The work of the Children’s Commissioner is to understand what children and young people think about things that affect them and Dame Rachel spent a lot of time touring the school and hearing young people’s opinions. She said, “You want children running to school, and that’s what this school has got.” She said how impressed she was , having seen “amazing things”, including the young people’s enthusiasm and enjoyment and thriving in their education.
Headteacher, Mrs Ash, said “Attendance sits within school culture and a sense of belonging. That sense of belonging is built on firm foundations and relationships. Our families and children are aspirational, and this is a school that they want to belong to”.
Dame Rachel De Souza is leading the Manchester Attendance Alliance, making sure all young people in Greater Manchester get into school and thrive. The alliance has committed to tackling absence rates and setting up a regional plan to address year 6 to 7 transition attendance issues and ‘severe’ absence.
Mrs Ash spoke about the Children’s Commissioner’s visit, in the context of it being at the start of the new academic year for Brian Clarke, after the unacceptable events of the summer which affected children, families and staff. She said the school have worked hard to celebrate diversity, belonging and inclusion and that the riots had the potential to undermine the work they do and have done. But she said school leaders “must remain optimistic” and said that Brian Clarke would continue the work that they do through educating students and reaffirming culture, talking about what happened and building on a sense of belonging and culture. She said, “Dame Rachel De Souza coming today signifies how people are paying attention, about what is going on in our schools, on the ground”.
Brian Clarke CE Academy is part of the Cranmer Education Trust, a growing schools trust where family and community are central to identity and culture.
We work together to provide the best possible education for all our young people, and to build cohesive, respectful, happy and safe schools that are multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-faith and multi-talented. We teach and model the values of inclusion, equity, diversity and social justice that are at the heart of strong, thriving communities
(CEO, Mrs Hollis)
Registration for Brian Clarke CE Academy Open Evening , taking place on 26th September, is now open: Open Evening – The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy (brian-clarke.org)
The Brian Clarke Church of England Academy is proud to be part of the Cranmer Education Trust
Cranmer Education Trust is a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity registered in England. Company registration number: 07687709. Registered Office: Cranmer Education Trust, c/o The Blue Coat School, Egerton Street, Oldham OL1 3SQ. The website address is www.cranmereducationtrust.com and the phone number 0161 785 5082.