NARROW THE GAP

The much anticipated 'Narrow the Gap' conference took place on Thursday 18th November, at the Robinson Executive Centre, Wyboston Lakes. Head teachers from across the borough were invited to consider strategies that are proving effective in narrowing attainment gaps for children eligible for free school meals.

The 'gap' is measured as the attainment between children entitled to free schools meals and those who are not.

The conference served to share knowledge and understanding between partners to fully understand which groups of people are most affected by poverty locally and what they need to help them improve their lives in the future.

The council has a duty, under the Child Poverty Act, to narrow the gap in outcomes for children from low income families compared with their peers. The Department of Education holds considerable evidence of the nature and significance of differences in outcomes for young people and the reasons for these differences. Similarly much is already known about how much impact variations in school/service provision has on these differences.

Cllr David Sawyer, portfolio holder for Children's Services, at Bedford Borough Council, said: "Children deserve the same chances in life and narrowing the attainment gap is a key priority. Outcomes from the event will serve to develop strategies that can be taken back into schools."

Speakers on the day include Estelle Morris, University of York and Member of House of Lords and, John Bangs, Visiting Professor at Institute of Education, University of London and Fellow of Wolfson College.

Bedford Borough's commitment to this subject is clearly stated in a number of our strategies, including its Sustainable Community Strategy and its Children and Young People's Plan.