In May, the ‘Office of the Children’s Commissioner’ changed its name to reflect its ethos of putting 11 million children and young people in England at the heart of the organisation. Here the first Children’s Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, answers some key questions.
Q. What do teachers need to know about 11 Million’s work? And what impact might you have on schools?
A. I am a passionate supporter of teachers and have enjoyed many visits to schools, where I am inspired by the great work that is taking place. Teachers are a key stakeholder for 11 Million. One of our ‘spotlight’ areas of work is finding out how children and young people are enjoying their education and leisure time. Are extended schools delivering what they want? What does personalised learning really mean to them? By sharing children and young people’s insights with teachers, we believe that we can support teachers in doing the type of work they really enjoy and value.
Q. As you say, one of the ‘spotlight’ areas of your work is ‘enjoying school and leisure’. Can you tell us more about this? And how can teachers help you achieve your goals? We want all children and young people to have the opportunity to realise their full potential and to enjoy their education in an environment where they feel safe and supported to express themselves and engage in decisions.
A. Many children I speak to are deeply unhappy and highly stressed because they are under so much pressure from exams at school.While I am not suggesting for one moment that we scrap tests, we should perhaps consider the question of what we want from our education system. Is it for the attainment of Government targets? Or is it equipping our children with the knowledge and life skills to become confident adults?
Q. We are looking at the Extended Schools Programme and the extent to which the views of children and young people are sought in these initiatives.We will also focus on the Education and Skills Bill and how the proposals for all young people to remain in education or training until the age of 18 will impact on their lives.
A. Children and young people tell me that the issue of things to do, or rather the lack of activities, is hugely important to them. We welcomed the recent announcement by
the Government to provide better youth services. For far too many young people, growing up in this fast-paced, commercial society is difficult, stressful and even risky.
Better youth services will make a real difference to all our young people, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
Over the past year, teacher unions and individual practitioners have fed into our review of the bullying complaints procedures in schools and we are publishing the results of this review this autumn.
We welcome teachers’ views on all of these issues, and look forward to working productively with educational professionals to make any necessary improvements, so that school life is a positive experience for all our children and young people.
Q. Young people’s views are reflected in many of the important decisions taken by your organisation – from deciding work priorities to choosing staff, including you – should pupils have a greater say in how schools are run? And how might that happen in practice?
A. I would encourage schools to allow pupils to have a greater say on the way a school is run. Their views and opinions can have a fantastic impact on the school environment – they are the experts at being children, so involve them at every opportunity.
I encourage schools to teach children about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). I understand that there may be trepidation among adults, many of whom are worried about surrendering power and involving children and young people, but the UNCRC is not saying that children should make all decisions. Instead, involve children in decisions that affect them and in the process of decisionmaking and my experience tells me that they will bring fresh insights and perspectives to your work. I recently visited a school where a group of pupils had worked closely with senior staff to overhaul the way catering was provided. They dispensed with a large multinational supplier, brought in a new chef and went about sourcing all their food from local suppliers. The results are fantastic – as is the food.
Q. The first ‘Takeover day’ happens on November 23. What’s it all about? And how can teachers and schools get involved?
A. 11 Million Takeover Day is a great opportunity for schools to showcase how they already involve children and young people in various aspects of school life, or to provide a kick-start to involving pupils in making decisions about their school. Around 200 organisations have already signed up to take part in the day, including many schools and local authorities throughout the country.
How fully children and young people ‘takeover’ is up to everyone participating. I recently visited Wroxham School in Hertfordshire.Here pupils already have a major say in the way the school is run. They are planning to build on their partnerships with staff, so that on Takeover Day every role is filled or supported by a young person.
Teachers and schools can sign up on our website, where there is also further information: www.11MILLION.org.uk
Q. Bullying is clearly an issue that affects many children and young people. How has your organisation been working with schools to tackle it? Are there any good examples of anti-bullying initiatives? What’s your message for teachers?
A. Bullying consistently tops the list of concerns of the children and young people I meet and can have a devastating affect on their lives. In our report Bullying Today, published in November 2006, we recommend schools make full use of Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) materials to help combat bullying. Our ‘Journeys’ series of schools’ resources describes the experiences of primary and secondary school pupils who have been bullied and present their ideas on what works to stop it. Both publications can be accessed through our website.
We hope that schools, the Government and local authorities will find our autumnpublished review of the bullying complaints procedures in schools helpful, taking forward the recommendations to improve procedures for resolving conflicts. Of course, preventing incidents of bullying happening in the first place is everyone’s priority. We are therefore producing a new resource for Healthy Schools partners that will provide them with the latest evidence on bullying and how to manage it.
I have witnessed many very positive and effective approaches to combating bullying during my time as Children’s Commissioner, including the Unicef Rights Respecting Schools (RRS) initiative. Bullying is fundamentally a children’s rights issue. The RRS programme embeds the UNCRC across schools’ policies and the curriculum, in the expectation that children’s overall learning and behaviour will improve. In some cases, where schools have adopted RRS, the improvement in the school environment has been so marked that some existing anti-bullying measures – like Friendship Stops – were found to be no longer necessary.
My message for teachers is to involve children and young people in strategies to tackle bullying; it is their right to actively play a role in the decisions that affect them. They are best equipped to know when and where bullying is happening and are best positioned to respond, but it is imperative that they are supported by the whole school in doing so.
Q. The GTC has worked with the regulatory bodies of nurses and social workers to produce a joint statement of shared values. How important is inter-professional working for the well-being of children?
A. There are many different groups of professionals whose work impacts on children and young people. So a common purpose and commitment is fundamental to help children feel happy, safe and secure in their lives. Your joint statement of shared values demonstrates a commitment to children’s rights and improving their outcomes across the five key areas identified in the Every Child Matters initiative. I think it is imperative that we make use of inter-professional relationships and realise the benefits to children and young people of sharing knowledge and expertise.
