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Meeting the Challenge through partnership
The Department for Education and Skills' London Challenge is a programme
of investment and activities designed to create a world class system
of education for 11-19 year olds in the capital. Schools Minister Stephen
Twigg explains how the London Challenge is working with representatives
of different ethnic communities to support parents in improving their
child's success at school.
The London Challenge was launched in May 2003 with the aim of raising
aspirations and attainment in secondary education in London. One of
its objectives is to narrow the achievement gaps between children from
different ethnic groups, with particular emphasis on children from
the African, African Caribbean, Turkish, Turkish-Kurdish, Turkish-Cypriot,
Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somali communities. Children from all of
these backgrounds, particularly boys, do significantly less well at
GCSE than other children.
Earlier this year a series of London Challenge Community Forums brought
together concerned representatives from these communities to consider
the reasons for underperformance and how the London Challenge and the
communities themselves can best help children to achieve their full
potential.
The causes of underachievement are complex and include socio-economic,
institutional and community issues. But parental attitudes and support
play a significant role in how well a child does at school.
The groups identified some common issues that prevent black and minority
ethnic parents engaging as effectively in their children's education
as we and they would want. These include low expectations, difficulties
with the English language and lack of familiarity with, or alienation
from, the school system.
We know that the education system and schools
have important roles to play in ensuring that young people from all
backgrounds achieve their potential: so too do parents.
The community groups agreed that children and young people from minority
ethnic backgrounds would do better at school if parents could be more
involved in school - including through attendance at events like parents
evenings and through developing better partnerships on areas ranging
from homework and truancy to shared understanding of cultural difference.
The overwhelming majority of parents, regardless of their background
and circumstances, want their children to have the advantages that
a good education can bring. And the groups were clear that any lack
of parental input came primarily through a lack of confidence or knowledge
about how to help, time or understanding of just how much schools in
London rely on partnerships with parents to help young people to achieve.
The issue of parental engagement is particularly pertinent in secondary
schools; even parents who have been very involved with their children's
schooling at primary level will often be less involved at secondary
level when they no longer need to accompany children to and from school.
It is often at this stage, and particularly with boys, that children
need the most support from parents in the forms of ensuring attendance,
a quiet place and the time to do homework properly and continuous reinforcement
that working hard at school will be important to future success.
Whatever language or learning barriers may exist, there are a number
of things that all parents can do to make a difference. The most important
thing is simply to talk to children - it doesn't matter about what.
Taking an interest day by day in what they are doing at school - simply
talking about their day and what they're doing also makes a big difference,
as of course does ensuring attendance at school.
The groups identified a number of pieces of information that parents
would find helpful. Parents can find much of this information free
of charge in the form of a series of multilingual leaflets offering
advice on subjects such as how to help with homework, how to handle
parent-teacher evenings and how to understand school reports.
Further information
Leaflets can be ordered from www.parentcentre.gov.uk, by telephone
on 0845 602 2260 or by emailing dfes@prolog.uk.com
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