African Caribbean

Aiming High - Seminar and Workshop with Rosemary Campbell DfES

Meeting Head Teachers

In February 2006, Rosemary Campbell, a consultant from the DfES "Aiming High" strategy held a workshop seminar with Head Teachers from Gloucester secondary schools. Rosemary has been working with piloted schools throughout the country to raise the performance of Black pupils. She is a former Head Teacher and a specialist in her field. The day began with Giles Diggle, Race Equality Advisor, setting the Gloucestershire context. This was followed by Dee Russell-Thomas who discussed the work of Fishpool and the way forward. Rosemary followed with an inspiring talk and subsequent discussion on addressing imbalance and under achievement in our schools. She was thought provoking, entertaining and knowledgeable - a rare combination! The representatives from the schools discussed their particular circumstances and shared commonalities with each other. There were also opportunities to explore differences between these schools and consider why anomalies exist. Rosemary has the ability to tackle difficult issues with sensitivity but also directness. She provided a safe environment for people to explore and discover and she used humour to effectively express a point.

Meeting Parents

In the evening, Rosemary travelled to Brockworth School to meet Fishpool parents and other invited guests. Once again, she explored the achievement of our pupils: discussing the role of the parent, the importance of family values and the needs of the child. Rosemary does not hold back. She tells it as it is and she swiftly moves from Standard English to Creole, from anecdotal examples to research within the blink of an eye. The audience immediately warmed and related to her messages and were able to laugh, share, commiserate and affirm. Following a wonderful selection of Caribbean food and rum punch, parents and guests split into six groups, where the facilitators from the Black Forum presented a series of questions and statements for consideration. Much discussion took place and the evening seemed all too short. When the groups rejoined, we were entertained by a selection of songs from three Brockworth pupils.

There were over a hundred people at this event with parents from Brockworth, Beaufort, Churchdown, Severn Vale, St. Peter's and Barnwood. Who said parents weren't interested? These parents certainly were and their contributions and support were invaluable.

Many thanks to Paul Elliot, Gordon Raye and the pupils at Brockworth School for hosting the occasion and to the Facilitators: Carol Francis, Paul Dennis, Alex, Jacqui Campbell, Pauline Reynolds, Maverick Newell and Haltia Watkins, and to the parents and teachers and of course to Rosemary.

For more infromation on the Aiming High strategy, and African Caribbean achievement, visit the DfES website


Back to Contents

Go to:  

Home | Contact | Mosaic | Links