Raising Achievement Partnership Programme

LITTLE HEATH SCHOOL

An HPSS RAPP school

Meeting for Designated Teachers for Looked After Children

Personalising the Curriculum for Looked After Children

Oxford School , Glanville Road, Oxford OX4 2AU

3 June 2009

Little Heath School

• Little Heath School is a larger than average oversubscribed comprehensive school with a large sixth form. It has specialist college status in mathematics and science and in 2008 gained a second specialism as a high performing specialist school for 'raising achievement, transforming learning'. The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language is below average.

• The proportion of students with a learning difficulty and/or disability is slightly below average and there are fewer students with statements of special educational needs than nationally.

OFSTED 2009Care and Guidance

This is a highly inclusive school where students confirm that they feel secure as there are always adults available to give excellent support whether their needs are academic, personal or emotional. Students who need additional help with their learning are very well supported through appropriate intervention and make good progress as a result. Vulnerable and looked after students are carefully monitored, and the school uses outside agencies, such as counselling services, very well to give these students the support that they need.

The Challenge

“The challenge is to break the link between poverty and attainment for all pupils”

Our looked After ChildrenThere are currently 6 looked after children at Little Heath School

“Be aspirational for Looked After children, holding the same expectations good parents would have for their own children.”

These Are Our Bairns (The Scottish Government, 2008)

If it’s hard because of family poverty how much harder if you are a looked after child unless you are really cared about?

“Be aspirational for Looked After children, holding the same expectations good parents would have for their own children.” (These Are Our Bairns (The Scottish Government, 2008)

Success+Success+ is the inclusion unit at Little Heath School and was established in 2004.

It is staffed by Di Gonzalez, Success+ leader, and a full time teaching assistant. We also have one teacher allocated to the unit per lesson.

The unit is overseen by the Head of Learning Development, Simon Lovelock, and we collaborate closely with our SENCO, Ally Howes.

Success+Success+ is primarily responsible for working with school-refusers, students with social, emotional or behavioural problems and students who cannot get around the school site due to injury.

In the case of behaviour infringements in school, students are referred to the unit through senior staff removal.

Success+We are able to offer support to students with social and emotional needs via 1-2-1 and small group work. Some of the issues we have covered include:

• Body Image• Bullying• Gossip• Social Skills• SEAL• Stranger Danger• Exam Stress• Attitude to Learning• Self-esteem

Improving the Education of Looked After Children:A Guide for Local Authorities and Service Providers

Tailoring support to suit an individual child or young person, being flexible, involving the young person in choosing the focus of learning, and providing a breadth of learning opportunities, appear to be effective strategies for improving the achievements of looked after children and young people.

The Scottish Government, Edinburgh 2009

Student Voice for allThe HMI report, Count Us In: Improving the Education of Our Looked After Children (HMIE, 2008), says that children should be given a voice in helping to identify and meet their needs. “Children and young people should be involved in regularly reviewing their personal goals with a member of staff that knows the child well, and can discuss the child’s or young person’s progress with parents on a regular basis”

Happy, safe and achieving their potential: A standard of support for children and young people in Scottish schools (Scottish Executive, 2004)

Yr. Surname

Forename

KS2 Points

Potential from KS2

KS2 Rank

Current TA Rank

Attendance Review

7 XX Steph 26.00 Average 210 192 99% Feb-09

7 YY Alex 29.34 Above 137 89 97% Feb-09

7 ZZ Jon 30.26 Above 117 105 97% Feb-09

9 BB Jack 22.88 Below 230 210 95% Oct-08

9 SS Jane 29.30 Above 110   76% Oct-08

13 KK Sam Joined after GCSE; gained D & E at AS in 2008 and predicted same grades for A Level. She has applied to University to take a degree in Social Work.

Our 6 looked after children in 2008 / 2009

Jane Smith – Y9Stage School Action Plus Area of concern ConfidenceDOB 25/07/1995

• Jane joined Little Heath at the start of Year 9 (September 2008). She is a bright pupil but was extremely nervous about joining a new school and has found it difficult to attend school in the past. Please be aware that Jane is a Looked After Child (LAC).

• To help her settle in Jane initially worked on a reduced timetable in Success+.• Jane is now reintegrating back into mainstream lessons. She attends 35 lessons

out of 50 per fortnight. She has recently started going to Mathematics lessons. Jane is now also going to start going to pm tutor times.

• Jane has approached these new challenges with a very positive, mature attitude and we are extremely pleased with the progress she has made.

• Jane’s main concern about lessons is arriving late – in the unlikely event this does happen please don’t drawn attention to her lateness in front of other pupils.

• In the past there have been occasions when circumstances have meant that Jane has absconded from school. Jane has been informed that she should use Success+ as a place of safety if she feels distressed and considers absconding again. Please bear this in mind if she appears distressed in your lessons and use as appropriate.

I will try to follow these targets to help me to improve in my lessons:

1. I will aim to be back into all mainstream lessons ready for the start of Year 10.

2. I will choose my GCSE options sensibly, taking use of the guidance offered by the school.

3. I will become more independent from Success Plus.4. If I need help with my targets I will talk to my form tutor or Mrs

Gonzalez in the Learning Development Department.My progress with my targets will be reviewed in October 2009.

Signed:Comments:

Jane SmithMy Individual Education Plan

Successes and Failures

Successes• When in school Jane

has achieved her IEP targets

Failures• Personal issues have

dominated Jane’s life and caused her to abscond from her care home several times in recent months (and therefore miss school too)

Timetabling Activity

• Jane has recently come back to her care situation;

• She is nervous about returning to school;

• In an effort to encourage her, how adaptable should we be prepared to be with her timetable?

Making That Difference

“I will know I’ve made a difference when the educational outcomes for looked after children and young people and care leavers, in terms of attainment and achievement, are the same as those for their peers who are not looked after.”

These Are Our Bairns (The Scottish Government (2008)

ConclusionTo weaken the link between disadvantage and achievement we must continue to raise attainment overall, and accelerate the rate of progress made by the lowest performers.

We must focus resources on children from disadvantaged backgrounds because without extra help and support they may fall even further behind.