Monday, 25 April 2016

Should Brent Labour have a council funded premises as its election campaign HQ?


A message has gone out to members from the Labour Party asking, 'If you're free to volunteer on polling day, let us know which campaign centre you will join.'

One of the centres listed is:

Campaign Centre - Brent (Peel Precinct)
21-23 Peel Precinct,
NW6 5BS

This address, on the South Kilburn estate, is in fact that of the South Kilburn Community Alliance which is part funded by Brent Council.

Surely it is wrong for a premises associated with the Council to be used for party political purposes. The call to Labour Party members says the campaign centre will be open from 9am to 10pm.

Memorial Fund set up for Leon Brumant




I have received this message via Facebook. Readers may wish to donate to the Memorial Fund that has been set up for Leon Brumant.

Hi All,

Our friend, brother, son, colleague and comrade passed away on the 22/04/2016.

Those who knew Leon, would agree with me when I say that he was the true definition of strength and solidarity.  Leon was the go to guy. He had the answers for everyone, and if he didnt he would find them for you.

I worked with Leon, even more so closeley as he enticed me into becoming more proactive with my beliefs and ideas on unity. We spoke on many occassions, over coffee, in meetings, in work of the importance of unity. He had an amazing aura that would be hard to ignore.He was a staunch fighter when it came to debating, many a time I was left on the sidelines whilst he would passionately defend his beliefs.

Leon leaves behind a family, and a beautiful daughter.

I urge all reading, to unite in the name of Leon's legacy..continue his fight for social justice...remember him as the strong, loving, funny and kind man he was.

I am raising money for Leon's mother to decide on its best use. This could be used towards funeral costs, for his daughter or a memorial for Leon - again, I felt the best would be to allow Leons mother to decide. I have spoken to Jon Abdullah who has kindly agreed to pass the money on.

No amount is too small, no amount is too big. Let's share the love we had for Leon, unite and continue his presence in our actions and beliefs.


One love all.

Sham

Donate HERE

Sunday, 24 April 2016

'Almost overnight our school became a brutal exam factory' - Rescue Our Schools speaker



This passionate speech was made by a parent at the Parents Defending Education conference at the weekend. It sums up the limitations of the academy model which the government wants to impose on all schools.

Thanks to Rescue Our Schools for this video:  http://www.rescueourschools.co.uk/

Brent Labour Group should do the decent thing for an ex-colleague

I don't feel it is appropriate to go into detail at this juncture but I hear of a troubling situation in local politics.

Ex-colleagues and friends of a former Brent Labour councillor have been distressed that the Labour Group, despite funds being available, have not done the decent thing for a councillor who served loyally for 6 years.

Some members of the Labour Group are extremely upset about this matter are and are calling for a compassionate response from the leadership.

'Parent Power' campaign to withdraw children from school on May 3rd for a day of 'fun learning' gathers support





Let Kids be Kids is a social media campaign by parents who intend to withdraw their children from  school on May 3rd in protest against the SATs and the impact that the new tests are having on their children, as well as a more general protest against the government's White Paper on education.

At this point it is impossible to say how much support the strike call will have but it is certainly a concern shared by many parents as well as teachers.

22,000 have signed their petition to Nicky Morgan LINK
We want an end to SATs... we want our kids to be kids again.
We're encouraging parents to show Parent Power by keeping their children off school IN SUPPORT of a SATs boycott on TUESDAY 3RD MAY.

Why is this important?

We're a group of Year 2 parents who've had enough... enough of endless testing, enough of teachers not being trusted to teach, enough of an Ofsted driven, dull, dry curriculum aimed solely at passing National Curriculum Tests (SATs).
We want our kids to be kids again and enjoy learning for learning's sake not for Ofsted results or league table figures. Bring back the creativity and the fun - say goodbye to repetition and boredom!
In May, children in Year 2 sit a whole week's worth of exams.. these children are 6 or 7 years old!!! All year their curriculum has been centred around comprehension and arithmetic in order to pass these tests. Outdoor learning has decreased, childhood anxiety has increased, games have been replaced with grammar, playing with punctuation.
Parents all over the country are joining forces on 3rd May for a day of fun learning out of school to show support for a SATS boycott and a return to teacher led assessments which value individuality and creativity in the school setting.
The video above was recorded at yesterday's Parents Defending Education launch

https://letthekidsbekids.wordpress.com/let-kids-be-kids-events-happening-on-3rd-may/

https://www.facebook.com/parentssupportteachers/?fref=ts

Race and Mental Health Talk Stirs Emotions

Dr Burke with Brent Mind CEO and BPV Steering Group members.
L-R Byron Miller, Dr Aggrey Burke, Peter Latham, Phil Sealy, Irwin Van Colle, Ruth Bradshaw, Lola Osikoya, Robin Sharp CB.
  

Deep emotions were stirred when consultant psychiatrist, Dr Aggrey Burke, addressed a public meeting in Brent on Race and Mental Health last Tuesday 19th April 2016.

Dr Burke, former senior lecturer and consultant psychiatrist at St George’s Hospital, London, was speaking at the Learie Constantine Centre, Willesden, at an event sponsored by Brent Mind and Brent Patient Voice.

Recalling his origins in Jamaica and his coming to England in the late fifties, Aggrey Burke reflected on race, ethnicity, class and trauma as a deep background to the well known statistics which show that young black men may be five times more likely to be diagnosed with severe schizophrenia than similar men from other groups. In spite of a lifetime studying these issues he felt there were no easy explanations - or quick remedies - in sight.

He suggested that slavery and the estate culture which it promoted, along with weak family structures, were possibly relevant. At the same time he revealed figures which showed marked differences according to where and when migrants from the Caribbean were educated. He was unsure whether it was useful to bracket arrivals from far-separated islands as if one ethnicity - “Afro-Caribbean” - explained everything.

His talk provoked a lively and highly serious discussion, noting how some young people had progressed through education to very successful careers, while others still faced enormous challenges which the mental health system was struggling to address.

The 60-strong audience also heard about Brent Mind’s ARISE project on this same topic and the film Behind the Locked Door which is about to have its premiere.

During the evening Brent Patient Voice, the new independent group that speaks for patients to the health service powers that be, held its first AGM and elections.

Saturday, 23 April 2016

Michael Rosen speaking at Parents Defending Education


Parents launch campaign to defend education with Michael Rosen as patron


Today's message was clear
A new campaign, ''Parents Defending Education' was set up this afternoon at a well-attended meeting in London addressed by several parent groups. The campaign was launched in reaction to the Government's White Paper on education which includes the forced academisation of primary schools and removal of parent governors, and increasing parental concern over the impact on children of high stakes testing.

Speaking for the NUT, Deputy General Secretary Kevin Courtney, said that the NUT had not always 'got it right with parents' in the past but wanted to work with them in the current crisis. It was nonsense that parents had no democratic say in whether their children's school should academise or in the decision about which academy provider to was chosen if academisation went ahead.

He stressed that any parents' campaign should be completely independent of teachers and should not be directed by them.  It was clear to me that the angry and articulate parents who spoke at the meeting would be fiercely independent.

The launch statement made an initial five points:
  • No forced academies - no privatisation
  • No more 'high stakes' testing - take the pressure off our children
  • No more cuts - don't impose austerity on our children
  • Ensure a good school place for every child - with a properly qualified teacher
  • Defend parents; democratic rights - in schools and at local government level
It was announced that children's author, Michael Rosen, Professor of Children's Literature and a parent would be the campaign's first patron.

This is the full launch statement:
The recent publication of the education White Paper has lifted the lid on government plans for education. The plans concealed from us before the election are now menacingly clear. We have had enough! We want out children to enjoy and love learning. So we want to rescue our schools from the grip of a series of policies which have affected every aspect of education, from testing to funding, from nurseries to post-16. We also want an end to privatisation and austerity in schools.

Our schools don't belong to the government. And our schools don't belong to the trusts, charities and academy chains. They belong to our children, to the community, to the parents, to the teachers and support staff and future generation.  We recognise government has an important role but it cannot impose its vision on our children without our consent.

Therefore, we are launching a 'Parents Defending Education' campaign today in order to reassert the rights of parents and engage in the debate about what sort of education we want for our children. None of the plans outlined in the White Paper were put to the electorate at the last election. The government has no mandate. Accordingly we intend to campaign to defeat the White Paper and other key aspects of the government's education policy. Parents need to stand up for education, stand up for themselves and stand up for our children.

Initially we have five main points:
  • No forced academies - no privatisation
  • No more 'high stakes' testing - take the pressure off our children
  • No more cuts - don't impose austerity on our children
  • Ensure a good school place for every child - with a properly qualified teacher
  • Defend parents; democratic rights - in schools and at local government level 
We know there are other very important and connected issues, such as the impact on children with Special Educational Needs and from economically and socially disadvantaged families. We will work with parents to develop a response to these areas of concern.

We intent to create a delegate based steering committee which will help us unite and focus our campaigning work together to maximise its impact across the country. We also intend to broaden the basis of our campaign as quickly and widely as possible. We want to work with all groups and organisations who share similar objectives. We will also discuss plans for a national campaign conference for parents and the possibility of a national demonstration.

We are delighted to announce that children's author, Professor of Children's Literature and parent, Michael Rosen, has agreed to be our first patron. We urge parents in every school, in every village, in every town and in every city to meet, discuss and get organise din the next 4 weeks. We will provide resources to support this as quickly as possible via our Facebook page.

For further information about this statement and to register for the steering committee on 21st May pleas email: parentsdefendeducation@gmail.com  Facebook: Parents Defending Education

If you can help, please contact us.
Meanwhile a parent campaign for a children's strike on May 3rd is receiving much support on social media.