Star Student – Year 10 Darrick Wood School

1. If any student could typify the concept of RESILIENCE this year it would be our star student, a pupil in year 10 who comes from a family where school has never been seen as an important priority. He is a very reserved child and lacked confidence in many situations. One key part of our plan for the year was to encourage students to take more part in extra curricular activities and develop skills which they may not have had the opportunity to do so. In September we provided him with a guitar and arranged for music lessons. He is currently practicing with another CtG pupil to produce an assembly for Year 7 pupils. Star Student – Year 10Darrick Wood School Developing literacy was a key part of our plan for the year. At the end of year 9 his reading age was comparable to a 9 year old. His reading age has steadily improved and his reading age measured in May 2014 was 16 years. Part of the Challenge the Gap programme was to set short term reading tasks sponsored by Pupil Premium funds. Last year his attendance rate was 80%, this year that has risen to 95.3%. “ Being part of A4X this year has really helped me keep focussed and encourage me … I’d love to continue next year”

2. Our star student is pupil premium, middle ability but was under-achieving. He is popular with his peers. Interventions from the project: • Year 12 mentor matched on personality type – regular mentor meetings • PILOT group meetings • Subject level monitoring within ebacc subjects Impact on student He found after each group meeting he was motivated and eager to try harder in his subjects. He found the mentoring very useful, especially giving him advice as to where he could get help with certain subjects that were troubling him; this led to particularly strong improvements in the sciences. He particularly liked the revision meeting where he learnt techniques to improve his revision of topics. He said his effort grades have reflected his improved attitude to learning. His mentor was a good role model and he respected them greatly, we felt very pleased with whom he was matched with as this clearly raised his aspirations in school. When we interviewed him, he said he feels that he is more focused in class and having matured in the last year, feels this has helped him. He liked the amount of time spent being involved in this programme and felt it was balanced as far as he was concerned. The behind the scenes work was also has also shown through with his grades. His teachers in English and Mathematics were fully aware that he was involved in the project and he is now ont rack to make expected progress in maths and good progress in English, previous data hinted at him failing to make expected progress in either at the beginning of the year. He has really found himself this year and is looking forward to year 11. Star Student - Year 10Bishop Justus School

3. Our star student was chosen as he had difficulties in engaging with lessons, he found reading and writing very difficult and so was prone to giving up very quickly; meaning that he was make very little progress in lessons. He would often start focused but would quickly fall behind as his writing speed is so much slower than his peers. He would write very little and quickly become distracted; when he found things difficult, rather than ask for help, he would day dream. He would be very quiet in group work and would not positively contribute to the group. Star StudentThe Priory School NOW… Our star student has moved from being a quiet boy lacking in confidence to being a happy confident pupil who always wants to be involved in the lesson and who positively contributes both to the class and to the learning of others around him. • This year: • We have worked to improve his literacy and memory skills and confidence. He already receives 1 hour of support with a SPeLD teacher and has a teaching assistant in the majority of his lessons. • We have worked with his class to build social skills and encourage pupils to be more friendly and open up to each other. In one of our first skills based lessons, our student told the class about his love of football and some of the holidays he had been on; talking about something that was important gave him the confidence to stand up in front of his peers. He also expressed an interest in doing more creative activities as he said that he missed lessons like Art. • Pupils made a poster explaining what makes them who they are; out star was given access to a box of art resources which he used to make his poster; other pupils noticed his creative skills and he was soon being asked to help others with drawings and titles. In the next creative activity , he was the team leader and he did really well in leading his team and speaking up; he now regularly volunteers to be a team leader. • His written ability has really improved over the last year. At the start of the year, writing was a real chore and it was a real challenge to write more than a few sentences but increasing his vocabulary and accuracy in writing has given him the confidence to write more and more. • He has been developing skills of resilience when re-writing and improving work and he now asks to repeat pieces of work if he is not happy with them.

4. Since being part of the project, our star student has: • Improved attendance now at 96% • Made 2 full grades progress in English now up to grade C • Made 1 grade progress in maths from E to D • Improved social skills and attitude to learning • Decreased the frequency of being given behaviour points (only 2 in May and 1 in June) • Decreased the number of detentions (only 1 in May which was the last!) Why have the changes happened? • She has enjoyed a position of responsibility when working with the primary children • The project makes her feel special, focussed on and has improved her self esteem • She has fully engaged with the sessions on learning walks, resilience and academic literacy • She has had aspirational visits to companies such as KPMG focussing on employability skills such as C.V writing and interview skills. In her Pupil Learner Log she has stated that: • it helps her when she feels part of a team • that she now has a better idea of a career in the future • that she has increased aspirations • that she is more resilient now revising for tests and doing well • that she now notices different teaching and learning styles picked up from the learning walks • that she is developing emotionally and has better relationships at home Star Student – YEAR 9 The Quest Academy

5. Our star student lives with his aunt with support from his grandmother, who support him with his education. He has regular contact with his parents, staying at his mum’s at the weekends. Homework given during this time is not completed. • He was chosen as he has behavioural problems and was making very little progress, finding it difficult to remain focussed within a lesson and distracting the learning of others. • He has been on behaviour report and attended the school’s nurture group, which he graduated with success. • Although his behaviour improved, he was making little progress in class. • On a recent school journey, it was very clear how disorganised he was. He was asked to change into appropriate clothing on the third day, but couldn’t find any clothes. On departure, after insisting he had packed everything, we found many unclaimed items belonging to him. • Through Challenge the Gap, we were given the opportunity to work closely with Jack and find out his feelings about learning. He had low self-esteem, didn’t see himself as a good leaner and had difficulty knowing what could help him to make better progress, particularly outside of school. • After visiting two schools to look at what makes good learning, he made bigger contributions to the team activities. He enjoyed working in a team and spoke in the assembly presentation to the school, which was a big step forward. There was an improvement with the quality of his work, which he was eager to show others and display – in particular, his creative homework. • On our visit to Pure Media, he was very enthused by the presentation and work involved. He asked relevant questions and enjoyed taking part in the activities. It gave Jack some aspirations of his own and helped him overcome his fear of failing in maths. Now he talks about how he will try his hardest to make improvements. • His behaviour in class has improved and he is now working to a reasonable standard. He is able to reflect on his work and uses strategies from ‘what makes good learning’ to improve his work in a positive way. As a result of this, he has improved on attainment in reading and writing (he is now at age related level), and understands he finds maths difficult but is working at it. He has now become an active member of the class. Star StudentGilbert Scott Primary

6. “I don’t talk about this stuff much, as when I do it makes it real and then I have to feel sad about it and I don’t like those kind of feelings.” RB was chosen to be part of Venture group for the following reasons: • She is a FSM child • Single parent family with a very young sibling who RB takes majority of responsibility for. • Complete lack of confidence and very low self-esteem leading to low attainment. • Poor school attendance and late when she does attend. • Lack of family support for homework etc. “I just wish someone cared about me being at school and my homework” Star student – Year 6Hayes Primary School • What we have done through Challenge the Gap: • Regular meetings both to complete her pupil portfolio and to catch up generally. This information has then been shared with her class teacher regularly so everyone has an awareness of the day to day difficulties she is experiencing. • Involvement in a summer reading scheme, a trip to a book shop where she was able to purchase a book of her choice and regular trips to local library to immerse her in reading for pleasure. • Trips to other schools and presentations in assemblies about good learning and what this looks like. • Creating logo for Venture Group giving the group visibility throughout the school and ownership of the group. • Taking complete responsibility for a stall at the Christmas fair which raised a considerable sum of money for the school which has been used to purchase iPads for Years 5 and 6. • Being “The face of Hayes” at various school functions which involved talking to parents, showing them to their seats, showing new parents around the school etc. • Regular Philosophy For Children activities, increasing her confidence in voicing her opinions and listening to those of others. • Trips out of school as part of Venture Group, increasing her cultural capital. • Leading a whole school approach to increasing resilience, including creating resources for all year groups and being the “resilience expert” in Year 6. • Increasing her awareness of higher education and the skills needed to get there by attending a Spotlight on University day. • Creating a robust transition plan for her Year6/7 transition. “ I have enjoyed being part of venture group, I have made new friends, experienced lots of new things and will take my new confidence and things like resilience to my new school in September.” • Impact • Increased motivation and engagement both in classroom and in extracurricular activities. • Accelerated progress in Reading, Writing and Maths leading to her achieving a Level 5 in all these subjects. • Increased self- confidence.

7. Our star student was chosen largely due to issues surrounding confidence, interpersonal relationships and attendance. As a Year 8 student, his attendance to school was a significant cause for concern at below 80%. A quiet and reserved student, while not badly behaved, he failed to reach his potential due to his almost ‘invisible’ status in the classroom. In his core subjects, particularly English, he was underachieving and in some subjects was a whole National Curriculum level behind his minimum expected progress level. He did not engage with school life, his peers or teachers. Star Student – Year 10 Sedgehill School • Looking back on the year, progress is clear. His… • Attendance has improved by 10% despite having to move significantly further away from the school • Role in school life is much more active, including going on the Year 9 residential trip to France this month which, last year, seemed impossible • Interpersonal skills have improved through Trio working. He has taken a lead in activities such as rounders, reading and computer work, with many of the primary school students eager to be in his group because he knows so much! • Relationships with staff members have notably improved. He regularly pops in to chat with the Assistant Year Leader and is generally more positive and willing to help • Activity in class has increased – he is much more willing to volunteer ideas, answer questions and contribute to the learning of others. He used to shy away from answering questions out of the fear that he would get things wrong. Now he is confident to share his ideas with others. • Attainment levels have begun to change with his social and emotional progress, particularly in his more active/creative subjects; in many subjects he has made four levels of progress since the end of Year 8. • His History teacher has noticed this growing resilience and engagement with learning saying, “He is showing a greater willingness to have a go at activities that he finds difficult.” We are all so proud of his achievements this year and we look forward to working with him to secure success as he commences his GCSEs in September. • As part of our Challenge the Gap programme this year he has benefitted from the following experiences: • Team-building and interpersonal relationships work- with Athelney and Elfrida schools he has completed competitions, played sports, had pizza lunches, partaken in shared reading and worked with older students from our Sixth Form; • Cultural capital - he has visited the London Eye, Foyles’ bookshop and the WW1 battlefields; • Feedback and learning conversations - History and English have focused on trialing ways to make feedback more student-led for students like him • Academic mentoring: whether from staff or sixth formers, he has received guidance and support about his learning.

8. What we have achieved this year • A very successful launch event where 80% of the parents attended which for this cohort of children was great. Parents named the project Learn, Excel, Achieve, Progress (L.E.A.P.). • The highlight so far is our launch trip. Team building in the morning with our trio of schools, a trip to the London Eye and then every child went to the book shop to buy their own book, a first for many of them. • We have seen improved attendance from the majority of children in the project. 95.4% to 96.4%. 8 of the children last year were below 95%, this year only 4 of them are. Punctuality over the year has improved, going from an average of 10.5 lates per child last year to 7.3 lates per child. • Positive attitude to learning and school life. Being part of LEAP makes them feel part of something, which has been very important. After school LEAP club time for them to enjoy. • Mentoring between Year 9 and the Year 5 pupils has started. It has been great to see both sets of pupils working so positively together. • A much better understanding of Pupil Premium children and their individual needs. So who is our LEAP Champion for Year One? • She is in year 5 as is the rest of our cohort. She is a child who achieved level 2c in writing and 2b in reading during the key stage one SATs and who, up until this year, made no further progress. Her attendance last year was 94.7%. Her mum attended school parents evenings but was not really engaged with the wider school community. How has she done? • This year in reading she has made three sub levels progress so far and is now only one sub level below target, she was 3 sub levels progress below target at the end of last year. In writing at the end of last year she was at 2c and was 3 sub levels below target, she is now 3b also only one level below target, a huge 4 sub levels progress. Results are not yet in for the end of year, we are hopeful of even more progress. • Attendance has risen from 94.7% to 98%. Mum has been to every LEAP event and has helped out on loads of class trips and at other school events including joining the PTA. Our star student is super positive about school and is always smiling, she is much more engaged in lessons and has been elected as a year 6 Ambassador. She has also been involved in the Lewisham Youth Theatre. Star student – Year 5Athelney Primary School • Next Year • More sharing of the good practice so the knowledge of the project and pupil premium is spread throughout the school. • More aspirational trips for the group to build their cultural capital. More linking within the trio.

9. The Journey Begins…! The journey started a year ago when our star student was in Year 4. I say he was in Year 4 – actually his attendance of 75% suggested he was rarely in Year 4! His mum had been ill and was now working long, unsociable hours to earn money. He spent evenings with his older brother and sister, who didn’t really mind if he did his homework or not; didn’t really mind when he went to bed and often didn’t mind if he was at school. No prizes for guessing he rarely was. His sporadic attendance meant he was underachieving, not engaged in his learning, and most of all, not linking school to his life. Homework, reading records, PE kit, - not for him. He often wasn’t in to get in trouble for any of this and really didn’t care.We couldn’t get hold of mum to tell her! What we did for our student… • Invited Mum to a huge launch evening. The head and deputy made a fuss of her all night. • Invited he to an after school homework club on a Friday – made it at a time that helped out Mum and made it fun. • Used mentoring to discuss his aspirations and linked it to his learning and actions in school • Ran interventions to fill the gaps in his learning he had missed during his absences Where is he now? • He is at school! • His attendance is now in the mid 90’s. He jumps out at you in the class room, mainly because he looks like he wants to be there. • Academically, he has made good progress in all areas of his learning and is looking likely to achieve his KS2 targets next year. • Amazingly, Mum has attended three separate parents meetings and is proud of his progress. • And if this wasn’t enough, he smiles more and, after being nominated by his class, he is just about to find out that he is going to be a Prefect next year. Star Student – Year 4Elfrida Primary School