The Spirit of Swindon: Levelling the playing field

By Sue Pycroft on behalf of Spirit of Swindon

One of the key factors in reducing inequality in a society is access to education. The Equality Trust, a charity that works to improve the quality of life by reducing economic inequality, states: “Everybody agrees that education is important and that education benefits societies as well as individuals. People with more education earn more, pay more taxes, are more productive, and happier. Well educated people contribute more to society; they’re also more likely to volunteer and to vote.”

So how is Swindon doing in terms of educating its young people, to help them achieve their goals and enable them to give back to the community they live in?

In many ways, Swindon is doing well, despite the recent public criticism. Overall, the numbers of young people participating in education, employment and training is high, with the number of 18 to 24 year olds seeking work lower than the national average. The town’s strong, diverse economy offers young people employment opportunities in a range of industries including advanced engineering, financial services, science and technology, and digital. Overall, we have 78 per cent of residents in employment, against 74 per cent nationally.

But we haven’t got it right yet. In 2015/16, 54 per cent of our 16 year olds who attended Swindon schools gained five A*-C GCSEs with English and Maths, compared to a national average of 57 per cent. Clearly, that needs to improve.  This difference persists in our adult residents. Nationally, 74 per cent of 16-64 year olds have GCSE level qualifications, but in Swindon we lag behind at 69 per cent.  And while 37 per cent of UK residents have university level qualifications, only 29 per cent of Swindon residents have achieved that level. We can, and must, do better.

The good news is that practical steps are being taken to raise the bar, and we can all play a part in that. It is recognised that one of the significant issues relating to education is lack of aspiration – among some students, parents, and employers.  A new initiative, called Swindon Challenge, is being applied to every child in every school.

Swindon Challenge is a partnership with schools, local businesses, further education colleges and Oxford Brookes University. It will build on the town's existing strengths to improve education and employment outcomes for everyone. This collaborative approach is supporting all young people and their families to explore the lifelong benefits that higher qualifications can bring.  Routes to higher level skills and degrees have never been easier whether young people choose go to University or achieve a degree apprenticeship whilst in work. Swindon Challenge is enabling a national education expert, Marc Rowland, to work in partnership with Swindon secondary schools. The schools will collaborate to identify and implement what works well to raise aspirations including support for vulnerable pupils.  Swindon Challenge is aspirational for all young people no matter what their starting point. So what can we all do to support this?

Employers and parents can get in touch with Swindon Challenge to find out more about how you can sponsor this important work; work with schools to bring to life the ‘world of work’; build young people's employability skills by offering experience of work; or benefit from young people's skills by training them as an apprentice. For information email: [email protected]

We all want our children to have full, rewarding and happy lives. We need to help our young people to aim higher, for themselves and ultimately for what they will put back into society. We should never think that a good education is “for someone else”. It should be “for me and mine, too”.

Spirit of Swindon has emerged from a gathering of people who want to raise consciousness of the impact of economic inequality and help Swindon offer a lead to other towns and cities in the UK.