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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