29 April 2008 Edgbaston Cricket Ground

1. Using Action Research to Identify and Address Underachievement 2008-2009 29 April 2008 Edgbaston Cricket Ground

2. What will my school be expected to do? • Undertake an action research project to identify how the attainment of identified underachieving pupils might be improved. • This will involve: • Identification of the research question/hypothesis • Identification of focus pupils, completing diagnostic analysis to • ascertain learning needs • Identification of research approach and actions to be undertaken • Completion and submission of bid through production of an action plan • Conduct action research project • Interim evaluation and production of brief (written) report • Collection of evidence of impact • Evaluation of impact and production of brief (written) summary report

3. What support could be available? Centre-based workshops (including the action research process); in-school consultancy; networking with schools researching similar issues. Timescale: * Bids submitted by 16th May 2008 * Results of bid and allocation of £4,000 funding by the end of June 2008 * Action Research Project conducted between September 2008 and June 2009. * Interim report submitted by 1st December 2008 and second allocation of £4000 in January 2009 * Final report submitted mid July 2009.

12. BLACK PUPILS ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAMME Dr Lorna Cork

13. ACTION RESEARCH RAISING ACHIEVEMENT

14. Black Caribbean Pupil Density Map

15. IMPACTED ON: • Enjoying and Achieving • Parent and community partnership • Mentoring for Learning

16. ACTIVE LEARNING THROUGH: • Network meetings • Engaging speakers/community groups • Professional and peer support • Practical guidance material

17. Pupil Voice: ‘Read more books’ ‘Learnt about Black culture and the things I can do to become successful’ Professional Voice ‘There is a raised awareness of ethnicity data which has challenged teacher expectations’ ‘Programmes like this are essential’

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19. For Key Stage 3 we need to be asking: • Why is it that such a low percentage of the cohort actually entered all their SATs? • What caused the 10% lower entry in 2007 as compared with 2006 • What steps do we need to take to make sure that LAC attend school and sit the test? • Why is the performance so much lower than their peer group? • Are we using LACES staff and all other resources available to us to boost these young people’s scores?

20. Gifted and Talented • Paul Wolstenholme

21. Gifted and Talented • Underachievement = the failure to fulfil potential • How would you know if your Gifted and Talented pupils were underachieving?

22. The process for raising the achievement of G&T pupils is the same process as raising achievement for other pupils.

23. 1. Identify underachievement 2. Explore Reasons for underachievement 4. Monitor progress and evaluate impact 3. Put an intervention plan into place

24. Intervention strategies that work • 1. Assessment for Learning • The 24 KMOFAP teachers showed an average effect size of 0.35 • That is they boosted their classes GCSE grades by about a half grade. • This would raise a school’s performance from the bottom quarter of the league tables to the top third.

25. Intervention strategies that work 2. Assertive Mentoring In 1998 the GCSEA*-C results for Hurworth School were 38%. They considered their biggest problem to be ‘laddishness’. In 2007 it was 91% (81%) including English and maths. They believe that the gradual and sustained improvement was due to the implementation od assertive Mentoring firstly with their Year11 and subsequently also with their Year 9.

26. Looked After Children Frank Orboski

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28. For GCSE we need to be asking: • On the 2006 entry 99% of the LA Cohort were entered for at least 1 GCSE. Why were only 66% of the LAC cohort entered? • Why did this drop to 61% in 2007 • Do we make sure that LAC educated “off site” follow courses that at least lead to some accreditation? • How do we explain the gap between LAC and their peer group? • What can we do to address this gap?

29. We are ALL the Corporate Parents for LAC: • Would we be satisfied with these results for our own children? • Why should we be satisfied with them for children for whom we are “Corporate Parents”? • What are we doing about it? I

30. Minority Ethnic Achievement Programme and EAL Marion Sharieff and Paddy Walsh

31. ‏ Minority Ethnic Achievement Project (MEAP)‏ • Leadership & inclusion • Effective use of data • Learning and teaching • Literacy and learning across the curriculum • Parents & the community

32. Objectives of the Project To ensure that the attainment of the focus groups is raised by: • improved teaching and learning within the core subjects in KS3 • Appropriate targeting of intervention and support • Increasingly effective partnerships with parents and community

33. Outcomes – pupil level • Better understanding of their ‘working at’ levels and what they need to do to improve • Awareness of the ‘pupil voice’ informing teaching and learning in the focus subject • Increased motivation and enjoyment in lessons • Increased rates of progress • Higher aspirations

34. Outcomes – school level • Improved quality of teaching and learning and more effective use of Strategy and EMA resources • Increased confidence in planning for a diverse range of pupils • Higher expectations of pupils • More effective partnership with EMA colleagues • More effective partnerships with parents and communities

35. Outcomes at LA level • Mainstreaming of minority ethnic achievement • Increased capacity to develop and sustain improvements in the achievement of PBST heritage pupils • Establishment of effective networks for promoting and disseminating effective practice

36. Guidance Materials Raising the attainment of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali and Turkish heritage pupils – Guidance for developing inclusive practice is to be used with The management guideto support school leaders in developing a strategic approach to raising attainment

37. White Underachievement Karamat Iqbal

38. White underachievement – Key Points 1.Largest underachieving group 2.Multiple disadvantage - lack of ‘social capital’, least resilient 3.Excluded from race equality 4.No national strategy 5.Lacks ‘respectable’ representation

39. GCSE/GNVQ No Passes 2003Nationally • White 25000 • Black 1194 • Mixed 618 • Pakistani 601 • Indian 307 • Bangladeshi 231

40. There is a problem! • White boys on free school meals who did not achieve any GCSE passes in 2003 were “the largest of any group” • SEU 2004 • “But lowest of all, in those average test results, are White working class boys” P Hewitt 2005 • White British on FSM, lowest achieving (5+ A*-C) at 20% • DfES 2005

41. Underachieving White British pupils • ‘Attention has sometimes focussed on the low attainment of • deprived White boys but deprived White girls do not fare • much better’ • 17% White British boys on FSM achieved 5+A*-C • (50% non FSM) • 24% White British girls on FSM achieved 5+A*-C • (61% non FSM) • DCSF 30.04.07

42. Birmingham pupils who did not achieve 5 A*-C 2007: 4795 • White 2496 • Pakistani 937 • Black 381 • Mixed 299 • Indian 211

43. Foundational disadvantage • Lack of cultural/linguistic resources • Disadvantaged by neighbourhood • ‘socio-economic disadvantage is more strongly associated with low achievement amongst White British pupils than among other groups’ DCSF 30.04.07 • ‘Most ethnic groups have significantly smaller chances of being low achievers than White British’ and ‘White British students least able to weather economic disadvantage’ Cassen + Kingdon 2007

44. Social capital those tangible substances (that) count for most in daily lives of people: namely goodwill, fellowship, sympathy, and social intercourse among the individuals and families who make up a social unit… The individual is helpless socially, if left to himself…If he comes into contact with his neighbour, and they with other neighbours, there will be an accumulation of social capital, which may immediately satisfy his social needs and which may bear a social potentiality sufficient to the substantial improvement of living conditions in the whole community. The community as a whole will benefit by the co-operation of all its parts, while the individual will find in his associations the advantages of the help, the sympathy and the fellowship of his neighbours Robert D. Putnam ‘Bowling alone’ 2000

45. They don't mention us English • ‘Everyone hates the White working class male’- (Rod Liddle 14.11.04) • ‘The prejudice that still shames the nation’ – (Nick Cohen 16.03.08) • ‘We found a number of cases where teachers referred to diversity and ethnicity in a way that focused almost exclusively on minority ethnic groups and their cultures. White ethnicity ..was not considered’ (Diversity and Citizenship in the curriculum DfES 2007)

46. Who gives a damn about White underachievement! • Trades unions! • The Church! • Political parties! • Media! • Equality campaigners! • Professionals! • Schools • Others

47. Recommendations • Acknowledge the problem • Need for explicit strategy & resources • Acknowledge & celebrate White ethnicity • Parental & wider community involvement • Seminars & workshops • Investment into development of social/cultural capital • What works!

48. Discussion • What are your issues? • In addressing underachievement, should we focus on: • Social class • Race • Gender • How to address political sensitivity surrounding White underachievement

49. SEN Underachievement Research Opportunities Karen Wilson Amanda Daniels Gail O’Brien

50. Research • Many researchers have shown that lower sets contain a disproportionate number of boys, socially disadvantaged pupils, pupils from minority ethnic groups and summer-born children