Do you remember your first day at school? I do… I remember hanging on to my mummy’s coat for dear life, begging her to take me home where I felt safe. Once I was finally in school, I have memories of staring out of the window, feeling alone and longing for her to return. I remember the different smells, the overly bright colours, and the overwhelming noise. For some children, particularly our most vulnerable, this feeling can endure for far too long. Every day can continue to feel like their first day.  

In this blog, we will explore the significance of cultivating a nurturing community for each and every child. We will consider the impact of the positive relationships and enabling environments that create a sense of safety and belonging for all children, allowing them to thrive. 
 

 

Schools and settings are busy places. Often, adults have little time to stop (let alone stop, feel, think, and do) to consider what each child in their setting has experienced before school that morning, the previous evening or what is going on in their life. Do we truly recognise how powerful our interactions with them can be as key adults in their early years? 

 

 

Let us return to my first day of school once more. What else do I remember? 

I remember a gentle touch on my shoulder, a warm smile, and the calming words of my teacher, reassuring me that “I am here to help, talk to me and I will listen.” The gentle taking of my hand to lead me into my first ever classroom. The sense of belonging I felt when I saw what I had drawn during my home visit displayed proudly next to my peg. My creation was given value and respect. What also remains is the sound of the calming music, the reassuring smile, words, and consistent patience that would help me to find my calm and become a valued member of the class. 

A sense of belonging is fundamental to human nature, and it begins to take root in the early years of life. When children feel connected to their surroundings, they develop a solid foundation for positive mental health and social development. A supportive environment fosters feelings of security, acceptance, and the confidence to explore the world around them. 
 

The child’s perspective 

Do you ever stop and look at life from the perspective of each and every child in your setting? Find time to see the world at each child’s level (figuratively and quite literally!). What do you feel, see, and hear, at this level? Where is your safe space? Who can you go to for support and safety? Are cues and displays accessible and meaningful? Do they help to guide you in the absence of an adult? Do you see yourself represented in books, displays and areas? Do you feel like you belong?  

Now go outside and do the same. Step outside of the school building during morning drop-off, playtime and home time and take in the level of noise: cars zooming past, children running around, laughing, shouting. Do you feel safe and secure? Many children find the unstructured moments in the day a real challenge, and it’s important that we consider what is in place to support them here too. 

In her paper, Mårdsjö Olsson of Gothenburg University, talks about the adults being sensitive to the individual experiences and needs of each child, and consider what is going on in their world. ‘The teachers who are sensitive to the children and the world around them become acquainted with their thoughts, questions, and skills to be able to interpret and support their needs.’ 

 

Positive relationships 

Picture the following examples for a moment: 

It's PE day. A child in your class doesn’t have the correct kit, again. Do we empathise and understand why, or do we judge, talk about them, and perhaps even reprimand them?   
 
The class is already in full swing, and a child is late for school. They're greeted by an eye-rolling adult, reminding them they are late again!   
 
The child, not only new to the school setting, but new to the country, and now thrown into a world of language that they do not understand.   
 
A child, who is experiencing trauma, and as a result is hyper- vigilant, withdrawn, afraid, just waiting for something to go wrong…. 

The attitudes of staff, the power of positive relationships and the enabling environment where our children learn, can be transformative for the joy and wellbeing of every child. Paul Dix believes relationships are key. In his book, ‘When the Adults Change, Everything Changes,’ Dix shares his thoughts on behaviour management in school and aims to end the search for a change in children’s behaviour, his focus is on the adults.  

How the adults react and respond to children’s individual needs or behaviour can have an incredible impact on the wellbeing and academic success of children. When they show kindness and reflect on the needs of the child, trust develops over time.  

We know that secure attachment is vital for children’s wellbeing, learning and achievement.  

 

Welcome! 

Is your learning environment warm, inviting, and inclusive? Is it relevant and relatable? Creating a diverse and inclusive environment in early years settings is crucial for the holistic development of children. It helps to develop a positive sense of identity, learn about diverse cultures, and fosters a welcoming atmosphere for all families. Embracing and understanding cultural identity can positively influence a child's self-regulation by providing a sense of pride and acceptance. 

Imagine a child coming into your setting after experiencing trauma. You are their calm and safe place. Having soothing, mindful, music playing in the background could be enough to decrease the child’s anxiety in that moment.  

Create a permanent safe space within the setting and allow time for reflection within routines, where children have an opportunity to talk, feel and recognise their emotions. Self-regulation is vital, so they can recognise and understand their emotions, and learn what strategies support them to self-regulate. 

 

Self-regulation and belonging 

We know behaviour is a form of communication, yet we can sometimes be too busy to stop and reflect on why a child’s behaviour is challenging. Do we stop to consider the experiences of the child who behaves unsafely, runs, hides, or remains silent? Trying your best to teach a class when this behaviour is happening is a real challenge. We understand; but we want it to stop. Often, we may even consider removing the child from our classroom. ‘What about the rest of the children?’ we might say. 

Self-regulation and a sense of belonging are interconnected aspects of a child's social and emotional development in the early years. When children feel a sense of belonging, it positively influences their ability to self-regulate. Does your learning environment enable this? 

 

Check in with me 

The ‘DfE’s Best Start in Life Part 2’ discusses giving young children from 2 years old emotional awareness and the impact this can have on their wellbeing and learning and achievement as they get older. Children need opportunities to practise these techniques through daily routines, role play and effective interactions with adults. ‘Adults can then prompt children to use the strategy they have learned when needed.’  

We can teach children strategies to understand and control their emotions. Introduce self- regulation into routines. On entry to the setting, children can be encouraged to move their name or photo onto a visual or zone to represent how they are feeling. This will give opportunity for the adults to check in with the children on entry and give them the language of self- regulation. Children can check in throughout the day and move their photo to a different zone if their feelings change. Over time, with adults reinforcing language and understanding, they will recognise and understand when they are becoming less regulated. ‘They become aware and are able to do something about it in the moment.’ 

 

Empower me 

Do you offer tools in the safe space to aid the child to be calm and aid self-regulation? Teach simple mindfulness techniques within the daily routines such as counting back from 5 and deep breathing exercises. Using timers will encourage children to return to the rest of the group when they are ready.  

Children may find it difficult to express themselves and talk about how they are feeling. Emotion cards may help to identify big emotions and let them know it is normal and natural to feel.  
 
When situations arise that may not have gone to plan – does the child feel that there is an opportunity for reflection and repair and do adults use these as a learning opportunity?

 

Show me: consistent routines and expectations 

Consistent routines and predictable environments provide a sense of security for children, promoting a stable emotional state. Do you display visuals at the child’s level? Can they easily see and access them at any point during the day? When embedded into consistent routines, a visual timetable will empower children to know what to expect next. Children can become anxious when they do not know what is happening. The symbols should be removed once an activity finishes, so the children are prewarned that the next activity will be starting. Visual timetables can help to break down the day, so children understand transitions which in time helps to reduce anxiety.  

‘The positive impact of implementing a visual timetable, accessible for all children in a setting, is to promote two-way communication between practitioners and children, to increase independence, instil confidence and to reduce anxiety that can occur between transitions. (Freeman et al, 2009).’

 

Inclusive practices 

Implement inclusive practices that consider the individual needs and abilities of each child. Provide accommodations and adaptations to ensure that all children can actively participate in activities. 

Encouraging self-expression 

Whether through roleplay, art, music, or storytelling, encouraging self-expression is key to unlocking a child's individuality. Creative outlets provide a space for children to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and unique perspectives. 

 

Family involvement

Involve families in the learning process. Create opportunities for parents and carers to participate in classroom activities, share their skills or cultural traditions, and feel like valued members of the educational community. 

 

Actions speak louder than words 

Do you embed a sense of belonging for children within daily practice and does the ambition within your curriculum reflect this? Nathan Wallis, author of Belonging and the Brain talks about the link between ‘brain development and belonging.’ Essentially, fostering a sense of belonging promotes brain development. ‘If we don’t put a sense of belonging into the lower brain, then we’re not going to get up to the higher brain.’ He believes it’s really essential to the wellbeing and academic success of a human being. 

Aaron Bradbury reminds us that we have to be mindful that young children are still finding their place. ‘We need to listen to the child and see what they are saying, doing and most importantly, how the practitioners are dealing with the child’s uniqueness.’  
Nurturing a sense of belonging in the early years is crucial for a child's overall development and well-being. Creating an environment where children feel valued, accepted, and connected contributes to their social, emotional, and cognitive growth.

 

 

 

As early years practitioners, we have the incredible opportunity to help shape the minds and experiences of young children during their crucial formative years. In this blog, we will explore what open-ended play entails, discuss how you can support it and delve into the benefits that this type of play supports. 

 

 

The EYFS states that ‘In planning and guiding what children learn, practitioners must reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice appropriately. Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things

What better way to meet the characteristics of effective learning than by offering children the opportunity to have open ended play. 

 

 

So, what do we mean when we say open ended play?

Open-ended play refers to unstructured play experiences that encourage children to explore, create, use their imagination freely, solve problems and use those critical thinking skills. It will of course be linked to your curriculum aims; you are just providing open ended opportunities to get there rather than structured activities with predetermined outcomes.  Open-ended play involves materials, environments, and experiences that can be interpreted and used in multiple ways, allowing children to express their ideas and emotions. It is not pre planned ‘we are going to make this today’ nor does it have a closed outcome covering one of the seven areas of learning. In open-ended play, there is no pressure or expectation of an end result or product, and it can encompass all areas of learning.

As I say to many of the settings I support, think about the process, not the end product. Who is the end product for? A parent, the display board, a nursery scrap book. I would invite you to ask yourself what the children learnt from the ‘process’ of having to make an end product.

Some of the Benefits of Open-Ended Play:

Open-ended play offers children the opportunity to encounter challenges and find solutions on their own. This natural problem-solving approach aids in developing critical thinking skills and resilience from an early age. It can help children tap into their limitless imagination, transforming ordinary objects into extraordinary creations. Take a moment to think about the resources you provide, for example a small world car garage is always going to be just that. 

 

 

Recently, on one of my visits, I watched a small group of children transform six crates into an aeroplane, a sweet shop, surf boards, a car, and a desert island. As the children engaged in this type of play, it nurtured their social skills, as they learnt to negotiate with each other about what they were going to make. They co-operated with each other as they all worked collaboratively to create different structures. The play supported children’s language, as they communicated with each other discussing their ideas and giving instructions.  Children acted out different role play scenarios, which encouraged dialogue expanding their vocabulary. They were in fact playing and exploring, actively learning as well as creating and thinking critically.

See the benefits for yourself

Professor Ferre Laevers is a known pioneer in Early Years, and his name is synonymous with the Leuvan Scale . He proposes 'emotional wellbeing' and 'involvement' as being central pillars to children's learning and development.

Laevers created a 5-point scale to measure both wellbeing and involvement. If there is a lack of wellbeing and or involvement, it is likely a child’s development will be threatened.

‘The higher the levels of wellbeing and involvement we can achieve for the child, the more we can add to the child’s development’.

I would challenge you to perhaps use these scales and see the benefits for yourself.  Comparing the results against a fully structured adult led activity to an open-ended child led activity.

Doesn’t everything just end up in a mess?

Open ended play is not a ‘free-for-all’, yes it can get messy as children learn and explore but a good practitioner is key to this process, children still need adults to provide an enabling environment where there are enough of the right resources that provide provocations that allow skills to develop. An enabling environment will also support children when it comes to packing away. Cleary labelled areas will help children to know where to return items once they have finished playing.

How can I support open ended play?

Young children need time and space to actively play, follow their imaginations and be as creative and experimental as they can possibly be. Adults need to be able to identify when to step in, possibly when help is required or to move the learning forward and when to step back, if children are engaged and learning on their own. 

 

 

A great way to assist open ended play and enhance children’s learning is to ask open ended questions or comment on what children are doing. 

It’s important to remember that ‘play is the highest form of research’ (Albert Einstein), so they need to be allowed to choose where they play rather than instructed to sit at a table for a pre-planned activity. Children maybe at the transportation stage, carrying resources from one area to another. Don’t try to stop them unless it is going to cause a major problem. If they have an idea they are working on, they may need to use an item from another area. For example, a child engrossed in world building in the small world area may want a few more blocks from the construction area for their house.

Some examples of open-ended play are, the mud kitchen, den building, loose parts large and small, sand and water, a deconstructed role play area (an area that is not set up but provides all the props for children to decide what and how to play) an open mark making, a music zone/stage the opportunities are endless.

When given the freedom to explore and imagine, guided by attuned adults, children will discover the world around them, develop physically and intellectually, and gain confidence.

 

This blog is the second in a three-part series. It follows on from Part 1 which was published on the 26th of May 2023.

My conclusion in Part 1 contained the statement: ‘There are often words and phrases in education linked to the disadvantage gap such as ‘reducing’, ‘closing’, ‘diminishing’ or ‘removing’ it. Perhaps, in the 21st Century and beyond, the ‘gap’ will remain as societal, and other conditions mean that it exists and can be out of our full control. Our mission remains though. To enable all children to access and engage in rich learning and feel a deep sense of belonging in it. This will be explored further in Part 2 with the implications of not acting accordingly analysed in Part 3.’  

In this blog (Part 2), I will focus on what that looks like in practice and in Part 3 I will explore the implications of what happens with young adults when their needs are not met early in their education.

Introduction

To enable all children to access and engage in rich learning experiences requires careful consideration. Both the building and establishment of this scenario require specific forethought to ensure effectiveness. In a HFL Education Services meeting at the beginning of this academic year, our Chief Executive Officer, Carole Bennett, and Co-Directors of Education Services, Jeremy Loukes and Liz Shapland initially reflected on the sporting successes across the country during the summer, including ‘The Lionesses’. These were celebrated as positive outcomes in challenging times and allowed me to reflect on all of the groundwork, planning, commitment and constant evaluation and adaption that is required to achieve those outcomes.

In his book, ‘Habits That Make A Champion’, Allistair McCaw asserts that,

‘Becoming a Champion or High Performer doesn't happen overnight or by accident. It takes years of dedication, hard work and discipline. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you haven’t developed the right habits and mindset, you will always fall short of your greatest potential.’

The rationale behind this is beautifully summed up with the statement: 

It is this rationale that formed the basis of my exploration into how schools are addressing the issue concerning the aforementioned societal gap, and thus providing a sense of belonging for all of the children in their charge.

Championing the cause in a primary school

At Commonswood Primary and Nursery School in Hertfordshire, meeting the needs of children who are presently disadvantaged is the main ‘driver’ in the School Development Plan and is always the priority when any decisions across the school are made. 
With demonstrable passion and clear allied commitment, the headteacher, Gill Seymour, shared the school’s integrated processes and the strategies employed:

• preparing for transition at the end of each academic year by identifying and analysing potential barriers together with parents and carers to support personal needs. This ‘Nurture for all’ approach is underpinned by the key question, ‘What does this look like for our school and what is our clear strategic intent moving forward?’
• focus on inclusion in after school clubs. 94% of all children and 96% of children presently experiencing disadvantage attend clubs. This includes all children from one family attending at the same time if taking part is dependent on this being facilitated.
• initial home visits for children who join the school after Reception or part way through an academic year. These allow teachers to get to know the family and their needs in a familiar environment and contact is made on a weekly basis to support the children with settling in.
• access to the ‘Helping Hands Home Care’ service to provide specific support to families.
• personalised tracking of children presently experiencing disadvantage who also have SEND. This process is supported by the governors.
• tracking absences daily. Teachers phone parents/carers as necessary to offer support and children who have been absent are welcomed back on their return.
• employing a Speech and Language specialist with an ‘expert eye’ who works beyond the school day to be available for families at a time convenient to them.

Pupil profiles

Along with an appropriate adult, the children contribute to a personalised ‘Pupil Profile’.

An example:

 

 

Alongside the pupil profile, a personalised ‘Emotion Regulation Plan’ is created with specific ongoing review dates.

This will include potential triggers for escalation of negative emotions or behaviours and measures that should always in place.

• Measures may include:
• processes for information sharing during the school day to support transitions
• check-ins by designated adults
• additional classroom support tools
• designated safe space to go to if frustrated

Pupil premium strategy

Finally, the ‘Statement of Intent’ in the school’s Pupil Premium Strategy Plan outlines the key rationale for the introduction of these processes:

‘A whole school ethos of attainment for all. The Commonswood motto ‘Aim high’
reflects our high expectations for the whole school community and we are an ambitious
school in every respect. We are determined to create a climate that does not limit a
child’s potential in any way. We have a strong personal commitment to improving
outcomes for vulnerable pupils’ attainment. We have high aspirations and ambitions for
all our children, and we believe that no child should be left behind. It is essential that all
disadvantaged children, including young carers and those who have, or have ever had
a social worker, make at least good progress from their starting points and that no gap
between them and non-disadvantaged children remains.’

Statements made by Gill demonstrate the impact of consistently delivering the overarching aims across the school and include:-

• teachers know the children well 
• all children in the school are treated uniquely
• it only takes one person to make a difference in helping disadvantaged children
• we need to display a ‘different way’ that encompasses the needs of all children
• all of the children in school recognise the value of education 
• homework club is for all children and sets them up to succeed
• we need to go beyond the child to achieve success
• our disadvantaged children without SEND outperformed the non-disadvantaged children last year

In the school’s latest Ofsted inspection (January 2023), the Personal Development of the children was judged to be outstanding.

Championing the cause in a secondary school

Meeting with the headteacher, Jolande Botha-Smith, and the Inclusion Team at Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form in Surrey, provided me with an overview and analysis of the ‘habits and behaviours’ that lead to positive results.

The academy’s SENDCO, Robyn Munro, shared the history and structure of the team and explained how it has expanded dramatically over time from being housed in a small ‘shed’ to its current purpose-built facility. This was driven by the increasing necessity to address escalating numbers of students who had personalised needs.

The current team includes an assistant SENDCO, a team of specialist Teaching Assistants, Student Support Workers, a Transition Team, an EAL coordinator, staff who can speak / interpret a wide variety of languages and a Careers Team. Collaboration enables the facilitation of an in-depth approach to meet the needs of the students.

Charlotte Clements, the Student Welfare and Child Protection Lead, shared these approaches:

Strengths and difficulties questionnaire and child self-report 
(examples from sets of wide ranging questions)

 

 

 

 

The data from these reports can also be analysed to highlight any specific area of concern that may be prevalent. For example:

• social phobia
• panic disorder
• major depression
• separation anxiety
• generalised anxiety

The SENDCO uses pupil responses to ‘unpick’ the underlying causes of behaviours and then implements strategies to address them. This may require further support from outside agencies. Robyn also wholeheartedly agreed that a key factor in this process is addressing the ever-changing ‘societal gap’ that clearly exists in current times.

The academy’s initial focus is on ‘getting to know the students inside out’ to allow them to access the curriculum with a ‘sense of belonging’, rather than a ‘top down’ approach linked to academic attainment. 

This process is augmented through continuous ‘in person’ involvement with students where the Student Welfare and Child Protection Lead is always available, predominantly outside lesson time, for consultation as required. This supports students who feel that they cannot express their concerns ‘in the moment’ so they refer to a specific ‘zone’ that is displayed: this is then further analysed and next steps considered to allow access back to the ‘Green Zone’:

 

 

Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form has approximately 1,457 students who mature quickly as they progress through the academy. This results in their personalised needs, especially their well-being and sense of belonging, can present as being more complex. Jolande spoke passionately about the aims of her school and how they are preparing the students for life in the adult world. The ‘brief overview’ of the PSHE curriculum in Year 11 states: ‘Our aim is to allow the students to discuss issues within the wider world. From living on their own to forced and arranged marriages. As a school we believe that Year 11 is the time to have more mature and open discussions with students’. She also stated that early identification of children's needs is paramount. This is initiated through a specific transition programme where the ‘new to Year 7’ students spend one day as the only Year Group in the school to get used to the surroundings. They are then paired up with an older student as a peer and confidant.  The Inclusion Team use the documents that have been displayed here to facilitate personalised and individual understanding of every child. This is driven by the rationale across the academy for the prioritisation of inclusion, without exception, and is reflected in Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form’s Curriculum Intent statement:

 

 

The headteacher clearly ‘lives and breathes’ this rationale and demonstrates an unerring commitment to achieve success for all through the significant enhancement of the Inclusion Team which is robustly monitored for impact on a daily basis. A ‘deep dive’ was carried out recently by a visiting headteacher who described Inclusion and Safeguarding in the school as outstanding.

‘Championship’ (as in ‘the vigorous support or defence of a person or cause’)

In both schools, the needs of the learners are met through precise actions that produce ongoing consistent outcomes.

In the Journal of Educational & Child Psychology, Kathryn Riley (2019) relates this process to ‘AGENCY AND BELONGING’ and asks the question ‘What transformative actions can schools take to help create a sense of place and belonging?’

One consideration is through the relationship of the processes to ‘The Continuum of Involvement in Research’: 
 

 

The school leaders I have referenced in this blog have undoubtedly stepped into the roles of ‘place-makers’. They have formulated teams that have analysed data (which is initially predominantly qualitative), involved the children/students as active respondents in research through the identification of issues about their own learning. This has contributed to leaders’ knowledge and understanding about the required changes and subsequent improvement.

This has been instigated as early as possible whenever children/students join the schools. Under the heading ‘Creating a sense of belonging for your students’ Allen K.A et al (2018) analyse this further with the generalisation that, ‘More broadly, Maslow (1968) found that proper, adequate and timely satisfaction of the need for belonging leads to physical, emotional, behavioural and mental well-being’.

Effective use of time was also a key factor in the ‘Lionesses’ recent success. In September 2021, Sarina Wiegman became England Women’s head coach. Within a year, she had made history guiding the Lionesses to become EURO 2022 champions. In 2023, they narrowly lost in the Women’s World Cup final. To have significant impact in a short time frame is impressive, and the journey to achieve that started by developing the right learning environment for the squad. In England Football Learning (2023) Wiegman asserts ‘That’s where it all starts, with creating an environment in which there’s trust, and it’s safe.’ The key to that approach is communication. Ultimately, to develop trust, connections need to be built. 

‘Start with talking with each other and asking questions on and off the pitch. Just asking questions and telling a little bit about yourself. Then you learn about players. Every player – every human being – is different, so it’s good to learn about each other. Then you can also adapt your approach to the player to get more out of her.’  
This environment of trust is clearly evident in both the school and the academy where all of the children feel safe and secure knowing that their multifarious needs will be addressed in cyclical processes. The situation has been achieved against a backdrop where Riley (2019) declares that

‘Belonging is that sense of being somewhere where you can be confident that you will fit in and feel safe in your identity, a feeling of being at home in a place and of being valued (Flewitt et al, 2017; Riley, 2017). In a world in which social and economic divisions are widening and more people are displaced – exiled and homeless - than at any time since the end of the 1939-45 War (Putnam, 2015: UNHCR, 2017), schools need to be places of belonging.’

To further illuminate the situation, Dan Nicholls (2023), in his latest blog entitled ‘Towards Social Justice’, reveals a stark reminder and a clear alert of the outcomes if the situation is not addressed with haste:

‘Our education system is perfectly designed to secure and maintain the conditions that accumulate disadvantage over time. A system so ingrained and accepted that we unwittingly perpetuate it and see the results as inevitable. Against the backdrop of the fracturing social contract, the aftermath of the pandemic and in darkening times, the cogs of the system continue unabated, galvanised and renewed to further widen gaps and disenfranchise an ever-larger number of children.

The system is strengthening, forging greater division in society precisely at a time when individual agency and mobility is decreasing. A system that has powerful ways of telling children that they do not belong, playing out asymmetrically to make life precarious and insecure for far too many. A national crisis rages, children are becoming more invisible, opting out of education and they are being pushed to the edges. Those who most need school are not there, absent and missing from the very place that could offer social justice and opportunity.’

The term ‘social justice’ is intimately linked to the ‘societal gap’ as the thread running through both Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog. Dan Nicholls (2023) makes this connection clear by stating:

‘Seeking social justice and how our system increases participation, connection, opportunity and experience is better placed than initiatives focused on mobility, which seek to enable relatively few individuals to escape the system, to defy the odds. We need a bottom-up investment in all individuals; we need to change the rules of the game with social justice as the goal and social mobility as an outcome’

For me, this is undoubtedly achievable if the attributes of ‘championship’, as described, become universally accepted and employed, along with the associated actions and strategies. The ‘end goals’ are attainable. We need to grasp the opportunity before the situation spirals completely out of control.

We are the champions

In the utilisation of the word ‘We’ in the title of this conclusion, I am, of course, referring to the potential that anyone holds when they are in a position to influence the lives of young people. This extends far beyond life in school but a major proportion of the time that most children move from infancy to adolescence is spent attending educational establishments. During that time the primary focus of all the personnel involved in that process must be to champion the aforementioned cause. 

Carole Bennett recently shared a ‘TED Talk’ entitled ‘How to create a high-performance culture’. In it, Andrew Sillitoe relates to rethinking how we can create an environment where everybody can thrive, feel inspired and operate at their full potential with a sense of purpose. He suggests that we are losing our purpose in society and if purpose is about meaning in our lives, it is about staying engaged when things become challenging and, from a leadership perspective, it is about connection with the audience. If that connection is attempted with a focus purely on the leader and not the intended impact and ‘what that actually looks like in action and the participant’s role within it’ then the connection is completely lost. 

Clear connectivity is profuse within the establishments referred to in this blog. They have an inherent understanding that a constantly shifting societal gap exists and are positive about overcoming its challenges through a flexible and adaptable personalised approach. Within that, roles are clearly defined, with their associated accountability, and a profound sense of purpose exists as an integral part of creating a ‘sense of belonging’ to allow access for all. This encompasses both personal development and the accompanying life skills. For me, the overarching theme that emanates from my visits is the headteachers’ absolute commitment to achieve success for all the children and young adults in their charge. It is abundantly clear that their influence, by effective leadership, has significant impact, not only within their schools but also in the wider context of the ‘outside world’. This has been achieved through the implementation of systems and processes, that are constantly evaluated and adapted in an ever-changing landscape, where the focus is ‘not on results but on the habits, subsequent mindset and associated behaviours that produce them’. The formulation of this scenario and its ongoing impact will allow all children/students to become champions themselves in ‘Minding the gap and ensuring that they take their belongings with them’. 

At HfL Education we are acutely aware that there is a wealth of amazing inclusive practice going on in schools, settings and trusts across Hertfordshire and beyond. This blog has focused purely on two of those establishments, where ‘deep dives’ were carried out.

In Part 3 of this blog, I will be exploring and analysing ongoing situations, along with the associated consequences, that can occur in young adulthood and beyond, if a sense of belonging is not realised.

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References

Allen, K. A., Kern, M. L., Vella-Brodrick, D., Waters, L., & Hattie, J. (2018). What schools need to know about belonging: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(1), 1-34. Download: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-016-9389-8

Chorpita, B. F., Yim, L. M., Moffitt, C. E., Umemoto L. A., & Francis, S. E. (2000). Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: A Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38, 835-855.

England Football Learning (2023): https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles/resources/2023/Sarina-Wiegman-the-importance-of-communication

Maslow, A. H. (1968) Toward a psychology of being. New York: Van Nostrand.

Nicholls, D (2023). Towards Social Justice https://dannicholls1.com/2023/10/01/towards-social-justice/?s=03

Putnam, R. D. (2015). Our kids: The American dream in crisis. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Riley, K (2019). Journal of Educational & Child Psychology: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10103208/1/Riley_Journal%20of%20Education%20and%20Child%20Pyschology%20%208%20July.pdf

Sillitoe, A. (2015). Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAdeFHlhKi4

 

There are times when it feels like, little or nothing you do will ever make a difference. Reba Younge’s life shows us that each of our decisions can create the ripples that become powerful moments of change. This Black History Month’s theme is about Celebrating Our Sisters hence, we will be using the Can I tell you about series to recognise people of colour.

Reba Younge came to the UK in 1962 from Barbados as a nurse. She later settled in Stevenage with her 3 young boys and retrained becoming a teacher. For most people, being a sole parent raising children, working full time in a demanding career after having relocated to a new country would be enough of a challenge. But for Reba, she seemed to be driven by a belief that she could do more.

Reba taught at Bedwell School (a secondary school in Stevenage), and later fostered and then raised two children in addition to her own. But again, this was not the end of her work. Within her community of Stevenage, Reba became a community activist and anti-racist campaigner. She ran the Shephalbury Park’s play scheme, organised discos at St Peter’s Church and ran a Saturday support group for Asian women.

Reba’s tireless work is remembered through those whose lives she touched. In an article from the Comet, West End star and filmmaker Giles Terera recalls her ‘massive presence’ and goes on to say: “Reba was an activist who was always doing something. We all knew her as kids from her work on the play scheme. It was the most perfect thing, and she did that for us for years. Ask anyone who grew up in Stevenage in the 80s, they will know the name Reba Younge.”

Reba’s life appears to be characterised by hard work, diligence and devotion as opposed to personal wealth or accolades. As Gary Younge says, ‘She came into the world with little and left with not a whole lot more.’  But what she did achieve in her small acts was great. She literally welcomed those from outside her family unit into her home, sprinkling kindness, a real sense of inclusion and high expectations in dynamic little droplets.

In finding out about Reba, I noted how a former neighbour talked about her, ‘3 little boys asleep on the floor with their noses in a book’ and this prompted me to think about her personal expectations for her children and how these manifested themselves in her own home. Both the DfE and the National Literacy Trust have recently reported on reading for pleasure, highlighting how just 2/5 (43.4%) of children and young people enjoy reading for pleasure in their free time, whilst the updated Reading Framework indicates that it is vital to nurture young people’s voluntary reading as it is a ‘potent tool for raising standards and supporting students’ psychosocial wellbeing.’ Reba Younge appears to have had an innate sense of this and demonstrated a commitment to advantaging her boys by fostering and nurturing reading in their lives.

Given that Reba died suddenly aged just 44 in 1988, her life demonstrates how each of our lives can impact positively on others, as well as the need to act deliberately and with both purpose and kindness.

Reba Younge’s life and the lives of her children and all the young people, women, and families she would have worked with, will have been improved because of her interest and overwhelming sense of dedication. She demonstrates so beautifully that we don’t need to wait to be changemakers: we can have an impact, we only have to begin.

For HFL support on race equity and how to embed anti-racism in your school/setting/trust.  

You can also read about Reba Younge and the Hidden Heroines Project and learn more from this personal epitaph from Gary Younge about his mother.

 

Research shows 23.7% of learners identified with special educational needs, have a speech, language and communication need (SLCN)-it is the most common type of need for those receiving SEN support. (Special educational needs in England 2023 DfE).  With Friday, 20 October 2023 marking Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (RADLD) around the world, and an estimated 7.6% of children having DLD, now is the perfect time to share some helpful tools and resources with you.

Landmarks around the world will glow yellow and purple to shine a light on this often hidden-but common-disability in celebration of Developmental Language Disorder Day. 
 

 

What is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)? 

People with DLD have long term difficulties understanding and/or using spoken language creating challenges to communication and learning.  There is no known cause of DLD although it can run in families.  In the classroom you may notice learners who experience a range of DLD related barriers to learning. This poster provides a useful summary.
 

 

What classroom support strategies work well?

Explaining, questioning, making and sustaining friendships - these are just some of the daily language demands for learners before we even begin to consider the need to learn curriculum specific language. Ensuring high-quality teaching strategies support the development of speech and language skills for all learners will go a long way to ensure learners with DLD can succeed. Here we reflect on some ways teachers and teaching assistants can support.  

i)    Creating a communication supportive environment  

We all have situations as teachers we never forget.  For me teaching a child with DLD, in an English lesson was one of those moments.    

We were examining a text and the main character ate a hot dog. The child, gasped, looked at me with wide terrified eyes and bellowed across the room, “No Miss! No!”  

It took me a moment, but, looking into those panicked eyes I realised the child thought the character was at a funfair eating an overheated dog! 

Context is everything in reading but when you have DLD that connection is harder to make.  

Looking back, I wished I had used visual scaffolding to support the key message of the text.  

 

 

This child (and the whole class for that matter) could have been signposted to the images as we read/discussed/analysed the text.  For me, a quick image search on the internet resolved the misconception, but what if the child hadn’t had the confidence to shout out to me? How many of our learners are missing language hooks and therefore the entire meaning of our teaching? 

Having key vocabulary displayed with an image is often referred to as dual coding.  For further information on dual coding explore the work of Oliver Caviglioli.  

ii)    Explicitly teach language  

Alex Quigley highlights the benefits of helping all children to “grow their vocabulary” in his book Closing the Vocabulary Gap, 2018. When embedded into whole class teaching this approach will also benefit learners with DLD.  Quigley refers to the SEEC model: 

Select: reflect, in advance, on the key vocabulary that connects and supports knowledge.  
Explain: discuss the word, meaning, link with phonemic awareness (regardless of age/stage) and give learners time to discuss examples. 
Explore: understand the word and give learners a chance to unpick it.  
Consolidate: repeated exposure of vocabulary supports embedding over time.  Think where you can provide overlearning opportunities that are quick, succinct and support to embed language understanding. 

Quigley demonstrates this approach using the Frayer model. 

 

 

Taken from Alex Quigley: The Confident Teacher

At HFL Education this approach is reflected in the mathematical vocabulary index resource.  By teaching and learning mathematical language pupils will be able to clarify and organise mathematical knowledge.  (HFL mathematical vocabulary index resource.) 

 

 

HFL Primary Maths

By making explicit visual connections with language all learners, including those with DLD, will be exposed to a considered, language rich model.  For those of you who are senior leaders, you may wish to consider how you could embed this across all phases and curriculum areas. 

In support of DLD Day, here is a small selection of my favourite resources to raise teacher awareness:

• Hertfordshire’s SEND Toolkit provides direct links to training and resources from the Children and Young People’s Therapy Service including an excellent quick reference guide. Consider displaying the poster in the staffroom or sharing with families as the QR codes takes you straight to a wide range of organisations. 

 

 

• Speech and Language UK have a wealth of practical resources and guides for all ages including a support guide for teachers on DLD. Consider using the communication friendly checklists to audit the provision in your school for learners with DLD. 
• ICAN’s DLD guide for teachers in mainstream schools has plenty of practical advice on supporting families, class-based strategies and identification processes.   

 

 

Finally, do have a look at the RADLD website to not only promote DLD Day in your own school but also to support staff to gain a better understanding of the condition.  

Remember HFL Education’s SEND advisers can provide CPD on visual scaffolding. For further information email hfl.SEND@hfleducation.org

So, when you see that yellow or purple glow-on social media, in the news or in the sky- please do take a moment to reflect on the challenges that so many of your learners face each day and-more importantly-consider the small change you put in place to support learners with DLD. 

In the spirit of raising the profile of DLD, as we celebrate DLD Day, please consider sharing this blog with colleagues.  #DLDday  

 

 

When it comes to the business meeting at the start of the academic year two roles need filling, namely that of the chair and vice chair. Understandably much thought is given as to who the most suitable candidate is for the role of chair, they are the flag bearer for the board, the face of the board to the wider school community and will lead on governance in your school. Often when it comes to selecting the vice chair there will be things said along the lines of ‘don’t worry, you don’t have to do much’ or ‘it’s just a title’ – what’s not said is if your chair is sidelined for any length of time or resigns then you will automatically step up into the role and assume all their responsibilities! It needs to be viewed as an understudy role where you are able to step up at a moment’s notice, be across the main issues and challenges in your school and continue to lead your board in the chair’s absence.

Quite often the vice chair is rarely called upon to step up but more commonly when succession planning is under discussion is the one person in the frame for the ‘top’ job. This can bring its own set of challenges, a quote about US vice presidents by Susan Estrich says ‘Vice presidents are supposed to be eternally loyal, which is why it is so difficult for some to figure out how to succeed their bosses’. This I think is often the case with Vice chairs following in the footsteps of longstanding, experienced and well regarded Chairs especially when they choose to remain on the board. The obvious concerns for the vice chair are not being able to live up to the reputation of their predecessor, feeling as if they are being bench marked against the previous incumbent and where they remain on the board feeling constrained in their ability to bring fresh thinking or new ideas without it being perceived as a slight on the previous chair.

Some of the perceptions about the vice chair role is the dearth of research, training or support specifically tailored or about the role. If we start with the DfEs School Governance (Roles, Procedures and Allowances) Regulations and look at the specific section on the ‘Role of the chair/ vice chair (Regs 7,8&9)’ in the 6 paragraphs there is only one substantive reference to the vice chair role and that merely refers to the role of being a support to the chair. In the Governance Handbook there is no specific section on the vice chair role and in its entirety, there are only 5 mentions of the role and none of them are defining the role beyond that of supporting the Chair other than the need to be effective! The DfEs document ‘Maintained School Governance -structures and role descriptors’ is slightly more expansive stating the role of vice chair is to ‘encourage the board to work together as an effective team, building its skills, knowledge and experience’. This I think hits the nail on the head and underlines the importance of the role, accepting that the chair will always be the lightening rod for criticism when school performance is challenged but equally feted when things are going well, the vice chair can quietly get on with their work, out of the limelight, and using this time to build their skill set to prepare for becoming chair in the future.

When the DfEs own documents make such scant reference to the role it can be of no surprise that the role is so often misunderstood. We are very clear in the governance team that the role is an important one requiring a range of skills and close working with your chair. A good chair will delegate work to the vice chair to share the load and share knowledge of what they are currently dealing with. Furthermore, you should be encouraged to join the Head/ chair meetings occasionally to keep abreast of matters and challenges between board meetings. An effective vice chair will cover a range of tasks including such things as mentoring new governors, handling early stages of complaints and suspensions/ exclusions proceedings, overseeing training and occasionally chairing an FGB meeting to gain experience to enable you to step in if required and prepare for succession planning. As vice chair you can act as a conduit between the board and chair, act as a sounding board for the chair, take on some lead link roles and if you have relevant skills, and time, chair one of the board committees. I think a key thing for vice chairs is to be relevant – returning to US vice president comparisons we all remember the names of the ones who were in lockstep with their presidents, who undertook high profile roles, who were supportive but not uncritical, who recognised their position and didn’t muddy the waters for the president of the day and who demonstrated the necessary skills to assume leadership. This is probably where my comparison of the roles comes a bit unstuck, because other than the current president I can’t think, in my lifetime, of any other VP becoming president! Rest assured many vice chairs go on to become chairs!

So if you are a vice chair please be assured you are a pivotal and critical member of the board, if you are a governor then please value and support your vice chair and if you are Chair please nurture and grow the skills and confidence of your vice chair – in doing this you are growing leadership talent from within and when the time for succession arrives you are ready and prepared for a smooth handover. 

Through our Chairs Service we offer training, resources and briefings to support you in your role as vice chair or in order to take on the role, please contact us for further information.

Governance Helpdesk – 01438 544487 
 

 

Year 6 teachers and pupils will now have transitioned into the new academic year, and we know it won’t be long before plans steer towards preparing for this year’s SATs. No doubt many will be thinking back to the controversy surrounding the 2023 Reading SATs papers and (despite the Standards and Testing Agency reporting that the content was “set to an appropriate level of difficulty”), we recognise the challenges it provided for many.

In this blog, we hope to provide an easy-to-follow analysis of the reading SATs papers, but more importantly, further insight into teaching practices of reading, to develop classroom pedagogy further.

 

60 minutes, 3 texts and how many words?

This year, pupils were expected to read and analyse the following texts:

1. “A Noise in the Night” from Survival Squad: Night Riders.
2. “Bats Under the Bridge” from a New York Times article.
3. “A Howl at Dusk” from The Rise of Wolves by Kerr Thompson.
   You can find the full reading booklet for the test here.

The test required pupils to read a total of 2106 words across three texts. This is almost a third more than the 2022 paper, which included only 1,564 words. On average, pupils would only have had around 34 seconds to read and answer each question. This, however, should not tempt us to teach to the test and most certainly not under time constraints. Guided reading in a pressure cooker is only going to create undue stress and anxiety for our pupils. We know we need to create diverse opportunities within quality teaching to allow our pupils to comprehend the meaning of what they read, using a wide range of engaging texts.

 

Connecting content domains

The updated Reading Framework (2023) has provided some insight into the teaching of reading comprehension strategies. It advises that schools should not be limiting their learning objectives solely to the ‘content domains’ (appendix 10). It discusses the importance of drawing on and using a variety of these strategies, all of the time:

• activating and using background knowledge
• generating and asking questions
• making predictions
• visualising
• monitoring comprehension
• summarising
  We will elaborate on this later using example questions.

First, let’s break the vocabulary barrier

The HFL Education conceptual model shown here and the EEF’s Guidance, discusses the importance of explicit, quality teaching of reading with an awareness of vocabulary knowledge as a barrier. The 2023 paper was jam-packed with vocabulary that required background knowledge and varied lived experiences. It is often the foundation of any reading test and with word meaning questions (2d) on the rise from 10% in 2022 to 18% this year, it’s certainly an aspect to focus on. In paper 1 alone, children encountered words such as rustling, throbbing, grid, emerged, binoculars, rustlers.

 

So how do we prepare children for this task? 

You’ve guessed it…explicitly teach vocabulary.

 

Which words should we be teaching and when? 

Tier 2 words: challenging, ambitious words with characteristics of written language. Teach words that will potentially disrupt the overall comprehension of a text. See here for more.  Be sure to familiarise them with unknown words prior to reading to help lessen comprehension difficulties. However, when reading as a class or group, it would be best to do this when the word is encountered in the text. 

 

Life beyond definitions! 

Research shows that introducing a new word using its dictionary definition can be problematic. Let’s look at the word ‘rustling’ as an example:

Dictionary definition: 

1. the sound that paper or leaves make when they move.
2. the crime of stealing farm animals 

By depending on these definitions, children would need to first work out which definition links to the context of the text: is it a noise or stealing? They would then need to figure out which one is making the sound. Is it paper or leaves? For most children, this process will have already started to overwhelm them. It is more effective to provide children with the meaning of the word using every day, familiar language and also explore the essence of a word and how it is used. More strategies are shared in ‘Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction’ by  Beck, McKeown & Kucan. 

Here are some more word attack strategies you could begin to model within your reading lessons:

See Reading SATs strategies for the final stretch for more word attack strategies!
 

We can see how, since 2016, the SATs questions have also focused heavily on testing retrieval and inference:

 

 

Inference investigation!

It’s worth asking:
Do pupils know what ‘good readers’ do as they read? 
Do they know that when we read, we are visualising, making connections/comparisons and drawing on our own experiences? 
Do they know that words hold meaning, often deep enough for investigation?
Do they know that inference often includes looking for clues and evidence, and that there can often be more than one answer?
Do they know that we often need to depend on background knowledge, extra information or clues?

 

Let’s take a closer look….

In the first text, ‘A Noise in the Night’, pupils are provided with this information: 

 

There will be children who have never experienced camping, and certainly not on a farm. This strengthens the importance of ensuring that the texts we read (and re-read!) transport children to many different places – ones they may not have experienced in real life.

In previous tests, question 1 is usually a simple retrieval question, but here we have a 2-mark, inference question from the get-go.

To infer successfully and receive the full two marks, children will need to:

• re-read the text 
• connect with Priya and recognise the symptoms of/examples of nervousness
• draw on their own experiences of feeling nervous in similar situations
• only retrieve from the first paragraph
• retrieve two different pieces of evidence from the text

 

 

 

The more you know; the more you learn

Let’s dive into this non-fiction text:

 

 

Off the bat (pun intended!), children will hopefully have some background knowledge. Background knowledge supports comprehension, but it can be particularly critical when reading non-fiction texts. In this instance, pupils will hopefully work out that ‘Congress Avenue Bridge’ is a place in the USA. Later, they will also need to grapple with words: capital, city and state.  

Most of the questions in this section assess pupils’ ability to retrieve and record information. Easy, right? Perhaps not with this level of challenge: long, multi-clause sentences, figurative language and complex words and phrases.

 

Again, teaching children to break up the text into meaningful chunks and showing them how to read words in context will aid their ability to do so with ease and at a sufficient speed.

 

Positively prepared… or maybe not?

Many Year 6 teachers will have prepared their students by setting questions using recurring question stems from past papers.  E.g. “How can you tell that…” “What does this tell you about their character?” 

The unfamiliar wording of this question would certainly have caused some frowned brows… 

 

Children often hear the word ‘positive’ being used in many different contexts: “be positive/use a positive mindset” or, very possibly in a scientific context, too. The challenging job here is that children need to:

• understand that bats are usually viewed in a negative light (either from background knowledge or from the text itself)
• find two different messages that are deemed to be ‘positive’ in this context
• scan large amounts of text quickly

To answer questions like this successfully, pupils need to have experienced regular, well-planned, rich reading lessons, that allow them time to see and practise:

• reading and re-reading passages again and again (…and again)
• reading at length 
• returning to the text 
• exploring/discussing vocabulary purposefully and actively 
• taking part in rich, in-depth discussions with their peers and teachers

We must find time to guide pupils to connect with texts with this level of difficulty. Only then will they feel equipped to tackle them with resilience.

 

The End is Near…

It’s no surprise that the final question is worth 3-marks. But wait! “What does personality mean again?” A question that no doubt echoed across the classrooms of those children who made it to the end of the paper in time.

In this blog, we discuss strategies to support children to answer 3-mark questions, such as, ‘what’s your impression of…’. For many experienced Year 6 teachers, this very question is emblazoned across working walls and referred to constantly. However, to our surprise, this higher-level question was also phrased differently.

The National Curriculum states that children should “identify and discuss themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing”. Although this question is asking for a character study, we can teach children to hunt for themes and conventions to support them to do this. Support children to dissect the text. Are there themes of love, courage, hatred, friendship, magic that they notice?

 

Read aloud and think aloud!

When we model reading aloud, we should model thinking aloud, too. This allows children to develop active thinking whilst reading. Embedding sentence stems such as “I wonder…”, “I see…” and “I think…” helps children to think deeply about these themes and conventions in relation to character behaviour/personality.

In his book ‘Reading Reconsidered’, Doug Lemov talks about the importance of Interactive Reading. He says we should teach children how to interact with the text by “underlining, marking up key points and summarising ideas in the margin.”  Elaborated thoughts can transform into brief text interactions during timed tests and other reading tasks. 
 

 

Eventually, pupils will be able to organise their ideas efficiently and analyse character behaviour with ease. Practise in groups and pairs until pupils develop the confidence to tackle independently and accurately: 

 

 

Are all of your pupils fully engaged?

As mentioned in the reading framework, ‘PISA data consistently shows that engagement in reading is strongly correlated with reading performance.’ With that said, here’s a few suggestions that you might want to consider:

• Start by carving out some precious time within the teaching day for children to explore and engage with texts in depth
• Find a way for each and every pupil to engage and interact deeply
• Build a community of readers, who not only read within your classroom, but outside too
• Take time to closely monitor children’s reading habits so that you can recommend books and share your personal favourites
• Facilitate opportunities for book talk and most of all, provide plenty of time to actually read

We hope that this blog provides a starting point to get you thinking about the ways in which you might interpret the findings of this year’s reading SATs paper outcomes and how these findings might be translated into effective guided reading practice. 

Most importantly, let us remember that the SATs are a short moment in time. The rich reading experiences we provide children can set them up for life. Let’s give them tools they will take with them wherever they go: a love of reading; a love of books.

 

Blog originally published: 23/11/2023.