London school with Indian pupils is UK’s best

[IndoCarib]

A UK school where the overwhelming majority of children are of Indian origin has been acclaimed as the country’s best.

Punjabi head teacher Rekha Bhakoo, whose parents migrated to Britain from Kenya, admitted that the Indian ethnic background of many of her students “has an advantage”, but adds “that is not the only thing.”

In an exclusive interview, she told The Tribune, “Many other schools have a high proportion of Asian (Indian) children, but they don’t achieve what our children do. I tell parents to go with the flow of the child, so they enjoy the learning process.”

“Parental support is really crucial and our parents want the best for their children. But Asian parents sometimes push them too quickly, too fast,” says Rekha.

The popular Rekha Bhakoo, who takes every problem in her stride, is in charge of Newton Farm School in Harrow, North West London, rated by UK Government agencies as outstanding in every category.

This is the junior school where more than 95 per cent of final-year students achieved a Level 5 in maths, English and science, one grade higher than the standard expected of their 11-year-average age group.

Amazingly, the success rate was achieved even though English is not the first language for the mostly Tamil and Gujarati-origin children in the 266-strong student body. They are taught by 15 full-time staff, supported by 17 full-time teaching assistants.

“For 69 per cent students, English is not the first language,” Rekha said. “It is amazing, but I never stop to think that it’s a barrier. Speaking another language is an enabler. The brain has to work much harder, much quicker.”

Explaining the grading system at her nursery, infant and junior school, she explained that all children by the age of 11 are expected to achieve Level 4, which is sub-divided into A, B and C grades.

“Level 5 is above the national average. If they achieve Level 5, they are functioning at the secondary school stage. Level 5 is also sub-divided into A, B and C categories.

“Ninety-seven per cent of our children achieved 5As and Bs. Only one child got 4A.”

Bhakoo, a graduate of Bath University, has been head teacher at Newton Farm for 20 years. Next year, she will take on additional responsibilities as executive head of the UK’s first Hindu school — the Krishna Avanti School — also located in Harrow.

Elaborating on Newton Farm’s success, she said that her current school’s foundations are “rock solid.” She also praised the daily behaviour of her pupils, saying, "Their behaviour is exemplary - we don't have detention or anything like that at our school. The children know their rights and their responsibilities. They know they have a right to an education, but they also have a responsibility to engage with their education.”

Bhakoo, who added that her school "oozes with learning", said "I believe our success is down to the rigour with which we look after our children.

The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News

---------- Post added at 09:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 AM ----------

The Press Association: Ethnic minority school takes crown

 

[ChinaToday]

But still chinese rank first and india came second in overall academic achievement in uk

 

[Amuroray]

How surprising that and Indian posts this.

 

[IndoCarib]

But still chinese rank first and india came second in overall academic achievement in uk

any link to that claim ?

 

[Filmmaker]

But still chinese rank first and india came second in overall academic achievement in uk

Stop bringing China in every second thread

 

[CypressHill]

He is right! It is a small gap though!

What more can we takeaway from the Chinese Community? British Chinese Community and Educational Attainment


https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...SFmOgU&sig=AHIEtbR9SlIvvPIZn1UOGpn0tXT_XGMLgA

 

[zer_0]

But still chinese rank first and india came second in overall academic achievement in uk

 

[ChinaToday]

any link to that claim ?

Hidden tigers: why do Chinese children do so well at school?

It seems a hugely under-researched phenomenon within English education. But Jessie Tang thinks she has the answer.

"It's mostly the parents. Chinese parents tend to push their children a lot, and have really high expectations. I think it's maybe because they did not have the opportunities that we have these days. They want us to take advantage of them."

Jessie, 18, an A-level student at Watford grammar school for girls, whose father arrived in England from Hong Kong, was being asked about what seems an amazing success story buried and barely commented upon within English schools' results.

The statistics relate to the achievement of pupils of Chinese ethnicity, revealed last autumn in a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on inequality in Britain.

This showed not only that British Chinese youngsters are the highest performing ethnic group in England at GCSE, which has been known for years. It also showed that this group seemed to be singularly successful in achieving that goal of educational policy-makers everywhere: a narrow performance gap between those from the poorest homes, and the rest.
Further evidence of the success of pupils of Chinese heritage came through the world's most well-known international testing study, Pisa. This found 15-year-olds from Shanghai, China, easily outperforming those of all other nationalities.

The domestic statistics show that, at GCSE, children of Chinese ethnicity – classed simply as "Chinese" in the data – who are eligible for free school meals (FSM) perform better than the national average for all pupils, rich and poor.

Not only that, but FSM Chinese pupils do better than those of most other ethnic backgrounds, even when compared with children from better-off homes (those not eligible for free school meals).

A detailed look at the figures makes this clearer. Some 71% of Chinese FSM pupils achieved five good GCSEs, including English and maths, in 2009. For non-FSM Chinese pupils, the figure was 72%.

Every other ethnic group had a gap of at least 10 percentage points between children who do not count as eligible for free meals, and those who do. The gap for white pupils stood at 32 percentage points.

In 2010, the picture changed slightly, with the gap between Chinese FSM pupils (68%) and their non-FSM peers (76%) increasing to eight points. But it still compared very favourably with the equivalent gulf among white pupils, which was 33 percentage points.

In primary schools, the picture is similar. Remarkably, in 2009, in English key stage 2 tests, Chinese FSM pupils outperformed not just their counterparts from other ethnic groups – easily outstripping white children – but even Chinese pupils not eligible for free meals.

Michael Gove, the education secretary, told his party conference last autumn that the performance of FSM pupils as a whole was a "reproach to our conscience". So what do Chinese pupils have going for them that other children do not?

Anyone investigating this subject will be struck by the limited research available. Only one academic team seems to have looked into British Chinese pupils' experience in detail in recent years.

The team, who interviewed 80 Chinese pupils, 30 Chinese parents and 30 teachers in 2005, identified several factors behind the success, although they stress that not all British Chinese pupils achieve. One explanation, though, shines through their findings.

Becky Francis, a visiting professor at King's College London, director of education at the Royal Society of Arts and one of the researchers, says: "Our main argument is that families of Chinese heritage see taking education seriously as a fundamental pillar of their Chinese identity, and a way of differentiating themselves not just within their own group, but from other ethnic groups as well."

Recent coverage of Amy Chua's book on "tiger parenting", Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mother, has also focused attention on parenting styles promoting achievement in children of Chinese ethnicity.

The argument that Chinese families put especial value on education is sensitive territory, of course, as most parents would profess a commitment to helping their child do well. Academics also stress that the numbers of pupils classed as "Chinese" are small – only 2,236 took GCSEs last year, from a total cohort of nearly 600,000 – and results should be interpreted cautiously.

However, there is tentative evidence, both from interviews with parents and from analyses of background values existing in Chinese culture, that family commitment to education is particularly strong.

Some 13 of the 30 British Chinese parents interviewed said their children were also being educated at Chinese "supplementary schools". These offer tuition in Chinese language and culture at the weekends.

Several of the parents also said they paid for tutoring outside school hours. Researchers found that among British Chinese families this was not related to social class: a number of working-class parents paid for this, too.

Asked to respond to the question "Is education important?", all 80 pupils agreed. High parental expectations also seem to have been a factor in many – though not all – children's experiences.

One pupil is quoted saying: "My parents expect me to get the best grades. And if I don't, then they'll continuously nag at me to do better ... Like if I get a B, they'll be like, 'Why didn't you get an A?'"

A paper presented at last year's British Educational Research Association conference, covering performance across all ethnic groups, found no link between the occupation of Chinese pupils' parents and their GCSE scores, unlike for children from all other ethnicities.

Ramesh Kapadia, a visiting professor at London University's Institute of Education, who presented the paper, says: "I think within Chinese society, there is an emphasis on practice. Children are told: 'If you want to learn something, practise, practise and practise it again and you will get better'. It may be that this helps to motivate pupils when the rewards can seem a long way away."

There is a mixed picture overall, though, as to how far this school success is being translated into employment prospects. The Equality and Human Rights Commission report found that British Chinese men and women were twice as likely to be in professional jobs as their white British counterparts. But average earnings remained around 11% lower throughout the population than for those classed as "white Christian".

Whether the Chinese experience can be replicated among other pupils is debatable. Some might see evidence that Chinese families emphasise hard work, and the results that follow, as simple proof that all can succeed, given the right attitude.

However, Francis says such a view should be treated cautiously, the team's 2005 paper arguing that "Chinese constructions of ethnic identity and education are very specific". Much research has shown links, generally, between poverty and underachievement.

Jessie, whose father works in a takeaway restaurant and whose mother, originally from Malaysia, works at Heathrow airport, has 12 GCSEs including six A*s and an offer to read music at Royal Holloway, London. She attended a Chinese supplementary school from the age of five. She says many Chinese families are keen on their children pursuing careers in medicine, so she is "rebelling a bit", but wanted to pursue a subject she enjoys.

The Department for Education was unable to point to any particular study it has commissioned to look at British Chinese pupils' success. Given the scale of that success, it seems surprising that the phenomenon has not been investigated further.

Hidden tigers: why do Chinese children do so well at school? | Education | The Guardian

---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:48 PM ----------

Read post #8 and not bad for india to come second behind china so you should be happy.

 

[IND151]

this article shows that Indian kids are very talented and ready to do hard work

@ post number 8> my dear friend, Chinese kids are very hardworking, let there be no doubt about it

however it is my humble request to you that start different thread on that subject

 

[harpoon]

Not another 'My brain is bigger than yours' thread.

 

[zer_0]

Not another 'My brain is bigger than yours' thread.

who's got bigger dick competition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muj26g3eugU&oref

 

[ChinaToday]

 

[ChinaToday]

Stop bringing China in every second thread

I thought you indians always like to compare with china so i gave my opinion .

 

[illusion8]

^^ good for you

 

[jbond197]

I thought you indians always like to compare with china so i gave my opinion .

Was that the real reason? or your a$$ was on fire reading the news..