1. LOP’s LOKEREN Working together on tackling inequalities in education

2. Population:
Province East Flanders, between Gent – Sint-Niklaas

3. Nature
Some local flavour
Football mania
Festival

4. In short: analysis of the local situation
DEMOGRAPHICS
CHILDHOOD POVERTY
ETHNIC BACKGROUND / SEGREGATION
SOCIAL MIX AND NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS IN PRIMARY
LOCAL ANALYSIS = A CORE TASK FOR LOP

5. Analysis of the local situation
DEMOGRAPHICS
inhabitants
Growing population: +10% by 2030
Relatively young population
 Primary education: Capacity problem in many schools
What do demographics mean for (potential) school population?
17 primary schools – 6 secondary schools
2 primary special – 2 secondary special schools

6. Number of pupils, inhabitants, and projected inhabitants, 2-5 yrs old
Kindergarten
Difference: 2 to 2,5 year olds that are not yet in school

7. Number of pupils, inhabitants, and projected inhabitants, 6-11 yrs old
Primary education

8. Number of pupils, inhabitants, and projected inhabitants, 12-17 yrs old
Secondary education

9. Analysis of the local situation
CHILDHOOD POVERTY:
6/7 indicators childhood poverty barometer
11% of births in Lokeren in poor households (10% in FL)
Multidimensional measure (not just income)
Population data (Child & Family)
Growing problem

10. % of births in poor households in Lokeren (2001-2012)

11. Childhood poverty barometer

12. Number of births in poor households

13. Analysis of the local situation
DIVERSITY/ Ethnic background:
General: 19% of people living in Lokeren have another ethnic background (16% non-EU)
0-5 yr: 37% yrs: 35% yrs: 29% (the ‘older’, the lower the %)
7 out of 10 families in poverty: non-EU (high unemployment/dependency rate)

14. Analysis of the local situation
DIVERSITY/ Ethnic background in education
Primary: 15% of children in preschool -11% of children in primary education speak only another language at home (probably higher in reality)
Secondary: 4% in general education – 10% in technical education – 19% in vocational and 35% in parttime vocational education
 UNDERESTIMATION
 High level of segregation according to language children speak at home

15. Analysis of the local situation
Four out of ten children are ‘indicator’-pupils:
Low educational level mother
Low income
Institutionalized
Family of ‘travellers’

16. Analysis of the local situation
Local educational outcomes
High percentage of children falling behind (repeating a class): one in five in primary (21% vs 15% FL) – in secondary education (10% General – 37% Technical – 59% Vocational)
Strongly related to indicator ‘low educational level mother’
Early school leavers: 11% pupils going to school in Lokeren – 18% pupils living in Lokeren
Relatively low percentage of truancy

18. What does the local platform do?
Schools are working hard on a daily basis on inequalities in education
Added value LOP: a platform where schools and other partners can learn about our ‘common reality’ (make the diagnosis), inspire each other, look for common answers and make agreements

19. General Assembly primary & secondary Algemene Vergadering
LOP’s Bao & SO
Lokeren
General Assembly
LOP Primary
2 x /year
General Assembly
LOP Secondary Education
2x /year
Executive board LOP SO
3 a 4 x /year
Executive board BaO
3 a 4 x /year
General Assembly primary & secondary Algemene Vergadering
1x /year
Learning Network School Arrears
Group parent involvolvment/participation
WG well being and bullying
Working group Wellbeing and school trajectories
WG Enrollment Policy
Disfunction Commission
Working group Diversity
CHILL’OP
Forum Newcomers (other language)
Regional working group Special Education
WG Non-Educational Partners
WG Parents

20. What does the local platform do?
: a new policy plan of LOP and of the city
Our goals
Working evidence-based ( local analysis)
Enrollment policy and mediation
Knowledge of poverty in school
Parental-school involvement
Help newcomers find their way to school
Schooling at risk (wellbeing)
Diversity
Inequality in educational arrears
Bullying

21. What does the local platform do?
: a new policy plan of LOP and of the city
Our goals
Working evidence-based ( local analysis)
Enrollment policy and mediation
Knowledge of poverty in school
Parental-school involvement
Help newcomers find their way to school
Schooling at risk (wellbeing)
Diversity
Inequality in educational arrears
Bullying

22. Enrollment policy …in the past… Experienced problems…
Overcrowded classrooms
Camping for enrollment
First come, first served
…in the past…
Social segregation

23. Enrollment policy Vision: Neighborhood schools: Working on social mix
The closer you live / work, the higher your chance to get into a school (distance plays a big role)
Working on social mix
Some schools 90% others 10% ind pupils  related to spatial segregation and decision-making factors in school choice (flight to the borders of the city)
Now: in every school 40% of places are for indicator-pupils
Max 25 children per class
Camping for enrollement: over

24. Enrollment policy Online registration prior to enrollment
Since
In reality:
Working on social mix is by definition a (very) slow process
Capacity problem works ‘for’ changes in social mix (but slowly)

25. Enrollment policy ‘School in sight’ Project funded by the city
Make schools neighborhood schools again
Showing middle and higher class parents benefits of a neighborhood (socially mixed) school
Bringing them together (and with parents from the school)– visit schools together (on open-class-days) – feedback night
Positive results, but not (yet?)for all schools.
LOP: information through intermediaries to lower SES parents

26. More plans for this year
5 may LOP-day with stakeholders in Lokeren On poverty in education: speaker, exchanging good practices, workshops on translating policy ideas to school /classroom/teacher level

27. QUESTIONS