Sir Alan Steer headteacher of Seven Kings, a comprehensive in Redbridge , was the guest speaker at Comprehensive Future’s Annual Conference in November. Sir Alan chaired the practioners group which produced the report, Learning Behaviour.
Speaking from his long experience as a headteacher he said –
‘In the great majority of cases comprehensive schools can be proud of
their achievements over the last 30 years. They have contributed to
Britain enjoying a better educated population and having a more
civilised and inclusive society. I have been proud to have been the
head of a comprehensive school during this period.
The need to continually focus on individual achievement and development
is a constant for schools, as it is for parents. The concept of
continuous improvement may be a pressure for teachers, but it is also
exhilarating. Comprehensive schools will change and develop and that should be
welcomed. In a climate where educationalists accept the citizen rights
of all children they will continue to flourish.’
Comprehensive Future Chair David Chaytor MP Bury North said lobbying by Comprehensive Future had been instrumental in changing the agenda. Admissions had been at the forefront of debate over the White Paper and the Education and Inspections Bill. We had not achieved all we had hoped for but when we compared the current draft School Admissions Code to what had been proposed there have been great improvements. However selection and the pecking order of schools remain. The issue of faith schools has to be addressed. There is a lot more work to do.
