Behaviour Management.

1. What strategies can be used to close the gap in educational achievement for children living in poverty, in particular white working class boys? The following Toolkit outlines classroom based strategies and interventions which could be used to support KS2 White British, working lass boys in a socially deprived area. • Behaviour Management. • Ignore low level disruption, constantly encouraging good manners and no shouting out. • Have high expectations and model expected behaviour and language. • Create a focus on choices, always giving two options and explaining sanctions. Give thinking time. • Count Down from 5, Show me you are listening, hand in the air. • Smiley and Sad face on board. Smiley for good behaviour and contributions in class. Warning before name on sad face. If on sad side time taken at break. • Opportunities for children to collect rewards such as smelly stickers or House Points. • ‘Above & Beyond’ Time for a group of identified boys. At end of every lesson the identified boys have 5-10 minutes of free ‘treat time’. This is rewarded if that particular child has gone ‘Above and Beyond’ or hit a personal target. This could be a minimum expected amount of work or for using manners, taking turns or even sitting still for a period of time. THIS IS INDIVIDUAL TO EVERY CHILD AND NEEDS TO BE EXPLAINED TO THE WHOLE CLASS. • Calm down time after play. For particularly active children, an opportunity for them to wind down before coming into class, monitored by the TA. • Give class roles/ responsibilities . Promote a team ethos. • Create play time pals for identified behavioural needs boys in case they need support at lunch time. • Promote children to take examples of good work to the headteacher for a headteachers sticker. • Invite SLT to come into class to see good work and behaviour. • Quite afternoons where all children use their whisper voices for a relaxing calm independent working session. • Interventions • Well trained TA’s/good working relationships who follow the classroom rules/expectations. • Intensive interventions in small groups. • Pupils grouped according to current level of attainment or specific need. • It is important to assess pupils’ needs accurately and provide work at a challenging level with effective feedback and support. • Interventions to work alongside Quality First Teaching. • Constant evaluations/reviews of whether interventions are working. • Opportunities to develop Social and Emotional Skills through play. • Michelle Barker Trainee Teacher UoM Primary PGCE

2. Life as an NQT- Involving Parents more! Actively involving parents in supporting their children’s learning at school is consistently associated with a child's progress. What do I need to know? • Focused approaches which support parents in working with their children to improve their learning are beneficial. The challenge is in engaging and sustaining such involvement. • Involvement is often easier to achieve with parents of very young children. • Parents of older children may appreciate short sessions at flexible times to involve them. • Schools can be daunting places for parents so it is important to establish a welcoming environment. • Parents may be anxious about their own educational achievements and it is important to discuss with them the ways in which they can support their children’s effort which do not require a high level of ability (e.g. by ensuring that students have an environment where they can work at home, or by asking them to explain what they learned at school and how they learned it.). • What could I do as an NQT? • Don’t be scared. You are a qualified teacher, children have parents. • Start the relationship early. Ask colleagues about parents as well as the child. Find out about the child’s family structure as soon as possible. • Actively seek to meet/speak to ALL parents and guardians. • Provide regular communication to parents- e.g. through Newsletters or use the schools website to inform parents what their child is doing and have an opportunity for feedback. • Be available in the mornings/after school to talk to parents. • Have a ‘Getting to know you’ evening put on by the children. • Rename Parents Evening to a Y4 Progress Meeting for example! • Encourage parents to join their children's learning through initiatives such as Family Reading projects. • Higgins, S., Katsipataki, M., Kokotsaki, D., Coleman, R., Major, L.E., & Coe, R. (2013). The Sutton Trust-Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit. London: Education Endowment Foundation. • Sharples, J., Slavin, R., Chambers, B, & Sharp, C. (2011). Effective classroom strategies for closing the gap in educational achievement for children and young people living in poverty , including white working class boys. Schools and Communities Research Review (Vol. 4).