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Tuesday, 9 February, 1999, 11:53 GMT
Thriving against the odds
By BBC News Online's Sean Coughlan
If Tony Blair claimed his three priorities to be "education, education, education" the headteacher of one of the most successful primary schools in England emphasises the importance of "books, books, books". Ruth Miskin, the energetic headteacher of Kobi Nazrul school in Tower Hamlets, East London, says learning to read and write is central to pupils' development and she firmly asserts that no one should leave primary school without a strong grasp of literacy skills. Kobi Nazrul is among the primary schools identified as "particularly successful" by the Office for Standards in Education, an achievement that is made all the more impressive by the social factors stacked up against it.
Ruth Miskin says she dislikes the stereotypical views of inner-city deprivation, but the school, in the backstreets of Whitechapel, serves a community that is among the least advantaged in the country. Although the headteacher emphasises the respect for education among the local community, you do not have to look far for examples of poverty. Sitting on a bench outside the school a homeless man is drinking his way through a cold afternoon, on the main street a woman with young children is begging.
The school's efforts to make sure that these children receive as promising a start as their counterparts in leafier suburbs are rooted in its disciplined approach to teaching reading. Ruth Miskin believes in leading from the front, and she trains her own staff in the reading technique that is used in the school. This phonics-based method is taught intensively each day, with an emphasis on consistency and detail, so that all pupils gain an ability to read independently as soon as possible. Reading, says the headteacher, "is not just the foundation but the whole building itself". An enjoyment of reading and a love of books are encouraged, with the aim of getting pupils to feel more confident about using their reading to learn more about other subjects, such as history or geography.
There has been speculation in the past as to how much her firm ideas on literacy have influenced a prominent figure in education - her partner, the Chief Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead. For other schools seeking to follow Kobi Nazrul's success, Ruth Miskin says that much depends on the headteacher, who she believes must present a clear sense of direction and momentum.
A school with a strong sense of direction and a highly-focused approach to its efforts should also help teachers avoid the problems of overworking. Ruth Miskin says her school makes a deliberate policy of reducing the amount of school-related work that encroaches into teachers' weekends or holidays. Improving a school "isn't a mystery and it isn't a religion", she says. "What's essential is that teachers know what they are meant to achieve and that headteachers can show them how to achieve it." |
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