Brent's drive to improve educational achievement of Black Caribbean boys under scrutiny on Monday

Monday's Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee will be considering a report they requested from the Strategic Director for Children and Young People on the Council's efforts to improve the educational achievement of boys of Black Caribbean heritage. This is a welcome move, not only because this is a long-standing issue but because it marks an increased level of interest in education by the committee which called for the report after being given the statistics at an earlier meeting.

A close look at the reports above will reveal the main dimensions of under-achievement.

Although Brent secondary schools are mainly academies, while most primary schools remain with the local authority, the Council retains an interest in all schools through the Brent Schools Partnership (BSP).

Although white disadvantaged boys are the most 'under performing' group nationally and locally, Black Caribbean boys in Brent  are the only group that has continued to underperform over the last few years.

The BSP set up the Black Caribbean Strategy Group, chaired by the headteacher of Chalkhill Primary School  which has become the BSP Specialist Centre for Black Caribbean Achievement. Chalkhill was chosen because of the quality of its work with Black Caribbean boys and their families. Over the last 2 years  the Centre has shared their best practice with other schools through training, school visits and shared activities including aspirational careers events and advice.

The report states that the project has undertaken:
 

·      A supported rigorous and robust analysis of the performance of pupils of Black 
Caribbean heritage and the effectiveness of key aspects of schools’ practice to 
ensure the pupils achieve well. 


·      The designation of a Black Caribbean Achievement Champion in every school in 
Brent for a period of two years. The Champion will lead on the school’s plan to improve outcomes for pupils of Black Caribbean heritage, including monitoring its impact and engagement with parents/carers. 


·      A programme of half termly training for Black Caribbean Achievement Champions to ensure high levels of skills and competencies to deliver their role effectively, leading to real impact on outcomes in schools. 


·      A programme of training for groups of staff and for school governors. 


·      The development of online resources for parents on strengthening their role and 
contribution to improving their children’s learning and progress, and reducing the likelihood of their children being excluded from schools. This would provide links to opportunities for accreditation, face-to-face advice and workshops. The resources will draw on the experience and expertise of local community groups. 


·      Leadership and management of the overall Black Caribbean Strategy, including regular collation and analysis of the attainment and progress of pupils of Black Caribbean heritage.

 Gail Tolley, Strategic Director for Children and Young People notes:

The project is very much focused on ensuring the best possible provision for every boy. It is important to state that over 40 per cent of the group are meeting national expectations for results at the end of the primary and secondary phases, and their success must be celebrated alongside the success of the majority of pupils in Brent. This project is aiming to ensure that the boys in the 20 percentage point gap also attain their full potential. The evaluation of provision in each school will identify the factors that affect the group and individual pupils which may vary across the borough. It is important to avoid any over-generalisation of the factors that may be affecting the boys who are underperforming. The Champion is instead expected to monitor the data for every boy which includes their attendance and progress data (that school leaders usually collect from teachers every term), and to put in place the appropriate actions and interventions that address any individual boy’s underperformance. 


The late Basil Bernstein noted decades ago that 'education cannot compensate for society.' By that he meant that schools alone could not solve society's problems. It is worth remembering that when so much is expected of schools, although of course they work extremely hard to give pupils an equal chance and this project is a big step forward.

It was with Bernstein's quote in mind that I suggested at a recent Governors' Briefing on the Black Caribbean Strategy that the Council needed to situate the initiative in a wider context which would include addressing some of the issues where the Black Caribbean community feels it is not being fairly treated. The most high profile example at the moment is the future of the Bridge Park Complex but there are others including the closure of Stonebridge Adventure Playground, the cuts in the youth service and the closure of Children's Centres. Nationally the Windrush Generation scandal and Theresa May's hostile environment have increased uncertainty and disaffection.

Schools don't exist on a sanitised island.

The Scrutiny Committee takes place on Monday 18th March, 6pm at the Civic Centre, Wembley Park and is open to the public.

The full report is HERE

Thousands march in London on World Against Racism Day

I made a video of yesterday's march to show the range of people and organisations that took part. The Islamophobic terrorist attack in New Zealand was particularly in people's minds along with the rise of the right in Europe and domestically. David Rosenberg's speech at the end of the video addresses some of these issues.

Storm Gareth fells a few more of Brent's trees

Wellspring Crescent beside Wembley Asda car park

A second tree on Wellspring Crescent

Storm Gareth felled a number of street trees in Brent including the two above on Wellspring Crescent which are along the pedestrian avenue that links the Lycee (former Town Hall) steps to Chalkhill Park.  Both trees are comparatively young.

This is an ornamental cherry on Salmon Street, Kingsbury. It is the second to be lost on that street, another was knocked down by a lorry backing out of a building site for a house rebuild. Other cherries have been lost on the nearby Pilgrims Way and may have been reaching the end of their natural lives.

Trees on the east side of Fryent Country Park, which are mainly hedgerow trees, have survived better than I had expected but the one above did not escape.

A number of large mature trees have been blown down on Eldestrete, the footpath at the bottom of Barn Hill.

However, the tree below is a living example of the adage 'a creaking gate hangs the longest.' Hollowed out by woodpeckers, parakeets, woodlice and other insects it still stands in an exposed position on top of Barn Hill near the pond. A neighbouring tree in a similar condition came down a year or so ago.

If you have news of other trees in the borough please comment below.

Brexit: What now? St Lukes West Kilburn Tuesday March 19th

From Kensal and Kilburn Better 2019

Three days of motions and amendments in the House of Commons have concluded this evening, and the question posed by our event on Tuesday 19 March feels more relevant than ever...

Brexit: what now?

with

Zoe Williams The Guardian and member of the national committee of Another Europe is Possible (p.c.)

Eloise Todd Chief Executive, Best for Britain  

Laura Parker National Co-ordinator, Momentum

Ahead of the 'Put it to the People' march on Sat 23 March, come and hear the latest news from the front line of the anti-Brexit campaign. 

Free to attend.  Share this event on Facebook and Twitter.We hope you can make it.Best,Kensal & Kilburn Better 2019

REGISTER HERE

Butt pledges no council evictions due to Universal Credit rent arrears

Counihan Campaign in Brent 2012

I understand both Cllr Eleanor Southwood, Brent Council lead member for Housing and Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, promised that there would be no evictions of council tenants in rent arrears due to Universal Credit delays, following the unanimous approval of the motion below at Brent Constituency Labour Party GC.

MOTION: RENT ARREARS and UNIVERSAL CREDIT

This GC notes the clear evidence that where Universal Credit has been rolled out more people are made homeless as a result of rent arrears. The main causes of arrears are the five week delay in first  payment of Universal Credit and other delays caused by DWP error.

We therefore call on Brent Labour Group to follow the lead of Camden Council in refusing to evict tenants in such circumstances and to urge registered social landlords and private landlords to do the same.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The demand was first made at the meeting on Universal Credit held at Chalhill Community Centre on November 18^th 2018.  Report on Wembley Matters HERE

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Brent Council to consult on closure of Roe Green Strathcona School

Extravagant thanks to the staff of Roe Green Infants School for providing extra places for primary children over the last 6 years cut little ice at Cabinet on Monday when it was decided to consult on the phased closure of the Strathcona site in Wembley which has been run as part of Roe Green Infants under an Executive Headteacher.

Roe Green Infants had come to the aid of the local authority at a time of rising primary school rolls and agreed to run a 5-11 school on a separate site in Wembley.  They are now faced with making staff redundant and as the two sites are run as one school in terms of staffing this will affect both the Infants and Strathcona.

The report to Cabinet stated:

The proposals, if implemented, are likely to impact on the required staffing for Roe Green Infant School; the proposal would lead to a reduction in overall staffing levels which would, therefore, result in the possibility for the need to consider redundancies. The number of staff affected will depend on the nature of a phased closure. There may also be opportunities to reduce the impact on staff, for example, by transferring existing staff to the main Roe Green Infant School site. The school would need to follow the Managing Change in Schools policy and procedure including consultation with affected staff and trade unions to effect the changes in due course.

Gail Tolley, Strategic Director of Children and Young People, said that in 2015-2016 GLA projections had still indicated a rising roll in Brent's primary schools but migration, Brexit and statistical issues meant that projections for 2018-19 had been reduced. There had been a need for Strathcona at the time but it was no longer required as neighbouring schools could absorb the displaced pupils. The report gave the following figures. The key information is in Reception places comparing in the first column the number of available places (PAN - Planned Admission Number) and in the second the number of reception children actually in the school in  October 2018. It can be seen that some of the controversial expansions (see previous articles on this blog, ) created with considerable building costs, have not been successful in attracting pupils and that there are 208 spare places in Strathcona's local area. This is equivalent to a one form entry primary school.

Hidden behind the figures is of course the impact of an uncertain future on the school staff and upset for children and parents who will have to find a new school, depending on when the Strathcona site closes. This will be a matter for the consultation the Council will launch but they have said that new admissions will cease from 2020. 

Leader of the Council, Cllr Muhammed Butt, said at the meeting that the local authority had to look at provision and start a discussion with the school and its stakeholders. He said that they would make sure concerns regarding the staff were taken into consideration. The authoirty had to make best use of its resources and the spnding of the Direct Schools Grant.

It is likely if the trend continues that more primary schools will be affected and that the Planned Admission Number (PAN) will be reduced to take account of the demographic changes.  The new Ark Somerville, to be built in the York House car park in Wembley, has been reduced from 3 forms of entry to two and will not take pupils until the demand from new developments in the Stadium area emerges.

Barry Gardiner to address Momentum-Trades Council-Peoples' Assembly meeting on austerity on Thursday

Barry Gardiner MP has agreed to speak to Thursday's meeting on austerity.  With the political situation so fluid (this has been written at 16.20 on Tuesday) a General Election may have been announced by Thursday!

Carlton-Granville debate continues on Twitter

Reactions to yesterday's Cabinet discussion of the Carlton-Granville Centre proposals rumbled on this morning on Twitter.  I am grateful for the partipants copying me into the exchange. Here is a selection: