been some improvements in response to recent measures applied in schools in Bristol. Though not nearly enough. His announcement included ‘improvements’ in the mechanisms of measurement. That is, that data which analyses children based on ethnicity, neighbourhood, and other demographics have become more precise in their measuring. So failure can be tracked more accurately! I jest. Well it’s kinda true, but the idea is so that improvements can be targeted. You know it’s the way councils and similar bureaucracies work. The measure things.
Of course with all this measuring stuff, there is this double edged sword. On one side is the clamour for, and gathering of measurement data proving the flaw in the system’s education of African-Caribbean children. One the other side is the resulting : ‘B***k b**ys are F*iling’ mantra that rolls off the tongue like a sh*t on a hot shovel. But more poisonous.
While on my ego trip on this panel, my argument began to settle on supporting the volutary sector. There being where much good work is done in supplementary schools and more holistic approaches to nurting children, families and communities.
And one peoples I didn’t mention, who I later noticed in the room was Sis. Nwanyi from Imani and now, St Paul’s Study centre. And there’s Full Circle doing excellent work in the same neighbourhood. And then the council’s ‘trojan horse’ (as it was once dubbed) of St Pauls Family & Learning Centre. One of the council’s frontline community learning centres which supports such activities.
The So What project, highlighted the need for the things that Nwanyi & the whole supplementary school movement is doing around the city (and country) to make actual improvements in learning.
This year was dubbed the ‘Year of Black Achievement’ by Bristol. With the commemoration stuff giving the Equalities departments some political leverage to lean on their overlords to make that official. Also after the fear that the year was just going to be totally meaningless, education was chosen as a key theme. It’s also something which is to be focused on in the Legacy Commission (after 2007)
Oh and there was the issue of Afrikan education…
Interesting site!
My comments about Education clearly weren’t expressed very well.
“…that data which analyses children based on ethnicity, neighbourhood, and other demographics have become more precise in their measuring. So failure can be tracked more accurately!”
Not quite! The data I was referring to is used to track individual children (of any ethnicity) as he or she progresses through the year.
The idea of tracking pupil progress is that teachers can pick up if an individual young person is struggling as soon as it starts to happen and do something about it, rather than old systems which seemed to wait for the child to fail GCSEs before lamenting the fact.
Other areas of the country have been doing this for years – I understand that Bristol has been one of the slowest to adopt it.
Does anyone know more about the benefits (or otherwise) of this approach?
The other issue I commented on was a lack of School Governors from BME communities. I am a Governor at Fairfield School and I know that attempts have been made to increase BME representation.
One suggestion was that we introduce “mentoring” to help a new Governor understand the strange process that is a Governors’ meeting. There must be other ideas?
Thanks for your comment Councillor. I think you were clear. There was some irony in the ‘tracking failure’ comment. While you are doing the best you can as an individual, there is a deeply-rooted wall of Cynciscm about the institution of the Council and Local Education Authority who sit at such a distance from it all.
The feelings and experiences about state education go back some way. They exist across generations. It’s true too that the whole blame cannot be levelled at the school, and the families need to take responsibility too. But the ‘system’ feel totally inaccessible. And for some, not to be trusted.
We know also that problems in Bristol educational provision are not restricted to ‘black’ Bristolians only. This situtation of 2007 however, has put so-called ‘black achievement’ as a central plank of its year. So for this community in particular, who have been experiencing mis-education for forty years (centuries actually), there will not be cheers for a new measure for tracking progress. Not unless they experience positive RESULTS for themselves.
Furthermore, there is a strong strain of belief in that community that the education system, does not have their interests at heart. It will pay lip-service, but do not really want their children to be educated. To be able to access free-thinking, and political thought or economic liberation.
There is lots of positivity that can be put into all this. If there is a will then: – what about the relationship between the families-pupils-teachers? What’s happening about improving that relationship?
The community also is a place where young people derive their ASPIRATIONS. What’s happening there? To expand horizons and build a sense of possibility?
What of cultural education? Rites of Passage for these young people?
All of this work person to person can feel so far from the LEA monitoring. When will we hear some good new from this monitoring? I know it’s got to work on all levels ,so let’s see..
Look forward to hearing some good news.
Oh and on the governors.
It’s a lot like the issue of the voluntary sector. Do we have enough people with the time, the commitment, the confidence, and the understanding to be on a governing board? To Lead? To be legally responsible?
And of course, they must have the belief that their presence would make a difference. That they would be able to put their views; and be representative of other views…
The capacity trap. It’s a lot to ask. You got to really want to do it.
Thanks Rob
Is it possible, like Bristol Blogger, to display recent comments and recent stories on the right hand side? I guess they are both “switches” in WordPress.
Good news is certainly not in huge supply when it comes to Bristol education, but there is good stuff if you look for it.
My experience is fairly limited, but Bristol Primary Schools have had a lot of praise. St Werburghs Nursery is also excellent, and I see the hard work of staff, parents and friends of the school in delivering a wonderfully rich, friendly and lively environment. (I am a biased governor there too!)
I was asked about education by teenagers on “I’m a Councillor” last year and this is what I wrote…
Q: please can you explain why Bristol schools are so bad? – asked by Pikachu
A: Bristol has a long history of underachieving in schools – the causes are in my opinion quite complex. I also believe things are finally getting better. Indeed, some schools have seen dramatic improvements in results this year.
In no particular order, i think it is a combination of:
(1) Complacency.Teachers and the education authorities have failed to recognise and adopt the pupil centred monitoring techniques that are essential to ensure that every child achieves their potential. That is changing now, thank goodness.
(2) Private education. Many people in Bristol are quite wealthy. Others scrimp and save to do what they think is best for their children. They chose to educate their children privately, and so those remaining in state education sometimes see themselves as “second best”. It is not true, but this can lower morale.
(3) Lack of ambition. It can be a viscious circle. People don’t believe the schools can achieve, so they get demoralised, so they don’t achieve and this fuels the prejudice and lowers expectation.
(4)Lack of investment. For years Bristol has not invested properly in it’s schools. That is now changing.
(5) Pupils who don’t have English as first language. Bristol is a wonderfully diverse city that has traditionally accepted those fleeing persecution from all over the world. Many of the children coming to this country first have to learn English before they can start to do well in exams. We have many, many brilliant examples of young people who have overcome all these obstacles to shine.
(6) Failure to use vocational exams. Bristol schools are not always as geared up to provide courses and exams to those who shine in areas other than academics.
A long answer but all other ideas gratefully received!
And thanks for your suggestion on getting the recent comments posts etc. It seems they are ‘widgets’, which are now visible at the side. I am sure the Bristol Blogger would be pleased to know that their voice is heard by city leaders 🙂
And thanks for your views on the education issue.
Good News – Good Practice. What has Bristol got in place to communicate that. So we can get out of the culture moaning and get into the culture of fixing?
http://www.channel0.org.uk
http://www.blacknetworkinggroup.co.uk/local_black_history.htm#Who%20is%20this%20man?%A0