Skills challenge

WhyNorth’soutlookmustchange

THE CONTEXT is critical to the latest official statistics scrutinising the performance of Yorkshire schools. The vast majority were judged to be good, or outstanding, by Ofsted.

Yet, while the proportion of schools meeting the criteria laid down by inspectors is below the national average, the North has still to enjoy the record investment that was pumped into London’s schools when they were at the bottom of national league tables. And this call – one of the key demands of the ongoing Power Up The North campaign – is fundamental to the outlook of teachers, parents and pupils alike. It should also be set against research by the Social Mobility Commission that reveals the extent to which young people think there are insufficient opportunities in this region for them to meet their ambitions.

A political – and societal – failing that must not be blamed on teachers, the onus should now be on Ministers, policy-makers and education strategists to change the prevailing culture when it comes to aspiration and attainment.

Young people are far more likely to exceed and excel if they’re growing, and learning, in a school environment, and region, which is brimming with ambition and positivity rather than communities where decades of underinvestment by successive governments, Tory and Labour alike, have left lasting scars when it comes to social deprivation.

And while pioneering projects like the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre on the outskirts of Sheffield are helping to change the mindset, they’re just the start when it comes to meeting Yorkshire’s future skills challenge.