Intensifying Support Programme (ISP): Southampton – Supporting engagement in learning through the ISP

Date of issue: Jun. 2006
Theme: Evaluation of the impact of ISP

One of the key features of the Identifying Support Programme (ISP) in Southampton has been the focus of an integrated approach with the Behaviour and Attendance pilot. This approach has proved to be so successful that of the ten current ISP schools, eight are actively involved in continuing the work generated.

Background

When the Behaviour and Attendance pilot was initially developed in Southampton, a conscious decision was taken to appoint an adviser for teaching and learning (with responsibility for developing children's engagement) rather than a teacher coach. This reflected the LA's belief that effective behaviour management could not be divorced from quality teaching and learning and the drive to raise standards.

The adviser was given the focus of developing children's engagement in some of the most challenging schools in the LA. This involved initially undertaking a behaviour and attendance audit to ascertain which engagement strategies were in place and which needed further developing. Carrying out the audit included assessing:

• the effectiveness of the school's policy for promoting positive behaviour
• establishing the current agreed expectations about how children and adults behave
• the impact of the leadership team on engagement
• opportunities for staff to reflect upon their own teaching
• opportunities for developing a risk-taking atmosphere for both staff and children
• which rules, routines and positive behaviours were being actively taught and promoted
• the use of the environment and its impact on learning
• how relationships were being developed across the school
• whether the curriculum was appropriate to the needs of all learners
• how the curriculum was being delivered, for example through use of clear learning objectives, formative assessment and effective teaching and learning strategies
• which strategies were being used to engage children more fully in their learning.

This audit would then inform the adviser's possible further actions including:

• supporting the development of an effective policy to promote positive behaviour
• reviewing and revising rewards and sanctions so that they became part of a secure system for promoting positive behaviour
• actively supporting the teaching of positive behaviour
• reviewing and revising the curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of all learners
• coaching individual teachers in promoting positive behaviour and effective teaching and learning strategies
• developing the use of the environment to promote engagement and effective learning.

How did this link with work in the ISP?

The schools identified for the ISP were the ten schools that had the lowest standards and caused most concern. It was apparent that engagement in learning was a key issue in each of the schools. As a consequence several of these schools had also been identified as needing the support of the Behaviour and Attendance pilot. Close links were then made between the key issues identified on the audit and the key themes of the ISP including:

• key theme 2:
  • improving the quality of teaching and learning through identifying core teaching and learning strategies
  • improving the quality of teaching and learning through providing opportunities to discuss and reflect on teaching
• key theme 3:
  • improving the conditions for learning through a secure and rich learning environment
  • improving the conditions for learning through establishing and promoting children's social, emotional and behavioural skills
• key theme 4:
  • developing an effective learning community through ensuring that expectations are high and children are fully engaged in learning and are confident that they can achieve
  • developing an effective learning community through identifying opportunities to engage all children more fully in their learning.

Therefore, the action plan that had been created by findings from the behaviour and attendance audit was now integrated into each school's raising attainment plan (RAP).

Which issues had to be addressed to ensure successful integration of the two programmes of support?

It was important that no school felt overburdened by too many programmes or pulled into too many conflicting directions. It was also essential to ensure that the main focus remained at all times:
'…to raise standards and improve teaching and learning in the context of the school as a professional learning community'.

How were these issues addressed?

• Teaching and learning advisers attached to the school attended planning and review meetings with the link inspector.
• The adviser' actions were all complementary to each other's work. The advisers shared the delivery of professional development meetings (PDMs).

What has been the impact? One school's story…

Context of the school

School A is situated within a Southampton housing estate, comprising mainly social housing. The school takes 77% of children from the XX ward, which is among the most deprived in the city, with 12% of the children in overcrowded housing and only 9% social class households compared to 20% nationally.

The school had had a long period of instability. There were difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff including a substantive headteacher. The school went into rapid decline, attainment dropped and exclusions rose dramatically. However, in September 2004 a substantive headteacher was appointed.

Work of the teaching and learning adviser

Since January 2004, the teaching and learning adviser has supported initially the development of engagement and then the implementation of the ISP in the school. This support has taken the form of:

• coaching each member of the teaching staff on effective teaching and learning through observations, discussions, team teaching, demonstrating and guided visits to leading teachers in other schools;
• developing effective strategies to promote positive behaviour;
• providing in-service training (INSET) on developing a climate for engagement;
• providing INSET on learning objectives, and success criteria generated by children;
• improving the learning environment to make it secure and stimulating;
• providing INSET on effective use of formative assessment;
• developing a newly qualified teacher (NQT) induction programme;
• providing INSET and demonstrating effective modelling in the classrooms.

Work of the subject advisers

A key focus for the literacy and numeracy advisers was to develop effective subject leadership from the school's existing staff. This involved:

• supporting their development of a whole-school system of tracking children
• running supported planning and teaching workshops
• developing half-termly curricular targets
• linking opportunities for targets getting to the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics.

Impact of support – the headteacher's perspective

'The adviser started to work with the school in January 2004 as part of a drive to develop engagement and so improve behaviour and raise standards.

Since that time there has been an enormous change in the ethos of the school with a focus now on learning rather than on control. Professional development gave teachers confidence and helped them make explicit the learning and behaviour for learning they wanted to see. Focusing on the generic teaching and learning strategies laid a firm foundation that has enabled subject advisers working with the school's subject leaders to now concentrate on the key ISP core instruments. It ensured consistency across the school which made transitions to new classes far smoother, e.g. each class now has a 'Success board' which means children know exactly what is expected of them.

Work has included team teaching and observation, leading staff meetings with subject advisers and producing a coaching plan with clear targets for each teacher. This has helped staff to discuss issues, recognise their own strengths and weaknesses and develop a repertoire to improve their skills.

INSET has included a focus on children setting their own success criteria for the lesson. This is again allowing children to take control of their own learning and enabling teachers to assess the effectiveness of their input.

The evidence of the effectiveness of this work is apparent by touring the school and visiting classrooms. Where previously there were disengaged pupils who frequently roamed the corridors, we now have attention, enthusiasm and engagement. This has and will continue to impact on raising standards and improving teaching and learning in the context of our school as a professional learning community.'

Other evidence of impact can also be seen in the declining number of children excluded over this period of time. This in turn has had an impact on standards. Although in the short term this gain has predominately been in mathematics, predicted long-term gains indicate a rise in standards in both English and mathematics.

Future developments

The LA intends to continue the alignment of the two programmes of support for schools because evidence from the development work to date proves its success. In addition, we aim to develop coaching as a city-wide strategy to support not only effective teaching and learning, but also behaviour for learning. Engagement remains at the heart of all we do in order to secure lifelong chances for our children.