BURY is setting out to to break new ground in educating children from ethnic minorities. As the Office for Standards in Education announce serious under achievement of some minority ethnic groups in schools nationally, Bury is already taking significant steps to address the situation. The issue is being tackled through the Education Development Plan for 1999-2002 and if the necessary funding is obtained, the Curriculum Language Access Service will work with schools to set targets for pupils who have English as an additional language and are of Pakistani heritage.

They are the largest of Bury's minority groups and the intention is to monitor their achievements and seek to support schools with related training and resources.

Home visits

The project includes setting up home visits to parents of pupils of Pakistani heritage at Parrenthorn High which allows information to be given about school activities and expectations. Dual language leaflets are also regularly sent out giving details of important dates in the school year and also stressing the importance of pupils not having holidays during the academic terms.

Another project, this time at St Thomas's CE Primary in Bury, is designed to raise the achievement of boys, particularly in Information and Communication Technology and English.

This is expected to include a significant number of youngsters who again have English as an additional language.

Bury Metro's Education and Community Services Committee chairman Cllr Andrea Hughes, said: "At the end of March we will be holding our first conference for young people after our adoption of the Commission for Racial Equalities Young and Equal document and the action plan which accompanies that. Many of our schools who have a significant number of pupils from minority ethnic groups are already making excellent progress and our overall aim is to spread that expertise Borough wide and so ensure that all our youngsters have the best possible opportunity to achieve through education."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.