Developments during Covid-19 could lead to potential solutions to rectify this massive inequality of access to education:
1. Many online learning resources have resulted over the lock downs, particularly Oak academy, BBC Bitesize learning, etc.
2. Some parents have been able to divert savings into online classes for their children. Parents from the South and East Asian communities club together to pay for Zoom classes enlisting teachers who normally are London-based preparing children for the entrance exams to top London schools.
3. An impact of Covid-19 and the lock downs and introduction of Zoom classes is that this resource is now available countrywide.
Solution:
This resource should be developed and funded to enable maximum impact and reach into the most disadvantaged households.
Ways should be sought to ensure children from these backgrounds, struggling middle-class households, single parent households, etc., be provided the equipment to allow the children access to these resources.
There should be a double focus for the online education resources:
I. Support children who struggle academically and normally get left behind, to help them catch up and achieve pass grades that may be needed for future apprenticeships to skilled jobs thus increasing their opportunities;
II. Help the high-achieving children from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their potential and open up career opportunities currently not available to them due to the failure of schools to provide resources/support to prepare them for entrance exams for the best schools.
How could this be achieved: The Department of education, charitable trusts, schools and social services, should combine resources and expertise to set up targeted online classes, to help struggling parents support their children’s education outside of school.
The Government could set up a secure website where schools could identify their children who are getting behind, or high ability pupils not meeting their potential, to prioritise and match them to appropriate online resources provided by the top schools.
The voluntary sector could play a part through training/using early intervention coaches spending an hour a week with disadvantaged children, mentoring them and their parents, creating study times for the children to do online classes. Volunteers could be encouraged within our civil service that encourages staff to spend 5 days a year doing voluntary work, yet this is hardly taken up.
Diversion of resources from affluent to less affluent areas. Top London schools, and others, should be required to put a percentage of their best teachers and resources into developing online zoom classes, coaching resources for disadvantaged primary school aged children from poorer areas. The Government could support through grants to increase reach.
A further benefit is promoting integration of immigrants and improving social cohesion, removing barriers. The system could encourage use of mentors from one community to mentor children from other communities: mentors from different racial or religious backgrounds mentoring children from different backgrounds/social groups; civil servants from DWP mentoring children with disabilities, elderly people in care homes mentoring children, etc. This may build bridges between communities, reduce suspicion of each other.
I believe the one thing every parent from every culture and community agree on is the desire for the best opportunities for their children. The natural ability of young children to absorb knowledge and learn new skills should be encouraged and fully supported.
There is far too much wasted potential under the current system which gives little hope to children. If my suggestions were taken up, I believe huge reductions in future inequalities could be achieved at relatively little cost and everyone would benefit.
Any of this would be better than the current situation where Yorkshire and Humber has only one state school in the top 100 for 5.5 million people plus a few private schools out of reach of the 99% of that population. It would require more top-performing schools to become available in Yorkshire but that would be the next hurdle to overcome.
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