Session Information
23 SES 07 B, Representing The ‘Evidence’ Of Educational Reform: School Portraits From England, Australia, Italy And Poland (Part 1)
Symposium, to be continued in Session 23 SES 07.5 B
Time:
2009-09-29
15:30-17:00
Room:
HG, HS 7
Chair:
Ken Jones
Contribution
Chestnut Secondary School serves an urban area near the centre of a deindustrialised Midlands city, England. The school emerged from ‘special measures’ in the late 1990s and focused on shedding its ‘sink school’ status, transforming into a ‘good school’ (Ofsted, 2006). Adopting the policy-approved rescue package of increased vocational options, improved discipline and enhanced public image, Chestnut seized the opportunities afforded by Creative Partnerships to offer extra-curricular activities and forge new partnerships with local enterprises. The head says enthusiastically that the school has a very distinctive ethos and identity with a real ‘can do’ mentality. The creative agent notes “We are open-minded and ambitious, with a true willingness to embrace new strategies”. The annual nightclub, fashion parades and student publishing attest to the school’s efforts to connect with their pupils’ life-worlds. Nicola, who has been working on the redesign of a £160,000 three-bedroom show house enthuses, “I’d love to live here - this is like a palace compared to where I live”, noting that her work experience as a sales adviser will give her more confidence. The portrait canvasses whether the kind of inclusive change enacted at Chestnut is in reality preparation for badly paid and insecure working class jobs.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
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