Select Committee on Education and Skills Minutes of Evidence


Examination of Witnesses (Questions 80-86)

PROFESSOR SIR AL AYNSLEY-GREEN

25 JUNE 2007

  Q80  Mr Chaytor: The age of compulsory education and training to the age of 18—

  Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green: Correct—not necessarily—

  Q81  Mr Chaytor: Regardless of the NEETs group's resistance to that.

  Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green: It may be part of the solution, but imposing things on these kids will do nothing; you have got to get them signed up and on board. How you do that is the challenge in practice.

  Q82  Mr Chaytor: Can I ask finally about the idea of a virtual head teacher for children in care: is that a realistic idea? Is it workable? How will the respective responsibilities of the real head teacher and the virtual head teacher work together?

  Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green: It is an interesting idea.

  Q83  Mr Chaytor: Is there an example anywhere in the world that that operates, or is this an idea plucked out of the air? It is not based on a successful pilot scheme, is it?

  Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green: I do not know of any, but I have not had this under my own personal gaze. What children tell us in this sort of circumstance is that they want someone to relate to, someone to help them. They are nervous about social care, for all sorts of reasons, but education is important to them; so the idea of somebody who is charged with knowing who those kids are and then talking to them and helping them navigate must, intuitively, be very attractive. I would like to see it rolled out to see what the benefit is.

  Q84  Jeff Ennis: You mentioned you were a miner's son, like me, Commissioner. Do you agree with me that in certain communities there is a low level of parental expectation and that it is not just a question of getting to the parents but it is a question of getting to the community as a whole?

  Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green: Correct.

  Q85  Jeff Ennis: We need to tackle that issue, not just the parents but the communities. Do you agree with that?

  Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green: I do agree with that, most definitely.

  Q86  Chairman: Shall we call a halt on the session at that high point of agreement? Commissioner, it was a pleasure to have you in front of the Committee. We have learnt a lot and I can guarantee you one thing; that we will be hoping to see you with a shorter interval between this meeting and the next.

  Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green: Thank you. I look forward to that, Chairman.





 
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