Education in Bristol — where next?
Let me start by saying that I am Bristolian born and bred, and have spent most of my life in this wonderful city. I am enormously proud of my home town and want to see it be recognised for all of the great things that are happening in it. However the performance of our state schools is of great concern, and a long-running problem.
We live in one of the worst performing cities in the country, something that the media enjoy ramming down our throats at regular intervals. I was educated at Monks Park comprehensive school and have an understanding of the social and institutional issues in Bristol. But it is really no different to any other town in the UK — we are stuck in a rut, and it strikes me that we need to try some innovative solutions.
There are three players in the education system: children, teachers and parents. As a parent myself, I want to see that my children do the very best at school, I know that I am no different to most parents, but I have sometimes been made to feel that my involvement is unwelcome. When I have had questions about my children’s performance it has often not been as easy as it should be to get to talk to their teachers, and engaging with them to work on resolving issues and creating solutions has proved extremely difficult.
I know that my experiences are commonplace. Why doesn’t the education system make the most of the experience and enthusiasm of parents. We want our children to succeed! A holistic approach of new learning networks is required. It requires innovative thinking, but this can start in Bristol. For example, we should be able to agree Home Learning Plans for children, to consolidate in-school learning and get a wider perspective on what they have learned. Surely the results will be worth the effort!
Finally, its not all bad news. There are examples of improved performance within our schools. Why doesn’t this find its way into the national press? We all know the answer to this.
Tags: Bristol, Learning Networks