‘A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops’ – Henry Adams
NB: The author is Tim Hewish, who I am glad to welcome as a local contributor. — Steve
Buckinghamshire is blessed with having Grammar schools and is complimented by a large number of successful State schools; however not all parts of the country are so privileged. I was fortunate enough to attend the release of Policy Exchange’s latest education report, Blocking the Best, which focuses on the obstacles people face when trying to set up their own independent state school.
Shadow Schools Secretary, Michael Gove MP, gave the keynote speech in which he centred heavily on how little access disadvantaged children have to a better education and improved horizons. You can read a bite-sized account of Michael’s vision here.
To provide a backdrop, the Conservatives are strongly in favour of Academies, which are a type of school that can be set up by parents, teachers, businesses; and charities that are free from the tangled web of constant assessment, league tables and the prevalent dumbing down of our education into issues based learning.
Mr. Gove spoke of the revolutionary KIPP schools (Knowledge is Power Programme) in the US. (A video by its Founders can be viewed here) These schools sprang up 15 years ago and focused on the very poorest in urban America with 90% of the pupils from Afro-American and Latino descent. What KIPPs managed to achieve were that 85% of the total pupils succeeding to go on to college.
What are the secrets to their success?
