Executive Leadership

Challenging Parents!

The parents of disadvantaged children are the most difficult to engage but they must always be the priority! Caroline Kelly explains how the approach the issue in a large primary school in the Midlands.

Moon’s Moat First School is a larger than average First School in the West Midlands. The children are part of a three-tier system where they transfer to Middle School at the end of Year Four. The school is situated in an area of high levels of deprivation. The majority of pupils in the school are White British. Twenty-seven per cent of pupils are classed as Pupil Premium children. The school has been part of the Achievement for All family for four years. It gained Quality Mark status in 2015 and Quality Lead status in 2017. The school was judged to be good at its last inspection in March 2017.

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      string(5875) "emotional issues, which means they’re getting access to the right help when they need it rather than letting things spiral, which could then start having an impact on their academic progress and mental health. We have a number of examples where this early help has turned things around for the child and they’ve kept on track at school and feel happy and confident in their learning.If, after a series of interventions have been put in place, there are still concerns, then teachers will share their concerns with me, and together we will look at children’s evidence, e.g. work in books, assessments, progress over time etc. At this stage it is likely that a ‘My Plan’ will be put in place. The ‘My Plan’ (referred to as SEN support in other counties) is an action plan which identifies the child’s needs and outcomes and the actions needed to achieve these outcomes. Our school is very committed to establishing strong supportive relationships with parents/carers so they will be invited in to contribute their ideas to the ‘My Plan’ as well as asking the children for their input. The ‘My Profile’ is again a useful tool for referring to and using the content to build into the plan, particularly relating to learning styles. We use a Structured Conversation approach for all our SEND children and this longer conversation has allowed teachers to explore in more detail a child’s barriers to learning, something which we couldn’t do in a ten-minute consultation meeting. The ‘My Plans’ are regularly reviewed throughout the school year with parents and outcomes are adapted or new ones given according to need. Of course, having children on ‘My Plans’ involves time from both teachers and Teaching Assistants to address these individual needs, which can be challenging both in terms of giving time and budgetary pressures, but through our Provision Maps and careful timetabling, we ensure children get this much needed one-to-one or small group time. There is also the issue of lessons that SEND children may be missing due to having to take part in an intervention to address their learning needs. We are very conscious of them being present in subjects that they enjoy and feel successful in, e.g. Art, Music and PE, so again careful timetabling means that they aren’t always missing things that they like.At every stage of the Graduated Pathway we adopt the Assess, Plan, Do, Review approach from the Code of Practice. This cycle helps us build a range of evidence and ensures we are meeting the needs of all our children, not just SEND. Of course, for some of our SEND children it becomes clear that they have more significant needs or the child may not be making progress on a ‘My Plan’ so a multi-agency approach will need to be considered which leads to a ‘My Plan+’ or an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).  The EHCP involves working closely with families and other professionals from Education, Health and Social Care. As we have built close relationships with parents and carers of all children, this relationship is even more crucial for building an understanding of the child’s needs and ensuring these needs are met. What has become clear from EHCP Annual Review meetings is that the additional support that is needed for parents/carers of these children and the need to work as a team are vital. Our Family Support Worker is again an essential link in signposting services outside of school. For example, she has organised respite care for families, play schemes for children to attend in school holidays and assisted with applications for benefits that parents/carers may not have previously been aware of. This input has greatly helped families to feel positive and well-informed about their child’s needs. When parents/carers feel more confident, so does their child.What has become apparent to me in my SENCo role over the last few years is the importance of working together and identifying needs at the earliest possible opportunity. Working with our local pre-schools and having termly meetings with our main feeder pre-school has ensured that we are well prepared for children with additional needs who will be coming to Berry Hill. Prior to their admission to Berry Hill, being involved in Team Around the Child meetings has given staff the opportunity to understand the needs of the child, as well as getting to know the parents/carers. 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Childfile

Child File - The Graduated Response: making it effective in an early years setting - Part 2

17 Apr 2018

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      string(5950) "KS2 and 3.6 APS for secondary schools. The overall longitudinal changes were as follows in table 1. Table 1: Longitudinal changes in yearly APS among target group pupils from 20111-2015, source, PwC, 2016Schools also improved attendance and behaviour with a reduction in exclusions and increased parental engagement. (PWC 2016)The parental involvement element of the approach was progressed by an open dialogue approach developed through a series of structured conversations between the classroom teacher and parents which provided a platform from which parents could effectively engage in the learning process. The conversation allowed parents to discuss their aspirations and also share their knowledge of their child with teachers and professionals. There were a number of key stages. The explore stage enabled a better understanding of the pupil and his/her needs, existing provision, what had worked well in the past and what barriers there were to achievement. 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The evaluation showed that the structured conversion built;More effective and constructive partnerships between Parents/Carers and the school community;Enhanced Parent/Carer, pupil, and teacher aspirations for pupil achievement;Improved quality of information-flow between Parents/Carers and the school;Increased confidence and the ability to address barriers to pupil achievement and outcomes;Contributed to significant improvements in progression.The approach was “effective in giving parents a voice that was listened to, changing the dynamic of teacher– parent relationships and allowing effective school–home partnerships to be developed. Significantly, the benefits were seen in schools without pre-existing positive relationships with parents,” (Lendrum et al, 2013, Humphries et al., 2011) It was noted that it was important to ensure that structured conversations happened at least twice a year but ideally more. In the research programme these conversations were usually once a term and for duration of between half an hour and three quarters of an hour on average. “the frequency of SCs, the emphasis on giving parents a voice and listening to this, sharing the setting of targets and the focus on positive achievements are also important factors.” (Lendrum 2013) While schools initially found the additional time devoted to these meeting daunting by the end of the pilot many schools were planning to role the approach out on a whole school basis due to the dramatic impact this was having on the positive culture of engagement within the school. (Humphries 2011). The structured conversation was also popular with parents, and has remained so in analysis done since by PWC on the programme. (PWC 2016)  Parental Engagement and the SEND Reforms SEN Support The Children and Families Act embodies the principles of parental engagement at the core of its requirements in Section 19 of the Act and links this strongly to ensuring better outcomes which is then followed through in the Code of Practice (CoP) (DfE 2014, 2015) The CoP (2015) acknowledges that the Achievement for All approach formed the basis of the requirements for a whole school approach outlined in the schools chapter of the code of practice. “This (AfA) demonstrates that when a whole-school approach to supporting pupils with SEN is taken, along with effective engagement with parents, there can be a clear impact on attainment.” (DfE 2015 p276)  The CoP directly reflects the learning from the structured conversation in both the content and the way the graduated approach follows the same steps as the structured conversation;“6.48 Where it is decided to provide a pupil with SEN support, the parents must be formally notified, although parents should have already been involved in forming the assessment of needs…. The teacher and the SENCO should agree in consultation with the parent and the pupil the adjustments, interventions and support to be put in place, as well as the expected impact on progress, development or behaviour, along with a clear date for review.”The assessment should then be reviewed on a regular basis as part of the graduated approach;“6.65 Where a pupil is receiving SEN support, schools should talk to parents regularly to set clear outcomes and review progress towards them, discuss the activities and support that will help achieve them, and identify the responsibilities of the parent, the pupil and the school. Schools should meet parents at least three times each year.”  (DfE 2015) Further that;“6.66 These discussions can build confidence in the actions being taken by the school, but they can also strengthen the impact of SEN support by increasing parental engagement in the approaches and teaching strategies that are being used. Finally, they can provide essential information on the impact of SEN support"
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Inclusion

Achieving best value from your Pupil Premium allocations

20 Jun 2017

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      string(5172) "Achievement for All, so that moreschools could access the programme (see Table 3: Earlyimpact of AfA).As a result, this charity formed to lead the nationalroll out of the programme, and we are now in thousandsof schools and seeing extraordinary results as a result ofthe inspiring and committed head teachers we workwith across the UK.■■■ Support to achieve your own goalsWhen initially encountering the programme manyschool leaders and teachers tend to think – like theheadteachers we met in our pilot study – that they do nothave time to take on a new programme like Achievementfor All in a way that was meaningful. However, whenthey see the evidence from other schools and hear thestories being told by other heads and their staff theysoon come to realise that outside help is not a sign ofweakness but an essential leadership skill. It’s a steptowards getting the support they desire to do the jobthey know they can do, in order to achieve the aims theyhave. They recognise that this community of experts werepresent, and who we can introduce to schools, are notinspecting and judging what is going on, but insteadbuying into their personal and professional aims andtheir aspirations for their pupils. They understand thecontext, setting and challenges they face, and share ideasand expertise that they can enlist to empower them – intheir own way and in their own school – to help educatethe children in their care.What I have discovered by working with those headsand their leadership teams is that there is a way we canhelp each other make a profound difference. There is away school leaders and their staff can feel less isolated……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Don’t Like Mondays – providing hope for the disaffected ■■■■■20by the competition between neighbouring schools andless worried about their league table place, and morefocused on working with and helping each other – andother professionals in other schools – to raise the bar forall children in this country. The results they see whenthat happens are an important part of this work, butheadteachers in our programme now see those longedfor results as just a measure of the much more lifechanging stuff that is going on every day in the schoolswhere they are based.■■■ The barriers we need to break downIt is important for all practitioners to understandwhat the position has been across the country, and thechallenges children and young people face day to day.This is outlined in Table 1 below.Table 1: Breaking down barriersWhen our charity launched:■ Only 36 per cent of people claiming FSM and 22per cent identified as SEND achieved five or moreGCSEs (grade A-C compared to 63 per cent of allother pupils.■ Less than 18 per cent of those whose primaryneed involved behavioural, emotional and socialdifficulties achieved standard GCSE expectationincluding English and Maths. (BESD are the largestgroup of SEND primary need at Key Stage 4).■ Children with SEND were more likely to be bulliedby their peers and nine times more likely to beexcluded from school. There is a big overlap betweenchildren with SEND and LAC and those receivingFSM. Some 73 per cent of LAC were identified asSEND.■ Some 30 per cent of 16 year olds with a Statementof SEN were NEETS by the time they were 18.The Achievement for All pilot (2009 – 2011) enabled usto develop an evidence informed approach to breakingdown the barriers to learning in every classroomwhere 5 – 16 year olds needed additional support. Acombination of the Achievement for All evaluation bythe University of Manchester (DfE, 2011) and a furtherparallel study by the National College for Teachingand Leadership (NCTL, 2011) provided the evidenceneeded to develop the AfA model. Table 2 gives anoverview of the main ingredients of the approach.Table 2: Achievement for All – how it worksHow it works:Collaborating with your AFA coach and buildingon your current practices, you’ll access a frameworkincluding four key elements:1. Leadership of school, classroom and teams.2. Teaching and learning, assessment and data tracking,planning and delivery.3. Parental engagement and structured conversations.4. Wider outcomes such as improving behaviour,attendance and participation in school life.The early indications of impact were profound, withsignificant changes to pupil outcomes in English,Maths and attendance (see Table 3). The Universityof Manchester had demonstrated how, by workingin collaboration, a peer led programme can makea difference to outcomes. Achievement for All hadalso demonstrated how parents and carers could beencouraged to support their child’s learning irrespectiveof challenge, need or disadvantage.Policy"
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Professional Development

Don’t Like Mondays – providing hope for the disaffected

12 Sep 2016

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      string(373) "... to learning whilst in school. In the target cohort there is evidence of improved attitude to learning at home. This includes reading at home with parents/carers, working on a particular area at home, as discussed during structured conversations, and increased awareness of the need for resilience. Wider outcomes: Pupil ..."
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      string(5943) "A primary school in an urban area of the north west of England with 350 pupils identified the need to improve attendance, parental engagement and resilience for disadvantaged pupils. The majority of pupils at the school are from White British heritage. A small minority of pupils speak English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium is 24%. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is 15%. Four of the pupils have an EHC Plan. Pupil numbers have increased in recent years and the school admits a number of pupils during the school year. ApproachAs a school, it chose to focus on the use of adults in the classroom to support independent learning and resilience, the impact of middle leaders on curriculum and learning and use of structured conversations* to improve parental engagement and wider outcomes for pupils.A target group of 24 children were identified in years 1–5 for one of the following reasons, although the majority were also eligible for pupil premium funding: Below age-related attainmentBelow expected progress from starting points (this includes some pupils with good attainment who had the potential to make accelerated progress)Limited parental engagement with school. Through a needs analysis, the school identified the following broad areas of focus to bring about the changes they wanted: Leadership for inclusionProvision to close the gapParental engagement Developing behaviours for attendanceLearning and well-beingEffective use of pupil premiumMaximising the impact of teaching assistantsMiddle leadership development Using effective feedback*Structured conversations (used in Achievement for All programmes) between teachers, parents and their child provide a platform for parents to engage in the learning process. They have an opportunity to discuss their child’s aspirations and interests and contribute to setting targets for their child. Parents feel valued, teachers say they get to know the children better (their learning needs and interests) and children say they like the interest their parents show in their school work.ImpactLeadership for inclusion: Over the year, school leaders sustained a focus on the aspirations, access and achievement of all pupils with SEND or vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. A culture of distributed, inclusive and effective provision for disadvantaged pupils was consolidated across the school.Teaching and learning:TA training on maximising the use of extra adults in the classroom, questioning and fostering independence has promoted best practice with all adults working with disadvantaged children across the school. All TAs accessed this training and development; in practice it has been evident in learning walks. Exploring feedback is an ongoing conversation between teachers, as the school adapts its policy to maximise its impact on learning. Middle leaders have undertaken audits of teaching and learning in their subject areas and are implementing their findings to ensure consistency and progression of skills across the school in all curriculum areas. Pupil premium funding continues to be used to support learning within the classroom. A detailed analysis of barriers for disadvantaged pupils has resulted in more focused use of pupil premium funding. Parental engagement: 100% of parents of those children chosen to be part of the trial, engaged in their initial structured conversation, with the majority also engaging in follow up conversations. Overall engagement in Year 1 was 92%. The structured conversations increased teachers’ awareness of barriers to achievement, access and aspiration. Areas for partnership work with parents focused, in Key Stage One, on maths, social and emotional skills, basic skills and home routines; in Key Stage Two, the focus moved towards reading, writing, maths and attitudes towards learning. Clear evidence of increased parental engagement can be seen where explicit actions were agreed upon during structured conversations and parents clearly saw their role in furthering their child’s achievements. This included making time to read with their child, working with designated school staff to improve social and emotional wellbeing and encouraging children to be more resilient, both socially and academically. Pupil attitude to learning: Pupils across the school now show good attitudes to learning whilst in school. In the target cohort there is evidence of improved attitude to learning at home. 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Special Needs

It’s Time for a New Approach to Battling Underachievement

20 Sep 2019

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