Passports for pupils

Sep 5 2007 By Nick McCarthy, Birmingham Mail

PUPILS at a Birmingham secondary school came face-to-face with the latest security measure today - passport control.

Perry Beeches School, in Beeches Road, Great Barr, is one of the first in the country to introduce a passport system to keep track of pupils and their progress.

Head teacher Liam Nolan said the idea was the brainchild of senior teacher Kevin Rogers, who wanted to devise a security measure and record progress for more than 900 pupils. The school invested thousands of pounds in the A5-sized passports, which replace student planners.

Mr Nolan said: "This has become part of the school uniform like a tie or a pair of shoes. When you get to the gates, you have to show the passport to get in and if they don't have it they will be sent home to get it - just like they would be if they were not wearing uniform.

"We hope it makes the pupils more responsible and they will also be using it to record homework, achievements and extra activities they are involved with at the school. The passports will then be collected in at the end of term to see exactly what progress is being made by each pupil.

"It came about because we wanted to make the pupils feel like they belonged to the land of Perry Beeches and we wanted to promote identity and a school ethos.

"Perry Beeches had been in the bottom five per cent with exam results and we were predicted 30 per cent grade A* to C in April.

"Forty-three per cent actually achieved these grades this summer and this is just one of the methods we have been using to improve standards."