The reason for my visit and the topic which sparked the debate is permanent school exclusion. And, say friends and business partners Mervyn Webber and Carl Burns, they have an answer to their local school’s problem in an educational programme based at the Rhythm Rooms Arts and Media Centre.
By night, the Rhythm Rooms is a commercial studio. By day, the building is a place where children with social and behavioural problems can continue their schooling.
“Permanent exclusion is a ticket to nowhere,” says Mervyn. And it seems the Rhythm Rooms is giving these children a ticket to a brighter future.
Three years ago, the pair opened up their facilities to the needs of the local community. Carl and Mervyn’s team work with up to six local schools, which includes a contract with Darlaston Community Science college, a mixed comprehensive for 11-18 year-olds, to take on pupils in danger of permanent exclusion.
“A lot of kids from the local community knocked on our door to use the facilities,” says Carl, “and we thought we could also help those who have difficulties.”
This led to an expansion of the premises to include classrooms, an ICT room, art room and resident drama company Urban Voice, in attempt to re-engage and educate students faced with permanent exclusion.
Darlaston College inclusion manager Nigel Bayley has been co-ordinating the scheme. “Some of these kids are potentially missing an education,” he says. ”For some, coming onto the school site is a problem but Rhythm Rooms is like a department of the school. The pupils are still on the roll and we set the curriculum. Here they are getting a different learning environment: there is no school uniform, they have their own code of conduct and we can be realistic about what they can achieve.”
This idea appears to be vital, as Carl explains “kids are all different and you have to treat them so. What’s the point of entering them for nine subjects at GCSE if you know they will fail? Here they are engaged and working with people and we try to make them believe this place is theirs.”
Core curriculum-based subjects taught are English, maths and art. Students also take part in drugs training and anger management courses and work on community projects, while receiving counselling on issues such as self-esteem.
And of course, the pupils get to use the music studios.
“Some kids can’t operate in a group,” says Mervyn, “working through music, they are more relaxed and enjoy themselves. They go through the whole studio process including singing, sequencing, working with instruments and designing the packaging for their CD. They don’t even notice the learning involved and as a result come together as a band and a group.”
The results speak for themselves. “In 1995-96, between five and nine kids were excluded,” says Nigel, “and in the three years of the programme, we’ve not excluded one. They get qualifications, it keeps them off the streets, increases their self-esteem and they're in good shape to enter college or the job market.”
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