St. Mark s Church in Wales V.A. Primary School

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1 REDUCING THE IMPACT OF POVERTY ON EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT POLICY OBSERVATORY CASE STUDY 10 Name of School/Setting: St. Mark s Church in Wales V.A. Primary School Local Authority: Pembrokeshire Type of School/Setting: Primary Language Medium: English Number of Pupils: 120 Free School Meal Percentage: 42% Focus of Case Study: Supporting the well-being of vulnerable children and engaging parents and families of young people to enable learning which is provided through care, support and guidance. St. Mark s Church in Wales V.A. Primary School St. Mark s Voluntary Aided School is a Church in Wales Primary School catering for pupils between the ages of 3 and 11. The school is situated on the southern outskirts of Haverfordwest and primarily serves the catchment area of Merlin s Bridge. Children from practising Church in Wales families from outside the catchment area are also warmly welcomed. As St. Mark s is a Church in Wales School, collective worship and religious education are founded in the Anglican tradition. At the present time there are 120 children on roll and 5 classes. 1 The school s five year average percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) is approximately 39%, however current eligibility is 42% which is significantly higher than the average for the Local Authority and nationally across Wales. 2 The Case Study In partnership with parents and the local community, governors and staff of St. Mark s School aim to equip their children to be responsible, caring, well educated and independent, in accordance with Christian values so that they can make a positive, worthwhile contribution to society. This case study encompasses supporting the well-being of vulnerable children and engaging parents and families of young people to enable learning which is provided through care, support and guidance. St. Marks School aims to: 1 School Website 2 Stats Wales

2 Provide a caring, family environment aiming for high social and academic standards promoted by good teacher example. Teach the children the fundamentals of Christianity, so they can adopt Christian attitudes and grow in the Christian faith, which will enable them to make a purposeful and social contribution to society and make them respect other cultures and beliefs. Provide a varied and stimulating environment, catering for all ages and abilities, so encouraging every child to work to his/her full potential in every aspect of the curriculum (including extra curricular activities). This will lead to developing a feeling of esteem and confidence in every child. Provide a warm, welcoming atmosphere for all visitors and new entrants and encourage parents to participate and share in the responsibility for their child s education. St Mark s Journey According to Estyn, St. Mark's Primary School has been improving its care, support and guidance for pupils and their families for many years. 3 Using early intervention methods to improve attendance, reviewing teaching strategies to better engage with pupils and introducing a values based education, the school has made good progress. As a result, all pupils except those with significant, complex needs have progressed by at least two levels in National Curriculum assessments from key stage 1 to key stage 2. The former headteacher, Mrs Debbie Davis, introduced many of the systems and procedures that have successfully been put in place in the school, and which have now been rolled out across the Local Authority. In the term prior to the appointment of Mrs Davis, forty five pupils had been excluded. Now we do not have any exclusions. Governor Voice All understand the school s vision statement and motto, Pride in Success. There is an open door policy and relationships have been built on mutual respect, and parents are not afraid to approach the school and ask for help. This is embedded through the provision of a free early years parent and toddler group run at the school every Tuesday and is open to all members of the community, not just parents with children at the school. The local clergy plays an active role at the school, with its own alter, services and celebrations such as Christenings are conducted at the school. The school is also fully supported by the Governing Body. 3

3 Our staff really understand the community and the children. They take time to listen to them and will provide whatever they need - they really care. Governor Voice St. Mark s has a Multiagency Hub on site, which is a base for many professionals: Attendance Officer Behavioural Support Officer Educational Psychologist MAT (More Able and Talented) Advisory Teacher Springboard Learning Advisor In years past St Mark s School has also worked in partnership with counsellors and youth workers, and the Acting Headteacher hopes that following re-structuring these services will return to the school in the near future. Interventions PASS - Well-being diagnostic tool Twice a year in September and June, or when a new pupil starts at the school, trained staff invite pupils to use the PASS (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School) 4 diagnostic tool. Each PASS attitudinal measure is related to key themes and theories of well-being and reported outcomes give a focused insight into individual pupil s thoughts and feelings related to school, for example: School connectedness Perceived learning capability Self-regard and self-efficacy Preparedness for learning Attitudes to teachers General work ethic aspiration Confidence in learning Attitudes to attendance Response to curriculum Once analysed a colour coded report is produced for each cohort (red, amber, green) to identify pupils who may need to access a range of interventions. Further 4

4 individualised drilled down student profile reports can also be produced to suggest factor specific interventions to align with identified areas of weakness. These may relate to strategies for inappropriate behaviours, social difficulties, anxiety, or depression. Pyramid Club Three dedicated and professional school staff members have taken the lead in running The Pyramid Club at St. Mark s. The focus of the club is to provide a safe place for less confident pupils to boost their self-esteem and raise their self-efficacy. The club runs on an invitation only basis and referrals are made via the following routes: PASS data Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Key worker, teacher, or parent concerns about shy or withdrawn behaviours The club runs a 2 hour session once a week after school in a 10 week cycle with different year groups in rotation and is free of charge. No more than 10 children access a cycle at any one time. Data tracking of attendees shows that approximately 75% of pupils who access the club are in receipt of free school meals. The club operates a set routine every time it meets to provide consistency and continuity for sensitive children, starting with meeting at circle time and then moving to cooking and sharing food. Children help to choose menus and make healthy food which gives them increased ownership. Quality of food is not compromised as staff firmly believe children deserve to have a nice experience. They eat, and share quality social time together, which improves co-operation and the etiquette of table manners. Children take it in turns to clear and tidy away through a self-devised responsibility rota and then settle down to make art and crafts and play games. Many children make new friends and increase their circle of peer groups; this has been recognised by parents as a strength of the club. My son really enjoyed his time at Pyramid Club; he is happy, he has made more friends and enjoys school a lot more now. Parent Voice After the children have fully settled in and formulated and agreed their rules, they get to re-name the club and make it their own for the time they are attending. As children become more relaxed and comfortably social a local trip is organised, and

5 an end of club party is used to highlight the children s progress and celebrate their achievements. Documentation is key to evidencing the children s progress and staff take photographs and note observations and informal conversations with children and parents and log them in a club file. A new file is then made for every 10 week cycle and all club files are archived in safe storage. Club leaders review these files for team evaluations and to check pupil progress. Club Leaders followed a group of former Pyramid Pupils to track their development, and as a result of their increased confidence accompanied them to a conference at Parc-y-Scarlets where the pupils presented a workshop to educational practitioners throughout South and West Wales. Confidence for these groups of children has increased throughout the year; they have regularly taken part in assemblies and reading aloud in group and class work. Skills Keyworker SMILE - St Mark s Improving Literacy and Emotional Well-being Initially started as a literacy programme, SMILE has developed and evolved into an umbrella for a range of additional skills support interventions. The project aims to focus on promoting language development in target groups, through enhanced speaking and listening activities, accelerated literacy programmes, guided reading, spelling and comprehension activities. It also supports anxious pupils, provides timetable sessions for homework, reading and maths to increase confidence and also supports pupils with dyslexic tendencies. Pupils are taken out of lessons to attend SMILE groups for 4 morning or afternoon sessions a week. Key Workers and the Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO) track pupil progress and note the marked improvement of hard work and determination shown by pupils. They quickly gelled as groups, working together; respecting each other s need for a quiet space and thinking time. Skills Keyworker

6 Evidence of Impact Key Skills Workers produce a SMILE evaluation report which contains pupil tracking of measurable outcomes. Recent results of pupils attending SMILE include: Subject Measure Percentage of pupils English Year 2 Outcome 5 (Level 2) 100% English Year 6 Outcome Level 4 100% Maths Year 6 Outcome Level 4 100% SMILE is a quiet place to work; it helped me concentrate on my spellings and maths skills. SMILE helped me get to Level 5 Reading. I loved the phonic books. Pupil Voice Between 2012 and 2013 PASS results for FSM pupils also showed a positive increase: PASS Area of Learning Increase for FSM Pupils Learning Capability 58.1%+ Preparedness for 58.5%+ Learning Learner Confidence 58.5%+ Over the last five years between 2009 and 2013 pupils at St. Mark s have achieved the following results 5 : Key Stage FSM Pupils Non FSM Pupils KS1CSI and FPI 94.6% 84.4% KS2 CSI 72.3% 79.8% Springboard Springboard is a Learning Pembrokeshire Project, which runs a wide range of fun, free and exciting courses for adults and families in targeted areas. Springboard currently operates in 6 primary partnership schools and St. Mark s has its own Springboard Advisor based in its multiagency hub. St. Mark s dedicates 1 day a week to Springboard, and as well as courses being free of charge, there is also a free crèche provision which removes barriers to enable parents access to learning. Springboard s courses are designed for adults and families to access a range of learning activities both individually and together. Through joining one of the courses 5 Figures supplied by ERW

7 families can have fun, learn new skills, meet new people, and open up their horizons. Different programmes and activities are run every half term and take place in the school building. Mornings usually focus on adult learning time and afternoons are dedicated to family learning time where children come out of class to join mum, dad, or other family members for fun activities. Morning and afternoon sessions are 2 hours in length and are timed to fit within the school day, and courses follow a set programme of events. The programme is set for specific year groups at a time e.g. Year 1 and 2 together (first half term), then Year 3 and 4 together (second half term) and then this progresses throughout the school and alternates. The programme changes every half term so that we can move through the school and engage different parents. Springboard Co-ordinator Springboard works in partnership with schools to decide what topics and themes they want to focus on. Literacy and numeracy is always a focus but it is mostly presented in an embedded way though topic based approaches (see below) and sometimes it is presented in a more specific and direct way. The project aims to engage adults in active learning opportunities such as: Bread baking and cake decorating Beauty makeovers Carpentry Busy bee gardeners Rocket science Stained glass and ceramics Singing Magic mosaic making Cards and computers 50 per cent of each course is accredited and 50 per cent is non-accredited, this makes it more accessible to a wide range of learners. We ensure that it is not overwhelming for those parents who have not done any formal training for a while so that they do not feel anxious about what they are doing. Springboard Co-ordinator All of the courses are universally accessible and are open to all families, there is no stigma attached and enrolment is easy. Families can enrol on courses in a number of ways, by text or telephone, or by posting a reply slip in the dedicated Springboard Post Box in the school s reception area.

8 When enrolments come in Springboard Advisors review the percentage uptake from both FSM and non-fsm families, they then focus on engaging participants from Communities First postcodes, or who have children in receipt of free school meals. Advisors use smart targeting and recruitment strategies such as giving gentle reminders in passing casual conversations and actively follow these up by making phone calls to try and ensure that 50% of the participants are FSM families. Working with hard to reach families can be difficult, however we rarely struggle to fill our courses they are extremely popular. When they first hear of it they are not really sure, but once they engage with us they want to come again and again, they will then tell their friends and they come too. Springboard Advisor From September 2013 to February 2014 Springboard has run 82 different courses across their 6 Partner Schools and have attracted 686 adult enrolments, and 233 children have benefited from spending quality time working with their families. Once families realise that they can spend quality time with their children on an individual basis that makes a massive difference. Springboard Advisor Evidence of Impact Regular evaluations are carried out and extremely positive feedback is common across all settings, therefore cross-referencing shows that impact is successful. In St Mark s 100% of parents felt that the course had helped them and their child: Feel good together Learn something new Bond as parent and child Do new things together in free time Take more interest in learning at school Be more positive about school activities

9 Many parents reported increased confidence and feelings of well-being associated with quality 1-to-1 time spent with their child for bonding and said that they carried on exploring the activities with the resources provided at home after the course had finished. Other feedback included: D enjoyed 1-to-1 with me; it helped him to get interested in writing. He has to focus and listen to instructions. If my science teacher had been this much fun in school I might have learnt more. Parent Voices Progression tracking data has noted the successful changing profile of learners within the county of Pembrokeshire and as a result of Springboard 30 adults from 3 Partner Schools have gained an accredited qualification and 20 went on to study with other course providers. Developments are currently underway to increase progression tracking across all 6 Partner Schools and to work in partnership with Swansea University and Pembrokeshire College to increase recruitment onto Higher Level Qualification Courses. Future Developments St. Mark s School has appointed a new headteacher and is eagerly awaiting her arrival so that they can embark on the next stage of their journey. The trialling and piloting of a new friendship diagnostic tool is due to commence in the near future. The tool will produce spider-grams of peer groups, which will enable staff to target interventions and further support and nurture pupil wellbeing. Staff have also expressed a keen interest in the FAST programme (Families and Schools Together, Save the Children) 6. Many families that have attended Springboard to increase skills through instruction and guidance are now ready to become empowered and train as FAST volunteers. 6

10 Funding St. Mark s School is currently planning to use its Pupil Deprivation Grant (PDG) to focus on the following: Track the progress of pupils affected by poverty and all vulnerable learners to identify appropriate provision Target FSM learners throughout Year 2 and KS2 with the aim to raise standards in Literacy and Numeracy Target learners for Pyramid After School Club Target Year 6 FSM learners to receive additional transition support into Year 7 Increase family engagement supported by the new role of Inclusion Family Officer Improve safeguarding Improve attendance Pupil voice Restorative practice Peer mentoring training In addition the Springboard Service Level Agreement requires 3000 towards the cost of running the project on a commitment of 1 day a week for a whole year. St. Mark s is matched funded by the Local Council, and in other Communities First areas it is a 3 way split between the school, the council, and Communities First. We talk about this a lot and discuss the impact of the work and feedback with regard to our budget. This is definitely working and very worthwhile. Governor

11 Summary The key message from this case study is that strong links with parents and a focus on promoting pupils wellbeing is central to reducing the impact of poverty on their achievement. Theme Particular factor SMC Leadership Rigorous use of data and self evaluation Teaching and Learning Engagement with parents and wider community Training and effective deployment of staff including teaching assistants and specialists Wellbeing programme focusing on raising self esteem Strong dialogue with parents Adult learning Strategic partnerships Key Contact Mr R Owen Acting Headteacher St. Mark s Church in Wales V.A. Primary School St Issells Avenue Merlin s Bridge Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire SA61 1JX admin.stmarks@pembrokeshire.gov.uk