Key to supporting disadvantaged students

#disadvantage #socialmobility #wideningaccess #strategy

Every school is expected to publish its Pupil Premium Strategy on its website. The level of detail varies, as do the strategies employed. In my Leadership Journal, I came across this short section that I'd added to fill a space back in 2015. It was early on in the journal, when I included a note as an aide memoir and added illustrations to brighten up the page.

Extract from my Leadership Journal

The National Foundation for Educational Research had discovered in 2015, that in the 4 years since the introduction of the Pupil Premium, schools had adopted an average of 18 different strategies to address the disadvantaged attainment gap. This reflects how schools were, in the beginning, guessing what would work or following the next 'shiny thing'. Not that this is still not going on and I'd like to see the latest data. Certainly the recommended building blocks to success still apply.

When reviewing my own school's Pupil Premium Strategy in the post-COVID era, I came across Addressing Educational Disadvantage in Schools and Colleges; The Essex Way. This outlined research carried out by Essex County Council on the impact of various initiatives and strategies carried out by its schools. The book explored how much value for money schools were able to achieve by measuring the impact on student outcomes. What was most striking in its analysis was that spending the money on resources or allocating the funds on covering costs had minimal impact. The most effective approach appeared to be a focus on the learning experience. This included activities that built positive relationships between students and school staff, such as mentoring. The greatest impact was found in investing in the professional development of teaching staff. The research suggested that disadvantaged students were more likely to be taught in lower ability or groups with behaviour issues. These groups were less likely to be taught by curriculum leaders and more likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers which contributed to the widening achievement gap. Improving the quality of teaching ensured that all students were able to access the same level of education.

I was fortunate enough to work at Balcarras School, a high achieving comprehensive school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire under the headship of Chris Healy. He instilled the belief that excellence could be achieved by getting the basics right and investing in the teaching staff to support this. His mantra was as simple as ABC.

A is for Attendance

B is for Behaviour

C is for Classroom

The classroom experience is reliant on a happy, confident, skilled and committed teaching staff. They are the most valuable resource that a school has in making a difference and ensuring that all students make progress and access the curriculum. The best teachers aspire to be inspirational and their lessons reflect that. The high standard and integrity of teachers sets the tone for the learning behaviour expected from students. Positive behaviour equips students to be able to access the curriculum. This leads to the A of the ABC. None of this matters if students don't attend. Furthermore, the more a student is absent, the less involved they are in the school community. Therefore, supporting and celebrating attendance becomes a fundamental part of excellent provision.

Tackling disadvantage involves taking the things that people take for granted and making excellence the norm rather than the exception.