Last updated 17:15, Wednesday, 26 March 2008

AT THE end of last month the Government announced a number of reviews of higher education (HE) to determine how a future HE system might look. One of the reviews is about increasing higher level skills by engaging employers; another relates to widening participation.

Mick Farley

UCLan in West Cumbria is absolutely committed to both: by its close engagement with industry, Sellafield and its supply chain, for example; and widening participation through its sponsorship of the West Lakes Academy.

The opening of the Academy is now only some five months away. And design work for the new build due for completion in 2011 is beginning. The aspiration is for a world-class building delivering world-class education in an “always on” ICT rich environment with staff using ICT extensively; where new technology is utilised to access learning resources from local, national and international sources; and which offers “whole community” access to ICT.

Three-quarters of seven- to 16-year-olds already use a computer every day: half spend at least two hours a day online. Technology rich young people today have unprecedented access to ICT, including TV, PCs, the internet, mobile phones, MP3 players, DVDs and gaming consoles, often in their own rooms. And the majority of parents rely on their children for advice on how to use computers and the internet.

Nevertheless, parents’ support for their children’s learning remains the most important factor in the child’s education. Parents who devote themselves to fostering positive attitudes to learning give their children a good start in life. And the advantages accrued through a home in which learning is valued are immense. Partnership with parents is a unifying theme in the Government’s “The Children’s Plan – Building Brighter Futures” published last December. This Plan sets out a new relationship between parents and schools and promises legislation if necessary to ensure:

• Parents are contacted by a secondary school before their child starts there

• Parents are invited to information sessions at the new school

• Every child has a personal tutor who also acts as the main contact for parents

• Parents have regular information on their child’s attendance, behaviour and progress

• Parents’ Councils are established in every secondary school

• Parents’ complaints are dealt with in an open way.

The West Lakes Academy will seek to involve parents, developing the sort of relationship set out in “The Children’s Plan”, as one means of increasing HE participation.