Valuing News of The World and CP

My work with 'Creative Partnerships', along with all the other creative agents, ended last week.  In looking to our futures Lee Corner invited us to consider our values - consider what it is we really want, and to reflect on our past.  

All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education (The Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999 and spawned Creative Partnerships.  Throughout the document it refers to collaboration supporting learning - collaboration between young people and parents, arts organisations, businesses, LEAs, local communities, Arts Council, museums, libraries, everyone.  It also recognises a need to develop confidence for young people to make the most of their own resources, developing their own creativity.  Our values are as our name suggests - creativity and partnership.

So what's gone wrong with Creative Partnerships?  Have we kept to our core values?  Does the Government share our core values, or are their priorities different?

There's been a lot of talk in the press about values.   The police have not yet completed a criminal investigation into phone hacking, but already a hugely successful paper has been closed down for good.  In a recent Sky news article titled, 'what is the value of the News of the World?', begins: 

With an average weekly circulation of 2.6 million, the News Of The World is Britain's best-selling Sunday paper and a profitable venture.

But if NOTW main value was to make money, they'd be merchant bankers.  The other value they claim is to seek 'truth'.  It might not be Famine in Somalia, because they also value 'fun' and focus on stories about 'human nature'.  However they identify their news values, you definitely know what you are getting with NOTW.  They have stuck to their values, and yet their 'lack of values' has ended it.  But that's not the end of the story. At Sky, the Saturday Sun has already grown in size, and media analysts 'expect a new title launch, but not immediately.'


Creative Partnerships, like NOTW, is gone and it's not coming back, even if our values are sound - 'a profitable venture' recognised by Ofsted and more widely:

PriceWaterhouseCoopers say that for every £1 invested Creative Partnerships delivered £15.30 of benefits to the national economy

A new title launch soon?  I guess that depends on what the Government values.

Striking - a selfless or selfish gesture?

"Tank Man" stops the advance of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, in Beijing.
Taken by Jeff Widener of the Associated Press

It's still not clear what happened to 'tank man', but the recording of this
 unknown rebel earned him a feature in Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.  See "Behind the scenes: Tank Man of Tiananmen" (New York Times), with link to video of the incident.


China still executes more people than any country in the world.  Al Weiwei has been released, but Mao Hengfeng, Nurmemet Yasin, and many human rights defenders, journalists, writers, poets, others willing to speak out, and act, are arrested, and allegations of torture and other ill-treatment are common.  I'm glad David Cameron is still willing to 'raise concerns' when meeting Wen Jiabao, but how far should we go to stand up for others?  Is raising concerns really all David Cameron can do?  If we say or do nothing are we implicitly supporting the abuse of human rights in China?


Yesterday morning I wasn't sure whether or not to join strikers in Birmingham.  I was listening to BBC Radio 4 when Francis Maude finally persuaded me to join the teachers and other public sector workers in their demo:  He talked about the importance of fairness and treating people with respect.  He has also echoed Michael Gove's and Vince Cable's recent comments on the pressure teachers were putting on decent working parents, and threatened of legislation to control union action.

I have little doubt in the legitimacy of the strike.  I can see no justification for reducing pensions for teachers, or so-called 'Martini contract' imposed on public sector workers which will reduce the pay and pension of some of the poorest paid public sector workers.  Nearly all the cabinet really are millionaires, and are not 'sharing the pain'.  I believe they are deflecting attention from the rich getting richer, whose interests they are representing.  But are the changes proposed worth striking for?


The blood on the streets in Tiananmen Square 22 years ago came to be represented by a showdown Tank man and tank driver.  Popping into town to strike to keep pensions isn't quite the same.  Maybe I should be spending my time doing more to highlight abuses of human rights across the world.  Either way my children might not have gone to school but I think they had an important lesson - you can and should stand up for what you think is right, rather than what's in your best interest.

Related articles

• Tiananmen Square 'massacre' was a myth (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)
• Thousands Mark Anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square Crackdown - Voice of America (news.google.com)
• Did the tanks of Tiananmen bring stability to China, or store up trouble for the future? (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
• Chinese Mark 22nd Anniversary of Tiananmen Square (waronterrornews.typepad.com)

Jenni Bee last ever show

The 100 show

Ethical fashion show celebrates centenary year for Selly Park Technology College for
Girls with local MP in attendance.

Pupils from Selly Park Technology College for Girls will celebrate their centenary year with the ‘100 Show’, an ethical fashion show. The show contains three amazing collections, including hat sculptures and clothes that have been radically transformed.  The event, which has sold out, will take place at mac birmingham on 24th June 2011 – 4pm and 7pm. Steve McCabe, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak will also be in attendance

The project has been funded through the Creative Partnerships school programme, delivered by Bright Space.  The students organised the whole event from designing the clothes, logos, slogans and marketing to auditioning models. They also used their negotiating skills to hire MAC birmingham at a reduced rate. MAC birmingham also enabled Selly Park students to shadow their staff members.

All the clothes have been made from recycled fabric, thrown away garments or other unwanted materials, even plastic bags.  The students from years 7 – 11, worked with local Fashion Designer, Allison Sadler, owner of ‘People’ boutique in King’s Heath, to create a fusion of glamour, spectacle and innovation.

Sarah Hubbard, Deputy Head Teacher at Selly Park Technology College said: ‘This has been an exciting project for our students.  As well as designing for the show, they have now gained experience on event management and promotion.  The fact that the show has sold out, is testament to their hard work and enthusiasm.’

For press enquiries please call Marcia Springer on 0121 772
6932 or call Sarah Hubbard at Selly Park Technology College on 0121 472 1238.




Selly Park Technology College for Girls is an outstanding school which has received the International Schools Higher Level Award and countless accolades from the Specialist Schools Trust.  In 2010 they received an award from the Specialist Schools Trust for being one of the top five Technology Colleges in the country for the most improvement in the % of students gaining 5 A*-C including  English and Maths.

State Schools learning from Public School Boys?

Our government cabinet are mostly public school educated - how does their education influence their policies?  Is there anything in their education which can help turn around the past decade of growth between the richest and poorest?  OECD  have researched the growing gap between rich and poor, and recently suggested UK pupils are 'among the least likely to overcome a tough start.'


From my public school education I remember the average temperature in Quito (15 degrees Centigrade).  Quito was one of the easier South Amercian cities we rote learned (it's on the equator, so the same all the year).  Why do I remember Quito, and not where I left my jacket an hour ago?  I don't know, but subjects taught generally bore little or no relation to me, and did little to encourage me to learn.


Recently I was recommended to check out The Prince's Teaching Institute - an organisation which exists to support subject led teaching.  While I hope encyclopedic knowledge of average temperatures in South America is no longer so important, subject led teaching, like my schooling,  is about viewing the student as a vessel to be filled with important stuff.  It's also something being talked about again to improve all our schools.

Me, drawing giant fruit at school

A project on the life of St. Wilfred, for me, was an educational exception.  In my first year at Repton, for a holiday project, I chose to research patron saint of my home town, Ripon.  He was a medieval monk, spin-doctor type.  Not the obvious choice, but having been a choirboy in his church for the last four years, I guess I had an affinity with him.  It was very much a topic led project, directed by my own interest, and we moved on quickly to the serious stuff of examinations.  Another formative learning moment was probably not at school, but in contrast to it.  As a 'scholarship boy' there was a 'poverty gap'  between me and what felt like the rest of the school.  I needed some extra dosh, so when I got a chance to work in a chicken factory at 16...well I took the job anyway.  Apart from turning me veggie, it made me question the difference and similarities there were between me and the others there waiting for their CSE results over the summer.


Back at school two years later 12 of the 100 in my school year would go on to Oxford or Cambridge.  I don't think it was better than average results, brighter students, or even the subject led curriculum that got so many Reptonians there.  On leaving Repton I was invited to meet the freemasons - I guess something everyone in school was invited to do.  Not everyone rolled up their trouser legs, but our teachers, our parents, everyone around us, were very well connected.

There are obvious advantages of network and wealth which it's hard to even imagine 'education' alone addressing.  So how can we improve the chances of the poorest in the UK?  The OECD think education can and has (in other countries) made a big difference - measures like teaching for 'resilience', 'self-confidence', ''personal internal drive'. 


For 'resilience and 'self-confidence', my learning happened in 'extra-curricula' school activities, which were varied and incredible.  Chosen and often directed by us, and supported with bags of money, kit and staff, being part of the wider 'Repton School Community' made me feel like I can do anything.  State schools may never have the money, kit or (as many) staff, but when it comes to learning developed with students, meaningful learning opportunities within and outside school  - 'fostering motivation and self-confidence' - This is something some public schools do well, but looking to 'subject-led learning' is looking in the wrong place.

Mind the grass, not the children

There was a major rebuilding of Wheelers Lane Primary in 2007, combining the two sites - see photo new main entrance for infants.

Since then the lollipop man has been run over three times, there has been media coverage and parents continue to campaign for change to improve the road access, where children and cars mix a little too freely - please see Wheelers Lane Safe Route to School.


So what are the council doing to correct the situation?  Raising of the kerbs (see picture) to ensure cars won't drive on the grass, that's what!

Councillor Mullaney assured the parents and school measures would be in place after half term.  I thought I'd be getting photos of workmen preparing the yellow markings and barriers in place ready for after half term.

Workmen were 100 yards away, completing those all important high curbs to save our grass verges.

Death of Liberty?

Last November we didn't get to plant out a Blueberry bush, Liberty, I got as present, from good friend Rachel. I think the frost's got it, but Nikki thinks leave another year and may come back.

I was going to hide it behind the runner beans, Nikki has put it with other pot plants near house to nurture.

I suppose it's good to keep hope, keep going, even when all hope seems lost. Nikki says 'put your phone down and get loading the dishwasher!'

Will update on liberty next year, if any change.

Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media