Transition Support Project

1. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Transition Support Project Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Educational Psychology within the Secondary Behaviour Support Partnership

2. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Project Overview • Tohelp vulnerable children maintain positive engagement throughtransition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 and beyond • Research-based intervention • Solution oriented approach • Analysis of data on 1500 children in Camden schools to clarify factors that contribute to successful or unsuccessful transition.

3. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Definition: unsuccessful transition • Excluded from secondary school(fixed term / permanent / managed move) • Attendance fell into category of persistent absence • Academic progress slowed significantly more than peers

4. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify Risk Factors • Data from Camden schools was used to identify children whose transition was unsuccessful • Analysis was conducted oflinkstofactors such as gender, ethnicity, SEN, LAC status, socio-economic status etc • This was intended to identify risk factors that make children vulnerable to unsuccessful transition

5. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify Protective Factors • Analysis was conducted to identify children who share characteristics identified as risk factors, but who have made a successful transition. • Analysis was conducted to identify what factors may have helped them achieve a successful transition. • The research base on transitions was reviewed to identify effective forms of support.

6. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: 3 categories of difficulty Attendance • A new variable generated to operationalise difference in attendance between Year 6 and Key Stage 3 • Attendance of children was on average 2.12 % higher in Year 6 than it was in Key Stage 3 • The category of unsuccessful transition related to attendance was defined by attendance falling from above 80% in Year 6 to below in Key Stage 3

7. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: 3 categories of difficulty Academic progress Nationally, the expected attainment of children is as follows: Academic Progress Level Points KS1 average point score (KS1 APS) 2 15 KS2 average point score (KS2 APS)4 27 KS3 average point score (KS3 APS) 5.5 36 KS2 average progress (KS2 APS – KS1 APS) 12 KS3 average progress (KS2 APS – KS1 APS) 9 KS2 yearly progress (KS2 average progress ÷ 4) 3 KS3 yearly progress (KS3average progress ÷ 3) 3 KS2 and KS3 progress compared (ProgKS2vsProgKS3) 0

8. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results 3 categories of difficulty Academic Progress • ProgKS2vsProgKS3 for 1339 children. • Mean value of -0.81 and SD of 1.53 • Average annual rate of progress slowed in Key Stage 3 as compared with Key Stage 2 • Category of unsuccessful transition if difference in progress >1 SD below the mean • Unsuccessful if ProgKS2vsProgKS3 below -2.34

9. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: 3 categories of difficulty Exclusions • A variable was generated to identify those children who had not received any exclusions in Year 6, but had at least one fixed term exclusion in Key Stage 3 (EXCKS3vsYr6).

10. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results:an example

11. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: attendance • The decline in annual rate of attendance was significantly greater among the following groups: • Boys • Children eligible for free school meals • Children whose first language is English • Children at School Action Plus on the SEN register • Children joining school after start of Year 7

12. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: attendance • After transition, the attendance of children was significantly more likely to drop down into the category of persistent absence (below 80%) among the following groups: • Boys • Children eligible for free school meals • Children at School Action Plus on the SEN register • Children joining school after start of Year 7

13. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: attendance • Too few LAC for valid statistical comparison. • However, average decline in attendance among LAC (7.74%) much greater than among others (2.09%). • 40% of LAC began to show persistent absence in Key Stage 3. • BESD: 25 of 63 pupils began to show persistent absence in Key Stage 3.

14. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: academic progress • Decline in annual rate of academic progress was significantly greater among the following groups: • Boys • Children eligible for free school meals • Children on the register of SEN • Average decline in rate of progress among LAC (2.02 points) much greater than among others (0.8 points).

15. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: academic progress • Following groups significantly more likely to be in category of unsuccessful transition: • Boys • Children eligible for free school meals • Children at School Action Plus on the SEN register • Children joining secondary school after start of Yr 7

16. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: academic progress • 2 of 6 LAC in this category • 4 of 12 Gypsy Roma Travellers in this category • SEN Categories: BESD: 24 of 63; SLCN: 13 of 48 • Using Index of Multiple Deprivation:19% of those in the lowest 2 bands fall in this category compared with 0% of those in the top 2 bands.

17. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: exclusions • The following groups more likely to receive fixed term exclusions in KS3, although they had not received exclusions in Year 6: • Boys • Children eligible for free school meals • Children who had been Looked-After • Children with identified SEN • Children whose first language is not English • Children classified as refugees

18. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: exclusions • 36 of 89 pupils with BESD not excluded in Year 6 were excluded in Key Stage 3 • 10 of 14 Gypsy Roma Travellers not excluded in Year 6 were excluded in Key Stage 3

19. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: quantifying vulnerability • Identified characteristics associated with unsuccessful outcomes were coded and summed to generate a new variable quantifying expected vulnerability (cumulative risk of unsuccessful outcomes). • Vulnerability = Gender_code + Highest_SEN_Status + Been_FSM_Eligible + Been_in_Care + KS_Mobility.

20. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Results: quantifying vulnerability • Analysis was run to check the correlation of this new variable with measures of unsuccessful transition. • Correlation between vulnerability and transition difficulties = 0.355 (N=820). • Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level • This measure of vulnerability might be useful to inform decisions about whom to target for extra transition support.

21. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify exceptions • From the total of 1549 cases, exceptions to the statistical patterns were sought. • First a vulnerable group was identified where vulnerability >1 SD above mean (i.e. 3.6585 + 1.36549 = approx 5). • Therefore it was decided to select cases where vulnerability > 4. • 373 children identified as vulnerable.

22. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify exceptions • For 99 vulnerable children no transition difficulties occurred. • For 130 vulnerable children transition difficulties did occur. • Data on these groups were then compared to try to understand why one group had experienced difficulties in transition and the other had not.

23. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify protective factors A range of factors were analysed including: • Academic attainment in primary school • Category of SEN • Identified level of SEN • Relative age within year group • Indicesof Deprivation Affecting Children • Whether children moved secondary school • Type of transition support provided

24. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify protective factors No significant differences identified in terms of: • Relative age within year • Eligibility for free school meals • Category of SEN • Whether children had Statements of SEN

25. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify protective factors • No significant differences were identified between the Key Stage 2 English, Maths, Science, or average point scores of children identified as ‘vulnerable’ who had experienced transition difficulties and those who had not.

26. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify protective factors • Key Stage 1 Point Scores of students identified as ‘vulnerable’ who had experienced transition difficulties were significantly lower than those who had not. • This suggests that enhanced work on school readiness of children entering primary may be helpful

27. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify protective factors • There were significant differences between levels of income deprivation: 62% of vulnerable children in most deprivedareas experienced transition difficulties. • This suggests that integrated working to address wider socio-economic needs may be helpful.

28. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify protective factors • Vulnerable children who changed school in Key Stage 3 were more likely to have transition difficulties. • This suggests the need for enhanced support for children who join schools after the start of Year 7.

29. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Identify protective factors • The attendance of vulnerable children who were included in the Nurture Group at Haverstock School declined significantly less than those who were not. • This supports the effectiveness of this model of transition support.

30. Secondary Behaviour Support Partnership Intervention suggested by findings • Enhance work on school readiness of children entering primary. • Enhance parental links. • Strengthen pastoral systems to provide greater role for single adult. • Examine support provided at School Action Plus • Enhance support for children who join schools after the start of Year 7 • Enhance inter-agency collaboration to support attendance of LAC. • Enhance integrated working to address socio-economic needs. • Consider Nurture Group model of support for some children.

31. Welfare, Inclusion and Support in Education Put Research into Practice • A Transition Guide was designedto help identify and support children at risk • Support will be offered to agencies in the use of the Transition Guide

32. Secondary Behaviour Support Partnership Next steps: • Research will continue to analyze more detailed information on specific interventions provided for children identified as vulnerable • This may provide further evidence to support particular forms of transition support.