Opportunity to succeed
Michael Pettavel, head teacher, Brougham Street Childcare and Nursery School, Skipton
Monday, May 15, 2017
The general election has got me thinking about privilege, says Michael Pettavel
The target of previous administrations has often been to increase social mobility, but I think the current agenda struggles with this.
A belief that you can get quality cheaply, coupled with huge competition for the public purse, demonstrates a lack of understanding of how early years policy can drive societal change.
A fair amount has been written about how the built-in expectation of the middle classes pushes children to the front of the queue, but it’s not just about parents, it’s also about opportunity. I don’t just mean money, although this can help, but more having access to the toolbox that comes from high self-esteem, variety of experience and transferable skills. The ability to learn and then apply it in a variety of situations is the best preparation for a successful life.
A recent report from Professor Bill Lucas, director of Winchester's Centre for Real-World Learning, says we don’t teach enough problem-solving in our schools. I don’t think that’s such a surprise – so much time is spent on basic skills that we forget to nurture the physical, creative and personal development of children. At private schools, the curriculum drips with opportunities: pottery – no problem; javelin – oh, every summer term; metal-work – every Thursday afternoon.
The captain of the rugby team isn’t always the sharpest tool in the box, but holds an almost god-like status in schools like this (I know, because I went to one). Everybody is valued and everybody has an opportunity to be good at something. As a result, children have an opportunity to find something that inspires them, a place of success, a reason to contribute.
We need to make sure that every child has a chance to achieve, not just the ones who revel in a literacy- and maths-heavy school day. I do wonder, given that so many members of the (current) Cabinet were privileged to attend schools like this, why they can’t see the necessity for every child to succeed at something. To offer this can be the difference between children seeing school as a chore or as a wonderful adventure. Now that would begin to close the gap.
