Whole school approaches and strategies to support the

achievement of Looked After Children

15th May 2015

Dr Catherine Carroll SENJIT

UCL Institute of Education

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Today

• What does school data say about the achievement of Looked After Children?

• Current ‘evidence’ base for what we know about whole school and specific strategies

• PALAC approach at UCLIOE • Current PALAC projects with schools

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Current data – education outcomes • Looked after children have poorer educational

outcomes than socio economic matched non-looked after children (DfE 2013)

• A higher proportion; (67.8%) have SEN and their emotional and behavioural needs are a cause for concern

• The percentage of looked after children achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs or equivalent including English and maths has increased from 11% in 2009 to 15.3% in 2013

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Current data – education outcomes

• This is compared to 58% of non-looked after children who achieve this level

• Although this gap has reduced it is still higher than it was in 2009

• Looked after children are twice as likely to be excluded from school as non-looked after children

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Current data – education outcomes • GCSE passes for 16 year olds who have been in

care for more than five years are double that of children who have spent less time in care (DfE 2010)

• Being in care has less effect on GCSE outcomes than any other variable apart from having English as an additional language (DCSF 2010)

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School can really work for looked after children

• http://attachmentawareschools.com/filmwindow.php

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Current data – social and emotional wellbeing

• Looked after children are likely to have mental health difficulties (DFE 2013)

• Among primary school age children, half of looked after boys and one third of girls had an identifiable mental disorder

• These rates increase for older age groups• Most common were clinically significant conduct

disorders (37%) followed by emotional disorders (anxiety and depression) (12%) and seven percent were hyperactive (DCSF 2009) 7

What evidence do we have of what ‘works’?• There exists just two reviews of intervention

studies to date, with no more than twenty studies in total (Forsam and Vinnerljung 2012, Liabo et al. 2013)

• Demonstrated that most interventions designed for looked after children have benefits but most were not sufficiently robust to make strong claims to effectiveness

• But it is possible to identify some emerging trends 8

• Tutoring is the type of intervention that has most been evaluated to date and programmes such as Catch Up and the Three Tutoring Models

• Interventions that encourage reading (including

paired reading), show some very promising initial findings with respect to progress in attainment. These are the Letterbox Club project and the Paired Reading Intervention (Griffiths et al. 2012, Osbourne et al. 2010)

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• Strong teacher-child relationships based on trust and respect are key to learning (Driscoll and Pianta 2010; Wetz 2009)

• In the US, Caring School Communities based on whole school policies promoting pupils’ influence over their environment and their sense of belonging to the school helped to increase academic achievement and reduce anti-social behaviour (Schaps et al. 2004) 10

• Developing strong empathic relationships between a ‘key’ adult and a child can be more effective than behavioural approaches

• ‘Emotion coaching’ approach develops the child’s internal regulation

• Nurture groups 11

Activity 1 - What were you given as a child?• Please note down privately the possessions,

attributes and beliefs you were given as a child by the people who brought you up which you value now – not just toys or other objects, but also values and skills

• You will not be asked to disclose personal details to the group, but that feedback will be more general

• In twos or threes share some of the things which you have noted

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Attachment theory and training

• Originally work of Bowlby on attachment

• Emotion coaching - Bath Spa University

• Attachment Aware Schools

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Attachment styles

Ainsworth - 1970s (Secure, resistant, avoidant)Main and Solomon 1986 (Disorganised)

Activity 2: Attachment Aware Schools audit

• On your own - please complete the audit

• Review in small groups

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Promoting the Achievement of Looked After Children

PALAC

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Background to PALAC at UCL IOE • Interdisciplinary team• Forum for knowledge exchange between professionals

and researchers• Process of rethinking the school environment • It works with schools and teams over a period of 5/6

months to identify and support improvements, at the school level

• Projects and development work being undertaken by the schools will be published and used to strengthen the limited evidence base as to how to promote better outcomes for this group of children 17

Structure of programme

• One full day at IOE - audit, handbook, presentations and begin action plan

• Two facilitator visits

• One half day evaluation at IOE

PALAC Audit• Written specifically for this programme

• Frames the content of today and the whole programme

• Provides a common language and approach to thinking

• Framework to focus our actions in school during the programme and over the long term

• Benchmarking tool for schools

Audit Areas and Handbook content • Supporting emotional development and wellbeing• Raising and monitoring attainment• Supporting Learning• School Environment• Effectiveness and deployment of staff• Supporting equality and diversity• Working together with carers and other professionals

Current PALAC projects with schools

• Designing a ‘safe base’ for pupils and monitoring how it is used

• Delivering and monitoring the impact of training in attachment issues

• Targeted literacy and numeracy groups • Implementing and monitoring the impact of

electronic PEPs• Developing the role of a specific key worker for

Looked After Children 21

Next programme

• Day 1: 15th October 2015• Day 2: 17th March 2016

Details on SENJIT website

http://www.ioe.ac.uk/research/107116.html

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Finally.. As a foster child, I initially hated school life. Yet as I grew into my mid-teens, it swiftly transformed into a safe haven from the turbulence of my personal life. It became a place of productivity; a place of hope and optimism where I could redirect my life and define my future. With friends and teachers, I eventually found community, purpose and a sense of belonging (securing the contrasting blessings of a degree from Cambridge University and a spot on the X Factor!).

Ashley John-Baptiste is a musician and activist for foster children The Observer, Sunday 10 August 2014 23

Thank you

• c.carroll@ioe.ac.uk

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