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VIEWS & OPINION Helping pupils find their right


path in life Comment by FLEUR SEXTON, joint managing director, PET-Xi


Here at PET-Xi we have had a busy spring getting involved with National Careers Week and National Apprenticeship Week – both brilliant initiatives to encourage young people as they prepare for their future employment. But after the frenzy of activity, I’ve been reflecting about how all of us in education can best help those children for whom a career seems a distant and unlikely prospect. It’s a sad fact of life that some of our young people lead chaotic lives –


they are generally stressed, some may be coping with family break up, others will have low self-esteem. In other cases they may be carers or dealing with pregnancy. These are the students who may not do their homework, nor be on track for good GCSE and A level grades. They are unlikely to be thinking about further education and career opportunities. Yet if we take a step back, we can see that any young person dealing


with a difficult situation in their life is already demonstrating skills which can be translated into the work place. A young carer or young mother shows loyalty, dedication and commitment every day – what employer wouldn’t desire those attributes in a member of their team? As teachers we need to spot where youngsters are displaying those


skills, recognise those skills and help to repurpose them for the workplace. If we can build up their resilience it will go a long way towards helping them find their path in life. Tell them where you see their resilience as this will help to build up their confidence – they have probably never looked at their situation with an optimistic perspective before.


Encourage them to show persistence in everything they do. There’s a


lot to be said simply for keeping on with something; turning up is half the battle. Teach them to deal with whatever is thrown at them in life, to get up


from ‘failure’ and carry on. Jump at any opportunity – it won’t come twice. It’s also important to help them develop soft skills such as communication, team work and time-management. Show them how to get them more involved in real life – get them


volunteering and doing things such as charity work and work experience. Most importantly of all, get them involved in their communities. We are involving as many of our trainees in possible in the events we organize here in Coventry so that they really feel a part of where they live. For example we are currently supporting the city’s bid to become City of Culture in 2021. If young people are proud of their city and feel that they have a purpose and a place, then they are far less likely to get into trouble. A young person who is life-ready is usually close to being employment-


ready and far more likely to stick at a job and get further in life. Being resilient will also protect against mental health problems, sadly


so prevalent among the UK’s youngsters. School work can stress teenagers so it’s important to talk to them about the pressures they feel so they don’t feel pushed through the education system. Give them plenty of opportunities to discover what their particular path and passion is, so that they are authentic and the best that they can be.


How commercial experience can help


schools cope with funding cuts Comment by IAN ARMITAGE, chairman, SGOSS - Governors for Schools


With thousands of schools set to lose money from their budgets, school leaders will need to address their costs as a matter of urgency. The National Audit Office estimates that, on average, state schools in England will need to find £3bn in savings by 2019-20 – equivalent to an 8% real terms reduction in funding per pupil. In addition, the proposed ‘fair funding formula’, to be introduced in 2018, will see half our schools lose money to pay for others who will get more funding. Even before these changes, 71% of school leaders surveyed by the NAHT


reported that they were either already using reserves or cutting spending in order to balance their budgets. When schools fail to live within their means they will come under the close scrutiny and management of the Education Funding Agency. In these circumstances experience tells us that the quality of education can often fail. Conversely, where leaders deliver a sustained improvement in education - which is used by the school to build a reputation for excellence - then school rolls can rise. In those cases more funding flows to these schools, which in turn can spend the additional money to secure more improvement. The difference in the life chances of pupils from those schools which plan


for tougher budgets and are able to operate to them, and those schools who sadly come late to change and breach spending limits, will be huge. Spending on school education as a percentage of GDP has been rising for


two decades; accordingly few leaders have experience of cost-cutting. The good news is that, in the world of enterprise, the imperative on almost every business leader is to reduce unit costs, improve design, add ever-more features and benefits to products and services and to drive up quality.


April 2017 People who have experienced this, and succeeded, have something to offer


our schools at a time when money has to go further and the demand from parents and the broader electorate is to raise standards.


What makes success? • Plan and get ahead so managers can generate options, prioritise activity, win consensus, especially for contentious actions and then deliver. A three-year horizon fits DfE guidance, but more importantly is informed by good practice in industry. Good planning requires excellent information – on educational performance, financial control and personal development.


• Focus activity on what adds most value. This is not easy and even raising the idea that “we cannot be all things to all men” will require patience and clear thinking. Typically we see firms build consensus around a carefully considered mission, against which they track progress of non-financial outcomes and impact.


•Get everybody to accept that taking risks, experiencing success and failure and transparency are part of the road to personal, as well as organisational, success. They are not a reason to lose your esteem or job.


• Agility and resilience to overcome setbacks and to create and exploit opportunity when the circumstances are right. An innovative governor with business experience can make a huge impact. If


you don’t have someone with the right skills and experience on your governing board then invite them in! Governors who have been through rapid change in the commercial world bring method and experience to the table. They help build confidence and supplement the great work happening in the classroom.


www.education-today.co.uk 17


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