Case Study

Introduction

John Kelly Boys’ Technology College (JKBTC) Saturday school is a major part of the college’s extended schools programme.

The main aim of the Saturday school is to offer classes in community languages and ESOL training to children and adults in the local community. Many of the children attending JKBTC have English as an additional language and a great number of their parents have little or no English. A considerable number of students are refugees and cultural differences have meant that many parents have a poor understanding of the UK education system. There was conflict between parents and their children, who were torn between two cultures. Often this lack of understanding had repercussions on the child’s school life, causing some children to make less progress than they had the potential to make.

Setting up

Having obtained feedback from students at the college, JKBTC decided to offer pre-GCSE level classes in the college’s main languages which were, at that time, Arabic, Urdu and Gujarati. They would also offer ESOL classes aimed primarily at the parents of their students, as well as people in the local area. They wanted the college to be the hub of the community, providing a welcoming environment for local residents and for their students outside of the normal school hours. The next task was to find teachers. These were tracked down in a number of ways: through the internet, local schools and FE colleges and through contacts within our own college.

Having found experienced teachers, held interviews, drawn up contracts, discussed goals and agreed on rates of pay, the Saturday school opened its doors in November 2004. At the beginning of the project the classes were held in mobile classrooms on the college site between the hours of 10.00am and 12.00pm.

Within a few weeks it was clear that there was a desperate need for this type of provision in the local community, as numbers steadily increased. It was no longer possible to accommodate the classes in the mobile classrooms and within three months the Saturday school moved into the main college buildings. Three years later there are more than 950 learners on roll, ranging in age from three to 70, and children from over 90 schools across London. There is also a crèche for younger children.

Through feedback from the community, they added extra classes, such as Qur’an for women and children, European Computer Drivers’ Licence (ECDL), dressmaking, basic ICT, samba drumming, Islamic studies, Somali, Pashto, tae kwondo, football, dance and drama. The school nurse willingly took an active involvement in the Saturday school, leading sessions for parents on topics such as women’s health, common childhood illnesses and giving general information on local GP services.

They also linked up with a local Somali organisation which gave advice to parents on the UK education system and liaised with schools on behalf of parents when they had unresolved issues. This support has been extremely valuable in helping raise standards and giving parents a voice.

Impact

The Saturday school has done an excellent job in raising the profile of the college in the local community. They are now oversubscribed. Many parents accompany their children to classes, often acting as classroom assistants. There are now as many volunteer teachers as paid ones. JKBTC students have the opportunity to work at the Saturday school and prefects are expected to come in and help out on at least one Saturday per half term.

At JKBTC there are now more students than ever taking community languages and religious education at GCSE, AS and A2 level and their success has had a positive impact on the college’s GCSE results over the past three years.

For many of the teachers the Saturday school provides them with their only wage. It has raised the aspirations of a number of them who have gone on to find employment in the college as classroom assistants, mealtime supervisors, ICT support assistants and teachers, as well as one who is linked to the college through his work with the Brent youth service.

Lessons learned

Many lessons have been learned over the years. At first it was expected that the provision would be made available only when school was in session. However, the community was insistent that the Saturday school should stay open throughout the school holidays, as it was such an important aspect of their education and social lives. This means that apart from Easter weekend and part of the Christmas holidays, it is open all year round.

At the start of the project there was no charge made for joining classes. After a while they realised that people tend to place a higher value on things they have to pay for, and they began to charge a small fee on entry and larger fees for classes such as ECDL and tae kwondo. The numbers continued to grow despite the charge. Also there were some classes which, through poor uptake, had to be scrapped. Sustainability is always an issue and they are constantly searching for funding streams.

The future

The Saturday school continues to grow. Having sought the opinion of those attending classes they intend to increase the entrance fee next term.

About the School