Increasing Investment to Improve Basic Education Outcomes ...
Leadership and Learning: to improve outcomes for pupils ... · Leadership and Learning to improve...
Transcript of Leadership and Learning: to improve outcomes for pupils ... · Leadership and Learning to improve...
Leadership and Learning to improve outcomes for pupils
identified with SEND
Professor Sonia Blandford
Lamb Inquiry (DCSF, 2009) said:
• Change the culture in schools for children with
SEN
• There should be a relentless drive to improve outcomes for all children
• Bring parents into contact with schools to discuss their children, their interests and their targets.
SEN and inclusion
• Research shows importance of head teacher in developing an inclusive school (Kugelmass, 2003)
• Leadership central to Achievement for All –pilot focussed on 4 key areas of inclusive leadership identified by National College-vision, commitment, collaboration and communication (NCSL, 2010)
Whose responsibility ?
‘School leaders set the ethos that either welcomes or side lines disabled children and children with SEN’
(Source: Lamb Inquiry, DCSF, 2009)
Key task for leaders
• Develop a system where teachers are supported and challenged to search for more effective ways of enabling all students to learn.
Teachers beliefs, attitudes, values and actions create the context in which children are able to participate and learn.
Learning from the research • Supporting vulnerable learners is more about social
learning within a particular context rather than using particular techniques or organisational arrangements
• Changing outcomes for vulnerable learners is unlikely to happen without changes in the behaviours of adults
• Starting point-enabling staff to enlarge their capacity of what might be achieved and increase their sense of accountability for bringing this about
(Source: Chapman et al, 2011)
School Leaders
Have a crucial role in sustaining change in beliefs, values and practices
This implies that becoming more inclusive requires:
• Thinking
• Talking
• Reviewing practice
• Refining practice
• And making attempts to develop a more inclusive culture
Creating the right climate
Values should show commitment to
offering educational opportunity to all students and this should be shared
across staff
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Features of successful schools in promoting achievement of children with
SEND (Chapman et al., 2011) • Culture and ethos-a shared common purpose
across the school
• Practices-staff working together to share practice, adapt lesson plans in response to individual need (sometimes on the spot)
• Structures and systems-excellent and focussed on supporting the learning of individual students and staff
• AND……………………….
Management and leadership- School leaders:
• Model deep commitment to the learning of every child
• Lead by example
• Distribute leadership
• Give staff freedom within a framework of high standards
• Develop strong lines of communication
• Encourage team work
Inclusion and School improvement
Inclusion can be seen as a process of ‘school improvement with attitude’
(Source: Ainscow, Booth & Dyson, 2006).
Achievement for All works in partnership with schools to provide :
• A framework for school improvement- implemented through the 4 key elements of leadership, assessment and data tracking, parental engagement and wider outcomes.
• It focuses on children with SEND but the impact is much wider across the school.
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Achievement for All is not about reinventing the wheel: it is about redeploying resources and rethinking approaches.
Achievement for All works with schools to:
• Create a culture for improvement
AND
• A culture for children with SEND
Achievement for All:
based on 3 approaches to improving outcomes and involvement
• A focus on improving aspirations, progress and attainment of all children through high expectations
• Supported and informed by improved engagement with parents through structured conversations, where parents explore what would help their children
• And improving what happens in the classroom
School improvement involves
• Strategic planning
• Operational planning
Schools need to know how to:
• Collect the right data
• Analyse the data
• Set targets
• Involve parents in their children’s learning
• Plan
• Implement
• Monitor and evaluate
Developing school culture for ALL children
• Focus on school leadership
• Focus on pupil progress-all pupils
• Train teachers and other staff
Achievement for All: Effective leadership
• A strong vision for all pupils- supported by commitment, collaboration and effective communication with parents/carers, pupils, teachers and leaders;
• Strong values- demonstrated by the behaviour of staff, governors and pupils;
• Leadership strategies- embedding Achievement for All in all classrooms;
• Professional development- for all leaders, teachers and support practitioners to engage pupils and parents/carers in learning; and
• A focus- on the achievement, access and aspirations of all pupils
Developing and sustaining systems of accountability- in practice this means: • Developing rigorous systems • Understanding and working with governance
structures (including sponsors and executive structures)
• Understanding financial planning • Using data to improve standards • Recruiting and retaining the best staff and
developing individual talents • Developing systems leadership • Developing partnerships with other schools
Teaching and Learning
• Put in place effective assessment
• Put in place effective tracking of pupils
• Track progress and attainment
• Set appropriate targets for pupils
• CPD for teachers
Changing school and teacher attitudes
"It’s about saying, is this progress as good as it should be? And if it isn’t, why isn’t it? And what are we doing about it?" (NS Regional Advisor)
Focus on raising attainment= learning + attainment in the classroom
In practice:
• Rigorous assessment and tracking of pupil progress
• Set challenging targets for pupils
• Interventions-where appropriate
• Improve literacy and numeracy
Identifying SEND- how accurate?
By end of pilot- 5.6% of pupils in the target cohort were no longer considered to have SEND by their schools (the majority were previously at School Action)
(Source: DfE, 2011)
Possible reasons for change: a systematic approach? (adapted from DfE, 2011)
1. Achievement for All Provided
schools with the opportunity to reflect on how
SEND is defined and understood
2. This enabled schools to target provision more effectively and
efficiently for their most vulnerable
learners.
3. Teachers’ classroom practice
became more inclusive in
meeting the needs of all pupils in the
classroom.
4. Thus, what was required to meet
the needs of certain pupils was
no longer considered to be ‘different and/or additional’, as it
had become embedded in
everyday practice.
Haverstock school reduced the numbers on the SEND register and boosted attainment
Haverstock began their AfA journey in 2009…
Secondary, 1,300 pupils
>50% on SEN register
>60% EAL
>70% ethnic minorities
38% achieving 5A* - C GCSE (inc. English and maths)
AfA has been a whole-school priority in the school since 2009, fundamental to improving practice and supporting staff, especially with regards to SEND
…with impressive results
SEN register has fallen by 11%
5A*-C at GCSE (inc. English and maths) rose to 50% in 2011
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In addition to improved outcomes, AfA saves schools and Local Authorities money in cash terms
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Exclusion, per pupil
Support per disruptive pupil
Specialised interventions, per pupil
Persistent absence, per pupil
Achievement for All, per school
Annual costs associated with behaviour and attendance (£ 000's) 10% drop in persistent
absenteeism across pilot schools
Significant reductions in bullying and behavioural problems reported by teachers
Many schools saw reduced exclusions, saving cash for the school and Local Authority1
AfA costs less per school than many interventions associated with behaviour and attendance, per pupil
Pilot schools made significant savings on these interventions
1. Exclusion data was not reported in the evaluation report, however, anecdotal evidence suggests significant drops in the exclusion rate 28
Achievement for All: Value for money
• Exclusions: the cost of one excluded child is in the region of £14,664pa
• Persistent absence: dealing with each absentee cost is in the region of £1,696pa
• Specialised interventions: intervention costs between £1,000 and £3,000pa
• Disruption: costs of supporting a disruptive pupil in school are around £6000pa
For every school, Academy Group or Local Authority, there are at least 10 good reasons to join AfA
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1. There is a high degree of overlap between pupils with SEND and the lowest performing 20% in terms of attainment