Community in Education Conference

The Centre for Multilingualism in Education (CMU), London Metropolitan University in collaboration with the National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education (NRCSE) announces a one day conference which will: examine the role of community organisations in affecting pupils’ learning and the way they contribute to children’s academic achievement.

Current funding policy for out-of-school activities appears to be driven by an agenda of raising standards in Maths, Science and English. Yet this reflects only a fraction of the work undertaken by community organisations: provision in the home language; arts; music and drama sessions; partnership projects with schools and arts & cultural organisations; are just some of the dynamic and innovative practices undertaken by such organisations. Complementary schools are voluntary institutions. Also known as supplementary schools, they generally serve a specific linguistic, religious or cultural community.  These dynamic voluntary institutions serve the specific needs of various communities and their multiplicity of functions. A key issue for Black, Asian, ethnic minority and migrant communities is their children’s attainment and this is what characterises the schools.

Keynotes

• Gail Tolley, Director Children’s Services for Brent Council, and
• Prof. Li Wei, Chair of Applied Linguistics, Institute of Education

Workshops and presentations including:

• Research in action – University/supplementary school partnerships
• Narrowing the gap – local authority/supplementary school partnerships
• Supplementary schools present
• Strength in partnership – Turkish and Chinese community consortia

Afternoon symposium

• ‘Migrant community experiences within mainstream education’
• ‘Growing up bilingual’
• ‘Parental responses to children’s educational needs’
• ‘Identity negotiation in supplementary school settings’