InvolverOne of our main projects is challenging school councils to be better. We can use lots of long words to describe this, but essentially it’s about challenging and supporting schools to make their school councils get more things done, and include more young people.
We support schools through resources, training and support. All of this can be accessed through www.smartschoolcouncils.org.uk. Take a look!
We’ve been hearing good things about Model Wesminster recently, so I’m excited to check out their event next week. It’s all about seeking young people’s views on the National Minimum wage. If you’re interested and can get to London next Tuesday the 26th August, then sign up here.
A great day at the Speaker’s School Council Awards 2014, that Greg was helping to judge. We’re really happy to be working with Parliament’s Education Service on this. Here he is with John Bercow, the Speaker, Valerie Vaz MP, Edge Watchorn and Emma Whiting.
Find out more about the amazing winning schools here: www.speakersschoolcouncil.org/pastwinners.
And if you’re interested in getting involved next year, keep an eye on the website for the 2014/2015 competition!
With all the chat around curriculum and assessment reform, I thought it timely to blog about something that’s been irking me for a while.
Far too often, politicians and commentators are guilty of an over-reliance on their own experience of school. It’s the whole ‘I did XYZ assessment/exam, and IT DIDN’T DO ME ANY HARM’. Despite being simplistic, I think politicians see it as a useful device to come across as passionate, experienced and in touch with ‘normal people’ since it’s harder to argue with someone’s personal experience. That’s all fair enough, but what about those that aren’t heard?
I mean I don’t think that your view of education should be entirely isolated from your immediate experience of it. But that it needs to be balanced with evidence (not cherry-picked international evidence) and strong input from practitioners and students.
Of course, the latest example of this is Gove’s plan to scrap GCSEs that came out yesterday. Gove went school and he had a pretty difficult background. But he did O Levels, and he got good grades. That means that O Levels work, right?
But what about those that aren’t heard?
The point is that we rarely hear from those that the system has failed. What about those who it did actually do some harm to?
They’re not the ones in Sanctuary Buildings, on the benches of the Commons, or shooting the s*@t with Portillo on This Week.
I’m keen to hear more about Gove’s plan, the substance behind it and the link with the Singaporean model. But let’s take personal experience for what it is, the view of the (very successful and influential) individual and not more than that. Sadly, that may be all that counts.
Greg – @gregisanderson
BTW – like the one exam board idea. Professor Frank Coffield was laying into the exam board industry at a recent NUS event I was presenting at. Interesting how Gove’s idea on this is kind of ‘anti-market’.
I’ve just written to the Children’s Commissioner about the proposed closure of Church Lane PRU in Brent, London.
I’m on the Management Committee and am worried about what will happen to some of the students if the PRU does close.
Here’s a copy of the letter. Would be keen to hear your views:
_________________________
Greg Sanderson
Involver
Enterprise Building – Unit 9
Bernie Grant Arts Centre
London
N15 4RX
22 May 2012Dear Dr. Atkinson,
I’m writing to draw your attention to the proposed closure of Church Lane Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) in Brent and the disruption it will cause to our students.
As Vice-Chair of the Management Committee at the PRU, it is my job to ensure that our students receive the best education possible. As things stand, the actions of Brent Council are in danger of threatening this.
Our Year 10 pupils are one year into their Home Cooking Skills B.Tec, Arts Awards and the NOCN Step Up Diploma. After the second year, this could help them to achieve between three and six GCSE equivalents.
If Brent Council’s plan to shut the PRU at the end of this academic year is successful, they will not be able to complete these qualifications. Other PRUs in the borough do not have the facilities to provide these qualifications and local schools will not allow these students access to their schools as they consider them to be too disruptive.
There is a significant risk that these students will have wasted an entire year of work. I do not believe that this is something we should accept.
As is typical of PRUs, most of our students have had a difficult journey through education and life. They are challenged students in a challenging borough; less likely to know how to stand up for themselves in these situations, and less likely to have parents or guardians to do it for them.
Even shifting the students to a different PRU is fraught with safeguarding issues. Gang problems in the borough mean that there is a high risk of violence between students. I am aware that it is difficult to legislate for geographical issues when budgets are tight, but they need to be considered.As an aside, please do not read this letter is a critique of the Taylor Report. It contains some excellent recommendation and schools should take greater responsibility for the students they exclude. Too many schools are guilty of ‘washing their hands’ of difficult students and sending them to the local PRU without handing over any information on attainment, behaviour or attendance.
Alternative Education is in a phase of transition. But it needs to be done strategically, and at a pace that is not at the expense of the students already in the system.
As our ambassador for children’s rights, I urge you to discuss this matter with Brent Council to ensure that our students’ time and hard work is not wasted.
Yours sincerely,
Greg Sanderson
Vice-Chair of Management Committee, Church Lane Pupil Referral Unit
Co-Founder, Involver
We’ve spent quite a big chunk of this year working on a youth engagement guide for social housing providers with Peabody, Home Group, CBHA and CDHT.
That’s a fancy way of saying that we’ve been collecting loads of good hints and tips to help young people who live in houses owned by the council or housing associations to get more involved in their community.
We’ve been working closely with the Our Say Our Way partners and visited lots of young tenants and staff on estates across the country. It’s been brilliant to work with young people outside of schools. Especially since it has helped us to learn about participation in a slightly different setting from what we’re used to.
You can take a look at the toolkit here: http://www.oursay-ourway.co.uk/tool-kit.htm.
