Listening to you, working for you and EDUCATION BME and EDUCATION

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Objectives To understand the views of some BME parents regarding education To explore some strategies of working with BME parents To bring to light the impact of these strategies on the achievement of pupils

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you WHY THE NEED FOR THIS WORKSHOP? Performance of B.M.E. children in education. Difference in Education system.

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you What are your (professionals) perceptions of the BME parents with respect to Education? EXERCISE ONE

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you VIEWS OF SOME BME PARENTS ABOUT EDUCATION

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you CHINESE FAMILIES (from Ka-Yee Chan presentation at the VCF conference) Chinese families believe that the only way to stand out is by studying. For example, 120,000 students sat for GCSE, and only 32% of these can proceed on to do their A-Level (ie. 38,000). However, only 18,000 University spaces available. Wages range from £ £72,000 with Doctors / Professors earning as high as £240,000. The self-esteem of the child / family if child cannot study e.g. if child is a builder.

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you ISSUES Culture clash Bullying Peer pressure Misplaced interest Not understanding Education; in the context of Western World Traumatised children

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you PERCEPTIONS OF BME PARENTS W.R.T. EDUCATION Most BME parents are passionate about their childrens success especially their education and are therefore ready to go to any length to ensure the academic success of their children. They believe that without Education, their children cannot make a head way in life. They therefore employ various means to ensure their success. E.g. –Extra tutoring –Long hours at studying However, they can push their children too far to the other side of the spectrum e.g. Lack of play

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Some BME parents view Education as the ultimate because they dont want their children to drag the family name in the mud. Some dont know any other way and are at a loss of what to do. PERCEPTIONS OF BME PARENTS W.R.T. EDUCATION

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you WHAT CAN WE DO? Meeting parents first and try and build partnerships. Make parents aware of any problem before it escalates. Positively connote parents efforts on behalf of their child. Recognise explicitly with parents the impact of external factors, including racism & discrimination. Educate parents on other ways of engaging the children in their studies

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you WHAT CAN WE DO? Continued…… Emphasize the good point of the child when talking to them about their child i.e. start from the positive and suggest ways of dealing with the negative. Dont just point it out to them. Ask for their opinion and then share what you think might work with the child. Use the WE language when discussing with the parents. Let the parent know that you care!!! If you have a difficult child on report, ensure that the child reports to a member of the SLT at the end of the day with emphasis on what child has done well. This will help to bring the child in a positive light.

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you WHAT CAN WE DO? Continued…… Let them know that we are there to support them and not just waiting for them to make a mistake. Use your resource (BME teachers?) Explain to parents how education works in the Western culture as opposed to how it works in their own culture (eg. Children are assessed based on their own ability / potential and NOT against other children)

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you WHAT CAN WE DO? Continued…… Talk to the child!!! They do understand. Let the parents know that the child can both enjoy and achieve. Organise events for parents where they can share experience and good practice.

Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you Listening to you, working for you IMPACT ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE CHILD / PUPIL Child feels free to be themselves and can focus more This will lead to a better performance as pressure is lifted off the child Child is able to enjoy and at the same time achieve more