How to tackle disadvantage

1
How to tackle disadvantage to improve
educational outcomes David Carter Cabot Learning
Federation
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Aims for Session

• 3 GOALS of this Presentation
• To describe how educational leaders need to be
  the champions of the vulnerable
• What being vulnerable means?
• How do we lead and influence this agenda?

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Starting Points

• There are two key questions we need to be able to
  answer
• Can we as educators compensate for a
  dis-advantaged start in life?
• Can we assume that if we get the support right
  for one cohort we have solved the problem for
  ever?

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CLF and the 4-19 Journey

• How is our Context Changing?
• 900 staff
• 5638 students
• 1265 in Primary Academies (22)
• 3870 in 11-16 (69)
• 503 in post 16 (9)
• 10 Open Academies
• New Primary Academy-September 2013
• 16-19 Academy Application for Sept 2014 start

• Teaching School
• ITT-Primary and Secondary (27 School Direct for
  2013)
• 40 SLE providing School to school support
• NPQH/NPQSL and NPQML

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What was our vision in 2007-8?

• We wanted to change the educational landscape of
  East Bristol for ever!
• We wanted to give the John Cabot City Technology
  College (CTC) experience to more students
• .but not by admitting more students to the CTC
• We wanted to build a learning community of
  children, parents and carers and professionals
• We wanted to take responsibility for a childs
  education in BS15 and BS16 from the age of 4 to 19

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Has it worked?

• Bristol Brunel Academy
• 17 to 53 5 ACEM
• Bristol Metropolitan Academy
• NTI to Good (June 2011)
• Kings Oak Academy
• 32 to 52 -2011 to 2012
• Bath Community Academy
• Exited Special Measures in Feb 2013!!
• Hans Price Academy
• 23 to 45-2011 to 2012

• John Cabot Academy
• Outstanding in 2007 and 2009
• 5 A-C with English and Maths not less than 73 in
  the past 3 years
• Summer of 2012, 93 CLF students have gone to
  University-22 from BBA and BMA
• 17/22 the first in their family to do so

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Improving Capacity, Changing Cultures, Building
Resilience
5 Core Strands
Improving the Quality of teaching learning
Improving the quality Impact of Leadership
Governance
Improving the quality of Transition in a 4 to 19
Federation
Improving the Quality and Impact of Finance and
HR Management
Improving the Quality and range of Student
Support team around the child
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What Beliefs underpin our Strategy?

• Children get one chance only
• Year 7 is too late to start the intervention
• Year 11 students today will be parents of
  secondary students in 2030-2040 and we need to
  transform the home to school relationship

• University Education and higher level employment
  IS attainable for our students
• Communities sometimes believe education has
  nothing to offer the most dis-advantaged
• 3rd and 4th generation unemployment
• How do we break the cycle?

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How do we do things differently?
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Federated Partnership

• Single Employer
• Staff Secondment and Exchanges
• Collective Responsibility from the CLF Leadership
  Team for Every Vulnerable child
• Focus on teaching
• Leadership, Succession Planning and Talent
  Management
• Leading Education for a Community

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Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement- CLF
Mission

• You have to have a bold vision and not be
  disturbed by the challenge..

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Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement

• Our Promise is to deliver an outstanding
  education to every child who attends one of our
  Academies.
• To achieve this, every student will be taught by
  a well trained and well supported teacher, in an
  Academy that is led at every level by an
  inspirational leader.

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Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement

• Our Belief is that through collaboration we can
  accelerate our vision of every CLF Academy being
  judged to be at least good and on the path to
  outstanding by 2015-16.
• Students come first, and we judge ourselves on
  how successful we are in supporting our most
  vulnerable children as well as those who are
  gifted and talented.

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Collaboration for Outstanding Achievement

• Our Goal is to share the effective practice that
  is developed by staff in one Academy so that
  students in another can benefit from federation
  wide strategies.
• We embrace the uniqueness of our schools and the
  communities they serve.

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Where do we Start?

• There are no quick fixes to closing the gap but
  outstanding teaching is part of the long term
  solution

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Developing Teaching Learning in the CLF

• Main Focus
• To identify and share the best practice in
  teaching and learning across the ten schools
• To design and support school swaps exchanges
• To move teachers from Satisfactory to Good
• To move teachers from Good to Outstanding
• CLF target is 85 of observations show good or
  better
• To enable, where appropriate, teachers and
  support staff to visit and work alongside
  colleagues from the other Academies

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What do the best teachers do every day to close
the gap?

• Differentiate the learning experience
• Every child is potentially vulnerable
• Plan for the students who have fallen behind
• Mark the work of vulnerable students better and
  more frequently
• Focus on progress first

• Believe they are teachers of literacy as well as
  their subject
• Take responsibility for managing behaviour as 90
  of low level disruption is caused because
  students cannot access the learning

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Leadership and Succession Planning

• Leadership Development Programmes
• Emerging Leaders
• Middle Leaders
• Emerging Senior Leaders
• Annual Federation Conferences in July November
• Make connections for staff visits to schools
  across the UK and Overseas
• Boston USA and Finland
• CLF Study Tours when at least 1 Academy has INSET
  Day

• Coaching and Mentoring
• NQT and PCGE across CLF
• Appointment Directory
• Alumni
• Student Parliament Leadership Development
  Programme
• Senior Leaders on secondment

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What do the best leaders do every day to close
the gap?

• Champion the Vulnerable child and talk about them
  positively
• Work hard with parents and the hard to reach
• Lead and Manage the data audit to ensure
  progression and prevent further falling back

• Work with internal and external expert groups
• Share and learn from best practice
• Work with partners from other schools to develop
  next practice
• Create opportunities for vulnerable students to
  spend more time not less time in school

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Are Staff Equipped to support the most vulnerable
students?
Has some empathy but in general finds them a distraction - Training and support to use their strong teaching skills to create more impact Has a flair and talent for getting the best from vulnerable learners - Use these teachers to be closing the gap champions and support others
Has little or no success with vulnerable learners - Support with the expectation of improvement but strong challenge needed to ensure students get best deal Has limited success with vulnerable learners but wants to improve - Training, mentoring and support from a champion with clear strategies for planning
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Impact Measures

• How do we know our strategy is working?

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Formal Measures of Success

• Performance Measures
• KS2 and GCSE Performance
• Levels of Progress
• Attendance
• Rewards and Sanctions
• Student Voice

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Other Measures of Success

• Transition from Primary to Secondary School
• Staying on rates to post 16
• Employment
• Number of students from vulnerable groups gaining
  access to higher education
• Frequency of interaction with parents
• Involvement in extra curricular events
• Involvement in school trips and visits
• Bristol CC 80 before 18 and the CLF Learning
  Promise

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Contacts and Follow Ups

• If you would like to come and see the CLF in
  action please e mail my PA Sam Brooks at
  sam_brooks_at_clf.cabot.ac.uk
• www.cabotlearningfederation.net
• _at_carter6D on twitter