So I am a point in the Christmas break where I finally have some time to sit down and reflect on the whirlwind that was term 1. I started the term extremely enthusiastic on INSET day presenting the following presentation to colleagues and governors that detailed the launch of the schools new and more robust Pupil Premium strategy :
Term 1 was really about letting the new systems and procedures bed in and allowing for them to become habitual for colleagues in the school. As with any new system and whole school change, there was also a large emphasis placed on quality assurance and checking for compliance. The level of QA at the start of term was absolutely crucial to ensure every single layer of support was being maximised and delivered consistently.
A prime example of this heightened QA can be demonstrated in the approach I took to our assertive mentoring programme. For the assertive mentoring programme I created a paper report (containing both pastoral and progress data) that mentors completed each meeting, I modelled what I expected back on the mentor meeting reports and set benchmark, the reports were then sent centrally to myself where I collated and had a running spreadsheet which allowed me to pin point any gaps. I sent out email reminders each week to raise the profile of the programme, spoke in our weekly whole staff meetings, I went and spoke to staff who did not meet the timescales set out (face to face not email), I dropped into forms groups and asked pupils if their AM meetings had taken place, I sent my 5 house leaders to do drop into the locations where the meetings where scheduled to take place....... in essence the system left nothing to chance! The idea of front loading this scrutiny was to ensure that the message was loud and clear for all participants. This was that assertive mentoring was the 'main thing' we were using to improve the disadvantaged cohort. Furthermore..... there was a conscious effort to keep the 'main thing' the 'main thing'. We would not be using a raft superficial or tokenistic bolt on interventions with no proven impact. As a school we would be wholeheartedly driving forward with one intervention but being absolutely consistent in our approach so pupils could not see any cracks or loopholes.
So as the term moved forward and the weeks drew closer to Christmas the main lessons that I learnt were :
Keeping things simple has more of an impact - Initially at the start of the assertive mentoring programme I asked staff to set pupils 3 targets to focus on for the half term. For some pupils (and staff in fact) this was too much to keep a meaningful handle on. Pupils were struggling to prioritise what target to focus on at which particular time. For term 2 I will be asking staff to set 1 mentoring target and be relentless in supporting their mentees until it is met (quality over quantity). This way pupils do not feel overwhelmed and all stake holders will be able to see 'the wood for the trees'. It is important to note that mentors will still have the opportunity to set more targets once the original one is met. The revised assertive mentoring plan can be found by clicking the image below:
An individual approach is needed to break down rooted poor attendance - As part of my strategy to improve attendance for the DP’s in school I rigorously monitor the data on a weekly basis and check for trends. I look for pupils whos attendance is slipping week on week and intervene. Now this doesn’t matter if pupils are moving from 100% to 99%, this is still slippage and needs to be investigated. My team text, ring, email lots of families each week to discuss and challenge attendance, but more importantly they speak with the pupils themselves. From this heightened contact one thing has become apparent..... there is no magic wand to fix poor attendance. It needs looking at an individual pupil level and wrap around support providing. Sometimes our DP’s have to really step up and become a leading role in the household when things become tough, and inevitably school does not always take priority. I have noticed one thing though, it does work to try and plan a week ahead with pupils within chronic poor attendance. Ask them what they imagine the pinch points may be? what do they have to do on each morning? what days do they have to drop siblings off at school? what is asked of them by their parents and carers? This way you can plan the support. Do they need collecting on a specific day, do they need help applying for a bus pass, do they know which buses to catch and the times they need to be at the bus stop? How do they wake up in a morning? Do they have an alarm? Do they need an early morning call as a reminder? Do the family need external agency support or early help? The thing is to catch it early and not let it manifest into persistent absence throughout the year. It is important to look for triggers and trends at family level. In my school there seems to be a trend that when one sibling is off the other one stays off also to support the family with the sick child. We have noticed this and are working with families to counteract the problem. We have also noticed that own clothes days can sometimes be a trigger and the week after a holiday can also be difficult. Ask yourself what are the prevailing trends in your school? To really know this your attendance tracking for DP needs to be robust. Lastly I have also learned that for the most hardest to reach pupils creating a school experience that is both warm and welcoming is the biggest win you can have. This can be done through increasing the positive face-to-face interactions they receive on a daily basis (assertive mentoring and relationships), being strategic in what staff they report to when they arrive through your gates (selection of form tutor/year lead/support staff/teaching assistants/senior leaders). All of the above contribute to a more welcoming environment that makes school a safe place they want to attend.
Share the impact and focus with all staff frequently - As we are all aware whole school change and new systems undoubtedly increase workload whether it is intended to do or not (unintended consequences). This can be for a short intensive period of time or it can be prolonged. Nevertheless, staff have the right to know if the additional things they are doing are having an impact on the children. If not you need to be brave enough to drop them, refocus, dust off and plough your energy into something else that will have the desired impact. For me I have found the sharing of impact information to all key stakeholders hugely beneficial. For staff on the front line it has been a catalysis to pull some more apprehensive members along into my vision and been nothing but motivational, it has provided governors with the opportunity to rigorously challenge me on pupil premium spend, finally it has allowed middle leaders the chance to plan support for their DP's across the school with a direct impetus placed on KS3 (removing the Y11 sticking plaster effect).
Now comes the method . . . .
For followers who have read my previous blogs you will be aware that a large part of what I set out to do this year was marry up the pastoral and progress aspects of school. This was because for DP's it is equally as likely to be a pastoral issue that is a barrier to learning compared to purely academic barriers. So what I did was create the document that is shared below
The document above provides a holistic picture for DP across the school and is broken down into each year. The document includes the following measures:
Overall Progress 8/Attainment 8 for each year including confidence intervals
English, Maths, Ebacc and open P8 for each year with confidence intervals
Subjects of strength and subjects with AFI trails
Attendance/absence overall and for each year compared to national
Persistent absence overall and each year compared to national
Attitude to learning grade for each year
PASS assessment for each year (recommended in our PP review)
Behaviour/Acheivement points for each year.
Detentions
Isolations
Fixed term exclusions and repeat exclusions
Numbers of DP's per year and the average KS2 point score.
Next blog: Key actions for term 2 to keep the momentum going!
If anyone would like a copy of the template used to present the holistic data set let me know. It is easily adaptable and allows you to make a forensic analysis.
Mr Peachey