Working Group on Schools policy - Early School Leaving

1. Working Group on Schools policy -Early School Leaving January 2014 to November 2015

2. Working Group on School policy • - a new generation of Working Groups (WG) • - mandate endorsed by Member States • - January 2014 – October 2015 • - memberships: national representatives (EU, candidate and EFTA countries)+ social partners • - focus on: • Reducing early school leaving • Improving the quality of teaching by improving teacher education

3. Early school leaving – mandate and outputs Stimulate further Member State action to implement the 2011 Council Recommendation • Focus: How to better support schools in preventing/ reducing ESL by developing collaborative practices (in and around school) • - Cooperationandteamworkamongschoolstaffwith a view to creatingsupportiveandconducivelearningenvironments • - The capacityof schools to interactandcooperatewith all relevantstakeholders

4. Final outputs A Schooltoolkit, on how to introduce collaborative approches in differentschool conditions; withexamples; steps, "dos and don'ts"; diversifiedaccording to levelofschoolautonomy with accompaningrecommendations for policy-makers

5. Methodology Combination of 1-2 day meetings in Brussels and Peer Learning Activities (PLAs) 3 PLAs – Lisbon looking at school autonomy- Lyons looking at parental involvement in schools --- Dublin looking at whole school approach. Lifelong learning programme

6. Methodology contd At Group 1st meeting presentation by Prof. Alan Dyson on whole school approaches to ESL. Whole School approach adopted as methodological template for the Group’s work Group divided into 5 sub sets Lifelong learning programme

7. WG on Schools working program To developcollaborative practices in and around schools we need to consider: - School organisation and leadership - Support for teachers - Support for learners - Involvement of parents and extended families - Involvement of other stakeholders

8. Key Statements/Policy recommendations • * The school is a key actor to tackle early school leaving but it cannot work in isolation, because external factors will influence a learner’s level of engagement and success. Therefore, a 'whole school approach' to early school leaving is needed. • * Whole School approach: where the entire school community engages in a cohesive, collective and collaborative action, with strong cooperation with external stakeholders and the community at large. • * This whole school approach enables schools to respond adequately to new and complex challenges schools are facing, linked to the increasing diversity in society.

9. Key Statements/Policy recommendations contd • * Effective leadership and governance essential to promote a positive school culture, teamwork and collaborative practices within the school community. • * Also need to bring school actors and stakeholders together to ensure educational success and prevent early school leaving. • * School development and improvement processes to targets to address the underlying factors of early school leaving. They should also involve the entire school community, stakeholders, multi-professional teams, external local services, parents and families. • .

10. Key Statements/Policy recommendations contd • * Commitment towards investment for continuous professional development of school leaders, teachers and other school staff with a focus on awareness of early school leaving processes, and on the competences and skills needed to address educational disadvantage and student disengagement • * Ensuring each child and young person has an equal chance to access, participate and benefit from high quality and inclusive education is a must. • *Engaging and relevant curriculum together with inspiring and dedicated staff is the most effective way to prevent early school leaving and social exclusion.

11. Key Statements/Policy recommendations contd • * All learners and their diverse needs should be at the centre of education. They should be actors of their own learning and be surrounded by appropriate support and services. • *The school should offer a caring, stimulating and conducive learning environment and set high expectations for all learners to reach their full potential. • *Education is a shared responsibility between parents and the school – it must be built on a relationship of mutual trust and cooperation between the two.

12. Purpose and target groups of the toolkit • A diagnostic tool (to identify/assess needs and gaps in ESL prevention) and • A resource (advice, ideas and examples to implement at school level) Target groups: • School management (principals) • Teachers / school staff • Parents / extended family • NGOs/associations • Local authorities • Other professionals (social, health etc.)

13. Structure of the content • WHAT?Five mentioned areas split into more specific proposed actions to introduce at school level – proposed actions/advice • WHY?Explanation on why this action is important, including evidence from research, examples of positive results, overview of MSs implementing such measures • HOW? • An example from practice / case study (story, video, additional materials, possible contacts);

14. ESL Tool-Kit Simplified version 19.06.2015 Data-Base of UsersLinked to eTwinning Home Page Users’ data stored for statistical analysis of profiles and needs Self-assessmentquestionnaireTo identify needs User Log-in General information and documents on ESL, good practices and 5 areas of the toolkit Free browsing of resources - Browse by category - Free search by keyword Suggest more resources Personalised Report withList of selected resources Subject to editorial approval Data-Base of ResourcesExamples of good practice; national, regional and school level measures and projects Phase 1 Phase 2

18. Further information EU work on ESL: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/school/early-school-leavers_en.htm Final Report of the TWG on ESL: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-framework/doc/esl-group-report_en.pdf Current Working Group on School Policy: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-framework/expert-groups_en.htm