Education takes centre stage at ABCC patrons dinner

The educational background and the role played by a collection of schools were key points of discussion at the Asian Business Chambers of Commerce patrons’ dinner at Malmaison last night.

ABCC president Omar Rashid welcomed the guests while the keynote address was given by Jodh Dhesi, CEO of The Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham.

Jodh is accountable for the education of around 13,000 students in fourteen schools and the leadership of the Foundation Charity and Multi-Academy Trust.

He also has been involved in secondary education for his whole career, starting as a teacher in a grammar school and then spending fifteen years in leadership roles in comprehensive schools, culminating in becoming a National Leader of Education, and Executive Board Member of a Multi-Academy Trust.

Speaking at the event Jodh mentioned how his family instilled a habit of learning and reading books.

He said: “My father was born in Africa and moved to the UK at the age of 16. He joined the British Army and was one of only two non white soldiers in his entire regiment in the 1950s.

Later in his retirement, he started to write books. Our house was always full of books, and in the end, he wrote his own which went onto win about two or three history winners of the Victoria Cross.

“No matter what your background is, no matter what your rejections are, no matter what your education is, if you are surrounded by books and learning, you can become educated and you can  really make an impact.”

Speaking about The Schools of King Edward VI, Jodh said: “Our organisation serves incredibly diverse parts of Birmingham, but what we're absolutely committed to is social mobility and access in three ways.

“The first, is working with comprehensive schools, all of which serve the most deprived areas of Birmingham.

“One of the criteria for schools to join us is that they need to have a percentage of children who go to that school entitled to free school meals, which is higher than the national average.

“Second is that our grammar schools have an admissions policy which gives priority to children from challenged backgrounds.

“Nationally, 7 per cent of children in grammar schools are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and our schools have 20 per cent because we support them to get there.

“The third thing is that we spend over three million pounds a year from an endowment that we have on funding able children from poorer backgrounds to go to our schools.”

Emma Morgan, general manager of Malmaison who sponsored the event also spoke at the event.

Pictured from left to right: CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Henrietta Brealey, CEO of The Schools of King Edward VI Jodh Dhesi, general manager of Malmaison Emma Morgan, ABCC president Omar Rashid and director of ABCC Anjum Khan.