THE PROPOSED OFSTED ENQUIRY INTO THE FAILURE OF 16-19 EDUCATION IN WOLVERHAMPTON
This failure is almost entirely due to the deliberate and vindictive closure of Bilston Community College (BCC) and improper opening of Wolverhampton College by the Further Education Funding Council and the continuation of this disastrous policy by the Learning and Skills Council.
BCC was the first Multicultural, open access, college in the country. Its closure by racists and educational elitists was racist because about one third of its staff were ethnic minorities.
When Wolverhampton College was set up the principal was appointed by the FEFC. Her task was to interview all staff at the College and remove every vestige of BCC influence.
Unfortunately for her, as she was near the end of this task, Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer intervened and changed all the rules. Labour priority was to educate the uneducated instead of the elitist policy that only those already educated should make further educational progress. Educating the uneducated was just what BCC had been set up to do, and did very successfully. So the management was put into the absurd position of having to do an about turn and restore what it had destroyed and restore the practices of BCC. No wonder they didn't and couldn't succeed.
Nor was this all. New Labour policy of hype and deception decreed that all opposition be crushed, and the FEFC joined the deception of seeing that nothing the FRIENDS OF BILSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE printed was ever published and when the Learning Skills Council took over instead of criticising the FEFC it followed tile same disgraceful policy.
The way forward is what BCC pioneered:
1. Targets can only be reached if it is understood that much 16-19 education will take place outside college premises.
2. Racism will only be eliminated when it is understood that only ethic minorities know what their educational needs are and they must be empowered to satisfy these needs within the general educational system.
We shall request that OFSTED hear our evidence at the forthcoming Enquiry.