According to a BBC report today:
The UK performs poorly in an international league table showing how many disadvantaged pupils succeed “against the odds” at school.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has studied how pupils from poor backgrounds can succeed academically. It says that “self-confidence” is a key factor in whether such pupils succeed.
The UK comes behind Mexico and Tunisia in the table – with the top places taken by Asian countries. Among leading economies, the UK is in 28th place out of 35. Among a wider range of smaller countries and regions, the UK is in 35th place out of 65.
The full news report is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13794591
This report cites ‘self-confidence’, ‘expectations’ and ‘internal motivation’ as factors that can help more disadvantaged children have more educational success. So with the topic of child poverty on the radar we must concede that financial positioning is not solely responsible for the factors that then go on to lead to poor chances of social mobility.
Does all that mean an ‘I blame the parents’ response is acceptable? Most of the people we support have low self-confidence, expectations and motivation; usually to the most extreme degree. However, with the right approach many people can and do develop and flourish in these areas. Feeling sorry for children and blaming parents simply leads to tomorrows parents repeating the habits of the past.