Bristol Legacy Commission, working with Bristol City Council, has formed a new partnership to improve educational outcomes for children and young people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds.
Bristol Legacy Commission, working with Bristol City Council, has formed a new partnership to improve educational outcomes for children and young people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds.

The new Bristol Education Attainment Partnership (BEAP) is made up of head teachers, academics, community leaders and local government officers. They will work with schools and colleges to develop innovative ways to accelerate improvement in the attainment of BME students across Bristol.

School census information shows that 32% of primary school pupils and 29% of secondary pupils in Bristol are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

The latest exam results show that the gap in attainment between BME and non-BME students at GCSE level is reducing. In 2010, the gap in the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs at level A* to C including English and Maths was 6.4%, compared to 8% in 2009. However, the gap is much wider for some ethnic groups; for example, 23.5% for African Caribbean students, 19.9% for Somali students and 9.9% for Pakistani students.

Marie- Annick Gournet, Chair of BEAP and Bristol Legacy Commissioner stated;

“I believe we can achieve what other inner city schools up and down the country have achieved in terms of academic excellence.”

She continued;

“By working in a collaborative way with community and educational establishments and pooling our expertise and innovations, I’m confident of success for our schools and FE establishments. We are scrutinising what others in the country are doing and partnering with international educational experts to get this right.”

Nick Batchelar, Service Director, Service Director for Learning, Achievement and Schools, Bristol City Council stated:

“This new partnership builds on work we have already done to narrow the gap in attainment for children and young people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. This includes training to ensure that all staff are culturally aware and positive about ethnic and cultural diversity; support for supplementary schools; leadership development programmes for BME staff; and conferences and celebration events to improve skills, boost confidence and raise aspirations for BME learners. While the evidence of rising levels of attainment for BME students over the last few years is encouraging, we know there is more to do to ensure that all students achieve their full potential.”

BEAP follows on from work started in 2010. Bristol Legacy Commission organised ‘Yes You Can’ a one day conference for young people at St. George’s Bristol in June last year.

Over 300 14 -15 year olds attended to take part in a series of interactive workshops and hear motivational speeches by Ms. Dynamite and Paul Stephenson OBE.

The Bristol Legacy Commission is a body of volunteers invited by Bristol City Council to guide the city’s effort to tackle social, political and economic race inequality and is supporting BEAP in its efforts to bridge the gap in attainment among pupils in our city schools. It is chaired by Paul Stephenson (OBE) who has long been recognised for his services to equal opportunities and to community relations in Bristol.

Other members of the Bristol Education Attainment Partnership are Bristol City Council’s Service Director for Learning, Achievement and Schools, Nick Batchelar; Legacy Commission member, Sherrie Eugene Hart; Director of Widening Participation at the University of the West of England, Marie-Annick Gournet; Senior School Improvement Officer, Carol Jones; Head teacher at Fairfield School, Catriona Mangham; Chair of Building the Bridge, Zaheer Shabir; and Director of Foundation Skills and Progression at City of Bristol College, Nella Stokes.

To find out more about the work of Bristol Legacy Commission, please email Legacy.Commission@bristol.gov.uk