Whatever It Takes

1. Whatever It Takes Ensuring that all students achieve

2. The Disadvantage Gap • 42% of disadvantaged students gain 5+ CEM compared to 67% of non-disadvantaged students • Social background explains 14% of variance in student performance in the UK compared to 8% in Finland • There arebigger variations in the performance of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students within schools than there are betweenschools. This is more marked in the UK than in other countries • The most advantaged 20% of students are 6x more likely to go to a select university than the most disadvantaged 40%

3. Characteristics of effective action to tackle underachievementOfsted Pupil Premium Update July 2014 • Proper analysis of where students are underachieving and why • Good use of research evidence, like the EEF Toolkit, when choosing strategies • Focus on high quality teaching, rather than compensatory interventions • The best teachers lead English/Mathsintervention groups • Frequent use of achievement data to check the effectiveness of interventions and adjust, rather than waiting until after the intervention • Systematic focus on clear student feedback and improvement strategies • Designated senior leader has clear overview of the funding allocation • All teachers are aware of Pupil Premium students • Strategies for improving attendance, behaviour or family links if these are an issue • Performance management of staff includes discussions about Pupil Premium students

4. The best schools...Cracking the Code: Report by the Social Mobility & Child Poverty Commission Oct 2014 • Use PP Funding strategically • Build high expectations: Whatever It Takes culture • Focus incessantly on the quality of teaching • Have tailored strategies to engage parents • Prepare students for all aspects of life: building character and careers & university preparation

5. 1. Use PP Funding strategically • Robust data-driven analysis of students and classes • Use informed practice on what works from sources like the Education Endowment Foundation Toolkit • Focus on the basics: literacy & numeracy • Have threshold literacy and numeracy standards • Ensure that all students have mastery of these through their time at school • Focus on life skills using destination data to measure success: to what extent do disadvantaged students have the knowledge, skills and advice to thrive when they leave? • Look at the impact of poverty on learning: uniform, health, diet, participation in extracurricular activities, parental engagement, homework, and risks of being bullied • Look across the student spectrum, not just at borderline students • Review targets for disadvantaged students to ensure that these are aspirational • Analyse the deprivation of the entire student body (two thirds of children in poverty in the UK live in working families)

6. Robust Tracking Analysis of students and classes: • What milestone targets do you want to meet? • Who is making expected progress? • Who is making more than expected progress? What learner/ class/ teaching characteristics could be shared? • Who is making less than expected progress? Why? What are the learning/ teaching gaps? What can be done? • Is our information accurate: moderated, sustained in light of actual results etc.? • Does information match evidence of progress in students’ work? • Where are gaps narrowing? Why? What learner/ class/ teaching characteristics could be shared? • Where are gaps failing to narrow? Why? What are the learning/ teaching gaps? What can be done? • What are the effect sizes of strategies being used? • Create a Strategy Handbook of effective strategies used across the school Frequent use of achievement data to check the effectiveness of interventions and adjust, rather than waiting until after the intervention

7. Possible areas to include in an audit of underperforming students • Attendance rates • Mobility rates • Behaviour records: including detentions, other sanctions, and exclusions • Profile of GCSE options • Profile of subject sets • Profile of quality of staff • Ambition Audit • Pattern of participation in extracurricular and out-of-school activities • Identification of additional support • Parental support, including attendance at parents’ evenings • Allocation of work experience and internship placements • Destination Data • Involvement in student leadership • Well being survey

8. Forensically targeted intervention Short, sharply-focused interventions measured for impact • Peer Coaching • Peer Team or Class challenges • Clinics • Coaching • Catch ups • Master classes • Targeted threshold concept coaching • Self-supported study staffed by teachers • Involvement of parents Measure the effect size of interventions Ensure that there is an overview and planning schedule for intervention

9. Intervention Structure Consider use of form tutors e.g. key groups with Maths or English form tutor

10. 2. Build high expectations: Whatever It Takes culture Unwavering commitment to closing gaps • Shared sense of moral purpose • Aspirational targets • Helping students to stand out from the start e.g. providing music tuition • Strong discipline • Smart uniform • Insist on high standards of work: For ideas see How to Book Polish @lovelearningideas.com • Celebrate success: Great Work Galleries, Alumni Network • School environment • Reinforce ambition: signs on doors of where teachers went to university • Study Facilities: Library, Silent Study Area • Resources: High quality stationery, ICT etc. • Scholarship Forms • QQ data on all students • Pastoral focus on improving barriers to learning e.g. attendance, behaviour and homework completion • Employment of Learning Coaches

11. Whatever It Takes: Failure is not an option Equipment, ready to work hard, homework, prepared to concentrate Understand that parental support can add 8 grades value overall ‘Nuff’ said Understand the concept of ‘Powerful Knowledge:’ that no student should be excluded from key knowledge Prepared to work hard, keep practising and not give up

12. 3. Focus incessantly on the quality of teaching: teachers High quality teaching has more impact on disadvantaged students. Sutton Trust evidence showed that ‘over a school year, [disadvantaged] pupils can gain 1.5 years’ worth of learning with very effective teachers, compared with 0.5 years with poorly performing teachers. • Build a sense of moral purpose in the school [and recruitment processes] • Reward staff for succeeding with challenging classes • Focus on mentoring, coaching and use of middle leaders to drive improvement • Deploy the best teachers to tackle underperformance including as form tutors • Focus CPD on building teaching capacity in tackling underperformance • Focus T&L working parties, conferences and R&D on tackling underperformance • Ensure high quality recruitment [and retention] of new and experienced staff • Share informed practice as a key part of CPD • Collaborate with other schools to deliver coaching and training, enable secondments, support ITT and gain good practice from outstanding schools elsewhere in the country

13. 3. Focus incessantly on the quality of teaching: curriculum • Depth before breadth: ensure that new students below reading and maths standards master these before they receive a broader academic curriculum • Focus on students gaining cultural capital: a study over 101 months found that on an average day the Times makes 2700 references which require background knowledge for comprehension • Consider class sizes. How can these be utilised for greatest impact on underachievement? • Consider timetabling: core learning at optimum times, opportunities for spaced practice • Consider block scheduling: an IoE study showed that in Science, A/B block scheduling resulted in higher results than traditional schedules

14. 3. Focus incessantly on the quality of teaching: teaching • High quality teaching see Lesson Ingredients for Learning @lovelearningideas.com • Teachers with rigorous subject knowledge • Teachers with high expectations • Focus on students gaining mastery of threshold concepts • Focus on precise literacy • Focus on behaviour for learning • Focus on effective feedback For more ideas see Raising the Bar @Headguruteacher

15. 4. Have tailored strategies to engage parents • Funded outreach workers • Focus on building engagement with parents as part of transition from primary school • Visiting family homes or neutral ground • Engagement with other agencies • Family Coaches • Parent Peer Coaches • Family ICT Tech Support • Family Library • Weekly drop in • Award ceremonies • Student performances and galleries • Targeted parents meetings and contracts to include: i. Discussion of parents’ aspirations for their child ii. Discussion of the impact of continued underperformance on their child’s life iii.Sharingresearch on parental engagement iv.Discussingareas for improvement – comparing their child’s work to their better performing peers (using examples of work to demonstrate to parents rather than using abstract concepts or levels). v. Guidance and ideas on how parents could help to address underperformance. “Parents really buy into the tailored support”.

16. 5. Prepare students for all aspects of life: building character and careers and university preparation All students ‘in-line-of-sight’ of work • Goal-setting beyond academic results to career goals • Social and cultural capital building • Early engagement with universities • Aknowledge-based curriculum tailored to individual needs • Early engagement with employers focused on utilising employers’ expertise about the workplace, not just on aspiration-raising • Tailored offers to prevent students from dropping out of study or work • Aspiration Programme • Business Mentors and Careers Cafes • Use of QQ data • Support for development of literacy: Reading Bingo, DEAR Form Time once a week, D Factor, Word Bingo