Tim Brighouse: Give London teachers credit

Tim Brighouse, who took up his post as London schools' commissioner a year ago, says people should applaud the work of many of the capital's schools.

A study which compared GCSE results with children's social backgrounds showed London schools were out-performing schools with similar intakes in other areas, Tim Brighouse said.

Researchers used the number of children taking free school meals as an indicator.

Professor Brighouse, who used to be the head of education in Birmingham, said: "The data suggests that London schools are doing better than others with a similar intake.

"But we have to do better to crack the cycle.

"There does not have to be a link between socio-economic deprivation and educational failure."

London challenge

Examination of GCSE results and national school tests shows London has some of the best and worst-performing schools in the country .

The boroughs of Southwark, Islington, Hackney, Haringey, and Lambeth are all being targeted by the government in a drive to improve performances under a project known as the "London challenge".

In these boroughs, only four out of 10 pupils achieve five good GCSEs, and at the worst 40 schools, less than a quarter of pupils do so.

Professor Brighouse says the capital boasts a majority of very good schools.

"Of 415 schools, 250 have a very strong achievement culture, with more than 50% of children getting five good GCSEs," he said.

A further 150 he said have a "tenuous hold on achievement culture", with only between 15 and 45% of children getting five good GCSEs.

He said a "very small number of schools - in single figures" were doing worse than that.

'Blackboard jungle'

Professor Brighouse believes the media presents a distorted picture of life in London schools, focussing usually on the bad news stories.

"Reading the press before coming here, I might have expected many schools where kids are controlling the corridors, a blackboard jungle - but there's a handful of these."

The one-time history teacher sees it as part of his brief to help spread good practice between schools.

He advocates linking schools which are doing very well in deprived areas to others with similar intakes but lower achievement.

He also thinks London teachers deserve extra praise and recognition.

He is behind a government scheme to give people who teach in London special status in the title "Chartered London Teacher", which will carry with it a £1,000 bonus.

The new admissions system will be much fairer Tim Brighouse, London schools commissioner

"We recognise that to teach in London you need some extra knowledge of different faiths and cultures which you would not need in rural Suffolk," he said.

To qualify, teachers will have to produce a portfolio which demonstrates that they have knowledge of various cultures and have worked well in teams over at least four years.

"I would like to see the situation where teachers feel, as people in many professions do, that to be at the top of their profession that they have to come to work in London, he said.

This would bring vital stability to the London teaching force, he said.

London and the South East have experienced the most difficulty in recruiting teachers during recent shortages and Professor Brighouse thinks the Chartered London Teacher would counter this problem.

His is a part-time job which seems to stretch to more than full-time hours.

His appointment was part of the government's drive to improve standards in some of London's schools.

Professor Brighouse says he can take no credit for initiatives like the London Challenge.

"I am a voice, an influencer, I have ideas and opinions which I put forward, I speak, I listen and try to energise people, but the energy and drive for such initiatives is coming from officials at the DfES and the minister Stephen Twigg."

In the year he has been in post, Professor Brighouse says he has spent a lot of time listening, visiting 120 of London's schools.

One of the main changes on the horizon for London schools is the introduction of a London-wide admissions system from 2005.

London's councils have all signed up to the scheme, which will bring in a common form and agreed date for admissions across the capital.

At the moment, parents can apply to schools in different boroughs on separate forms, and potentially have two first choice schools.

"This system will be much fairer", said Professor Brighouse.

"Some parents who played the system will not be happy though."

He says the changes will not address the issue of criteria for admissions, which vary between different types of school and boroughs.

"The effect of different criteria is to produce an uneven playground."