Thursday, March 17, 2005
The kids aren't alright
Pupils' letter to Tony Blair, a tiny article in the Leicester Mercury almost broke my heart.
Everyone familiar with Hamilton Community College? Try the 2002 Ofsted Report - just the first page of proper text is enough. 'Most students are drawn from areas that have high levels of social and economic advantage... attainment on entry overall is well below average and many students have poor levels of literacy in particular... the percentage of students with special needs is well above average'.
Or look at some statistics from the DfES. 25% of pupils get 5 C's or above at GCSE, half the national average.
Which is what makes this quite horrific: Uni in student target bid Oxford uni is recruitingin Hamilton! The campaign aims to show students they don't have to be rich to study there and could be eligible for a bursary of up to £13,000. True. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that you do need to be rich in order to get a decent education.
Mr Vaz, I don't want you to take these children around Parliament. I want you to demand better services to meet their needs. What is Democracy doing for them? This whole episode just seems so cruel.
Pupils have gone to Downing Street to deliver a letter to Tony Blair.I wonder what it said? I wonder what Vaz told them?
Youngsters from Hamilton Community College, in Leicester, made the trip on Monday after learning about democracy in school. They won £2,000 in a national competition to support community schemes.
Leicester East MP Keith Vaz went with them and afterwards gave them a tour of the Houses [of] Parliament.
Everyone familiar with Hamilton Community College? Try the 2002 Ofsted Report - just the first page of proper text is enough. 'Most students are drawn from areas that have high levels of social and economic advantage... attainment on entry overall is well below average and many students have poor levels of literacy in particular... the percentage of students with special needs is well above average'.
Or look at some statistics from the DfES. 25% of pupils get 5 C's or above at GCSE, half the national average.
Which is what makes this quite horrific: Uni in student target bid Oxford uni is recruitingin Hamilton! The campaign aims to show students they don't have to be rich to study there and could be eligible for a bursary of up to £13,000. True. But it is becoming increasingly obvious that you do need to be rich in order to get a decent education.
Mr Vaz, I don't want you to take these children around Parliament. I want you to demand better services to meet their needs. What is Democracy doing for them? This whole episode just seems so cruel.
Comments:
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good site keeeeeep it up. interesting idea writin a blog for your mp.
care to stand against him as well in the election?
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care to stand against him as well in the election?
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