Strategies for Parents and the Community in Education (SPACE)
Wolverhampton LEA recently held a conference to provide a forum for parents, community groups and local authority staff, to discuss issues affecting the achievement and attainment of minority ethnic pupils and positive strategies that a partnership between parents, community groups and the LEA could affect.
As a reflection of the Authority’s commitment towards building this partnership, the conference was free of charge to any parents or community groups from the local area. The event was very well attended, and delegates represented people from Wolverhampton’s LEA, parents and community groups, as well as representatives from other LEAs.
Derrick Anderson, the Chief Executive Officer for the City of Wolverhampton, opened the conference with a brief outline of the Wolverhampton’s ethnic and social make-up in terms of the historical and present day mix of the city compared with the national picture. He was followed by Roy Lockwood, the Director for Lifelong Learning, who focused on particular issues within the education system in Wolverhampton. He stressed the four key points of access, equality, achievement and partnership that the city needed to secure. He also highlighted Wolverhampton’s recognition of success by minority ethnic people at all levels in the education system.
Elizabeth Gowing, the GTC’s Professional Networks Manager, looked at the national picture concerning community cohesion. She highlighted good practice throughout the country that Wolverhampton can learn from, but also talked about how Wolverhampton can share its own good practice with others.
Subsequent presentations from speakers represented African-Caribbeans (Clarice Nelson-Rowe), asylum seekers and refugees (Arten Llazari), and pupils of Pakistani and Muslim heritage (Mahmood Khan). Each painted a vivid picture of the realities concerning education for these marginalised groups but also welcomed some of the initiatives (such as this conference) that were being put in place by the LEA.
The conference concluded with discussion by delegates in their workshops about strategies that Wolverhampton could put in place, working in partnership to address some of the concerns raised. The audience was assured that measures would be put in place to ensure these strategies were fully supported wherever possible.
