News from our schools

I’m lucky enough to have the best job in Lewisham’s Cabinet, and for me it’s personal. I grew up in a poor family, and my mum and I were homeless when I was 15. My life changed because teachers at my comprehensive school took an interest in me, and education opened doors.

That experience has driven me throughout my life, giving me belief in the power of education to provide opportunity. And if there is anything that the last two years has highlighted, it is the determination of our teachers and schools to provide the best teaching and learning possible for children and young people in extremely difficult circumstances.

I have been impressed by the hard work I have seen happening across the borough – speedy provision of laptops to children who needed them; dealing with outbreaks, testing and vaccination; and keeping things normal so most children have been able to forget about the pandemic and enjoy their time at school as they should.

The way our schools have come together in this time and shared their knowledge and experiences of the pandemic to support each other proves that there is strength in numbers, as our ‘family’ of schools here in Lewisham help each other to progress and develop.

Even in the turmoil of the pandemic, our schools and the Council’s education team have continued to work hard on improvement for the long term. I wanted to highlight some of the work that went on in the last year, and what we have planned for 2022.

Leading the way on tackling race inequalities

We are proud to be leading the way with pioneering work in our schools on tackling race inequalities. Much of this is ‘behind the scenes’, in terms of teacher, leadership and governor training but a huge part of this work is ensuring that teaching and learning in our schools better reflects our diverse community here in Lewisham, London and the wider world.

Secondary schools growing in popularity

I was delighted to see in the recent admissions round that more parents continue to put their trust in local secondary schools, with a 10% increase this year in Lewisham secondary schools being named as first preference for pupils starting in September. We want to continue to build confidence in our family of Lewisham schools, rooted in our community and helping our children to thrive. We will continue to work with schools as they strengthen the education they offer.

Working hard to reduce exclusions

Many people have in the past raised with me a concern about the numbers of children excluded from school. No school excludes a child lightly, but I am pleased that the hard work of schools and council in recent years has resulted in a reduction in permanent exclusions of 85% in the past five years. There will always be more to do to make our schools as inclusive and supportive as possible, but they deserve great credit for the progress being made.

90% of schools judged to be Good or Outstanding

People are sometimes surprised when I tell them that 90% of schools in Lewisham are judged Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. But it’s true. Obviously, a school is much more than its Ofsted result, but this is a sign of the good work that goes on in our schools. We’re committed to supporting them to do even better.

Looking ahead to 2022

The hard work continues, and we will be sharing the development of the tackling race inequality work as it happens.

I’m also excited about the expansion of our mental health support teams in schools, which can support young people who are experiencing difficulties. We want children to get support early, so that their problems don’t get worse. We’ll have more information to share on this very soon.

And lastly, 2022 is OUR year, as Lewisham becomes London Borough of Culture! There will be opportunities throughout the year for all our children and young people to be part of this mass celebration, plus a chance for them to learn about careers in the arts. We Are Lewisham will embed culture in every corner of the borough and our schools will be a huge part of this.