Presentation by Martin Smith, Sport, Outdoor Learning and Adventure Services Manager
Minutes:
Martin Smith, Sport, Outdoor Learning and Adventure Services Manager, gave a presentation on Building Resilience and Character: A Programme of Education in Nottingham, and highlighted the following points:
(a)
a series of interventions are taking
place nationally around character and resilience building in
children. Nottingham is in an ideal position to take advantage of
this;
(b)
it is now recognised that too much focus
is on academic qualifications and not enough is on resilience and
character building. Development of the ‘whole child’ is
therefore seen as a priority;
(c)
there has also been research
internationally into these problems, for example in the USA and in
Singapore. There is now evidence to show that a child with positive
character traits will better develop their creativity and problem
solving skills. As an example it has been demonstrated that boys
who take part in outdoor activities improve their writing
skills;
(d)
evidence from research can be used for
social mobility of disadvantaged children, and to see if government
schemes such as the Pupil Premium are being used effectively to
give these children equal opportunities. This will help to put them
on an equivalent footing for future employment and training
prospects;
(e)
character and personal development ought
to be a part of everyday school life and integrated into the
curriculum. Lessons can be learnt from health services where
similar evidence-based approaches have been used to improve
outcomes;
(f)
the related programme in Nottingham is
being called ‘Opportunity Notts’, which has 125 things that you must do
in Nottingham before you leave school over 5 different levels. This
will help all pupils to make a positive contribution to their
community;
(g)
a website will go live for
‘Opportunity Notts’ which
will engage with young people and encourage them to complete the
challenges. Schools and Youth Groups will also be able to use this
as a tool for accessing the activities. The website is currently in
development;
(h)
four separate DfE character bids have already been made from
various agencies across Nottingham. This programme will help to
bring these together and build on existing partnership
work;
(i) a bid will be brought to the next Schools Forum for funding of £1m over 3 years.
The following comments were made in the discussion that followed the presentation:
(j)
schools can use Opportunity Notts to engage with the offer in the city, however
it is not just aimed at schools. Children can also involve
themselves or with their families. Children will choose their own
mentors, which can be any adult, be it a teacher, a parent or
somebody else;
(k)
the scheme has not been launched to schools yet but this will be
soon so that their engagement can be gauged and
monitored;
(l)
the bid would be welcomed by schools but
it needs to be clear, well thought out and sustainable. It will
need to visibly show what will required from schools and teachers
as their time can be limited;
(m)opportunities for young people in Nottingham already
exist, so duplication should be avoided. Martin is already aware of
many of these and hopes to integrate as many existing opportunities
as possible;
(n) there are barriers which exist for some families such as the cost of membership or travel. The programme needs to be robust in order to allow these families to engage fully.
RESOLVED to
(1)
note the content of the presentation;
(2) agree for Martin Smith to return to the next meeting with a full report outlining the bid.