18 October 2005
Tony Blair went to see a Birmingham school today which has seen its performance improve dramatically over the last two years.
On a visit to Bournville School and Sixth Form Centre he attended a ‘reward assembly’ where pupils were given awards for their achievements in the classroom.
The PM then visited The Hub, a dedicated unit for children with special educational needs - including visually inpaired students and those with behavioural difficulties.
Mr Blair chatted to youngsters about the work they were doing before unveiling a flag to mark the official opening of the unit.
Positive
He said the positive results the school has achieved recently - with a huge rise in the number of pupils getting top grades at GCSE last year - were an ‘incredible tribute’ to the work that has gone on there.
Addressing the children, he said:
"We all have things we are good at and things we are not good at. I myself was not very good at geometry! But each of you has got a tremendous talent and the purpose of school is to bring it out.
"You all have a great life in front of you if you pay attention to the lessons."
Banking
Before he left, the PM visited a ‘bank’ operated by students who were trained in customer service and administration by staff from Natwest.
It was opened this year as part of the school’s Business and Enterprise College.
Youngsters run the branch as part of their studies and are also offered work experience opportunities at a real bank.
Before he left, one youngster asked Mr Blair: "How do you get to be Prime Minister?”
The PM replied: "It’s a long story. There is a lot of luck in it.”
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