NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF SOCIAL
WORKERS IN
EDUCATION
Founded 1884
ASSOCIATION
OF SOCIAL
WORKERS IN
EDUCATION
Founded 1884
Articles and ResearchThis recent research report provides a comprehensive view of the latest statistical trends and analysis on absences in the maintained education sector in England. The paper expands on the pupil absence information that’s already been published, and provides a detailed breakdown on absences by types of school and various pupil characteristics. The report also sets out to investigate the attitudes, beliefs, aspirations and experiences of those pupils who are ‘persistently absent’ by the end of their compulsory school education – and it also contrasts the family background and parental attitudes & aspirations for these PA pupils against that of their peers. The report concludes by examining the effects & outcomes that high levels of school absenteeism can have on individuals, particularly in terms of their academic achievements, NEET and post 16 destinations.
The A Profile of Pupil Absence in England DFE-RR171.pdf
(7.223Mb).
This useful report summarises some of the latest research evidence around improving learning & attainment, in order to help schools make more informed decisions about how they can best support their pupils who are eligible for additional ‘premium’ funding. It identifies different approaches to improving learning in schools, the strength of existing research evidence and also estimates the associated costs of adopting these various approaches.
The toolkit also provides guidance on whether the approaches are applicable to primary and/or secondary school settings, and for which core subjects – English, Maths or Science.
(500KB).
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This research paper undertaken by South Gloucestershire Council examines the connection between pupil attendance, broken weeks and academic performance against predicted expectations. A number of previous pieces of research have identified the correlation between attendance and academic performance, but few of these have taken into account other factors such as prior attainment, gender, etc, and no others would appear to have explicitly examined the effects of broken weeks attendance on pupil's achievement. |
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Analysis of Key Stage 2 Data 2005 - 2006 Cohort Attendance, Broken Weeks and Performance |
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Summary of Key FindingsIn common with other national research, this research did not find a causal link between higher levels of attendance and higher levels of performance at KS2. However, the following findings were considered to be of significance: • On average, lower rates of absence are associated with higher levels of attainment. This relationship is strongest for those pupils who attain level 5 in Maths and Science. However, analysing actual pupil level data shows that attendance on its own has very little impact on attainment. This would seem to suggest that the relationship found is potentially circular, i.e. highly motivated and potentially high achieving pupils are more likely to attend school and display higher levels of attainment. • Increased levels of attendance has little or no effect on a pupil’s progress in Reading and Writing. However, there is evidence of an association between attendance and the levels of progress pupils make between KS1 and KS2 in Maths. • Those pupils who underachieved by more than one sub-level below their FFT estimate displayed, on average, significantly higher levels of absence than those pupils who either met their FFT estimate or exceeded their FFT estimate by more than one sub-level. • Pupils eligible for Free School Meals and SEN pupils, on average, displayed significantly higher absence rates than the average for all pupils. Furthermore, there was a significantly high proportion of SEN pupils who also underachieved by more than one sub-level below their FFT estimate in English, Maths and Science. Therefore, it is probable that these pupils would benefit most from a strategy to improve attendance. However, this is unlikely to work on its own as their behaviour and motivation are probably areas that need to be addressed alongside their poor attendance. • It would appear that once a critical level of attendance has been reached there is no significant benefit to be gained from improving attendance further, this is particularly true for English. Whilst it is difficult to say with precision what this critical level is, it is likely that most benefit could be gained from identifying and improving the attendance of those pupils who have 11 or more Broken Weeks (only attendance data for the first five terms were considered in the analysis). Author: Joe Prince
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Kathleen Archibald, parent support advisor, Carlisle provides explains how she helps bridge the gap between the
requirements of Children Families, & Schools
Kathleen's objectives are to: -
On the Cumbria County Council website you can read a full account of how this is initiative is working in practice. Indeed, it's been so successful that one mum who has received helped has now started to support other mums in similar circumstances... Kathleen Archibald, parent support advisor, Carlisle
Sun Tzu was a general and warlord who lived in ancient China around 2,500 years ago. He was part of a successful
military family that won many battles, sometimes against overwhelming odds, and his thoughts on strategic planning have
become regarded as essential reading in military academies and business schools across the globe from Sandhurst to
Harvard. In modern history, Mao Tse-tung is probably the most famous (or infamous) leader to attribute his success
down to Sun Tzu’s teachings on warfare and leadership.
Sun Tzu’s two basic premises are that wars are won by leaders who make the fewest mistakes and that most battles are lost due to generals’ poor planning before the actual fighting begins. The successful general wins by creating (over time) a strategic advantage that means his forces will be ready enough to deliver a fatal blow when his enemy makes a mistake... and the general achieves this advantage by patiently gathering good quality information and waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
Lesson 1: Applying Sun Tzu’s model to create an effective EWS
Sun Tzu modelled his own army on what he identified as the principles of ‘Natural Organisation’ – its structure was flexible enough to allow the quick deployment of troops in response to situations and he allowed his most trusted lieutenants to adapt* his overarching strategy according to their battlefield environment.
* as opposed to deciding to deploy their (or your) own strategy above the leader’s or unilaterally ‘adopting’ another general’s (PEWO’s) tactics in the midst of a battle.
Sun Tzu’s teachings emphasis the importance of the commanding general (for which we can substitute PEWO) being authorised by the ruler of the country (in our case the Director of Children’s Services) to wage war for a specifically defined purpose (e.g. reducing unauthorised & persistent absence). Many successful modern military strategists and business managers believe these references, when coupled with Sun Tzu’s emphasis on the importance of taking actions based on accurate information (or statistical data), provide evidence of his support for specialist response teams or short-term projects.
Indeed, in Chapter I of his writings Sun Tzu clearly says that generals should only engage in those actions that have the clearest chance of winning. In other words, to effectively operate in a constantly changing environment it’s also crucial that we organise our teams in such a way as to minimise the potential impact of unforeseen events.
With EWOs the ‘battle’ is usually (but unfortunately not always) mental as opposed to physical, fighting for the hearts and minds of clients (individual children & their families) and customers (schools) alike, using the tools of war provided to us by our political masters. However, because we operate in an increasingly political landscape, our battles are also information battles where final success is determined by public opinion and perceptions.
For these reasons, those Education Welfare Services that fail to grasp the principle of using data to justify their interventions and steadfastly carry on operating in a traditional ‘social work’ style (fighting the same old personal & professional battles) will only end up losing out to the politicians and/or DCSF.
In essence, Sun Tzu’s key principles for success can be summed up as:
Here ends today’s lesson. I’ll write more about what’s now known as SUMO (shut up, move on) philosophy in a later instalment, but in the meantime, try thinking about what Sun Tzu had to say on the importance of advance planning before waging war...
Lawrence ‘Grasshopper’ Warburton – a follower of ‘The Way’
Making it Mainstream: Developing sustainable approaches to in-school support for young people with depression in secondary schools - a new research report by Cathy Street, Brenda Allen & David Goosey.
NASWE representatives (Jacquie Newvell and Andy Winton) sat on the project advisory group for the above report, which aims to provide a resource kit for professionals interested in developing sustainable in school support for pupils with mental health problems, but in particular those suffering from depression. It provides practical advice and a number of illustrative case studies - it has also been written with distinct sections, so that they can be "dipped into" according to the specific interests of the reader.
Making it Mainsteam (2650KB).
'Aspirations, Encouragement, Realism and Openness - A study of a school social work service' undertaken by Professor Mark Doel of Sheffield Hallam University. NASWE doesn't normally endorse research reports submitted for publication on the website, but we think this study on the effectiveness of 'AERO' model interventions in South Staffordshire schools is just the sort of material that EWO and ESWs need to be sharing in the current climate.
Aero Report (163KB).
Research carried out by the Local Authorities Research Consortium (LARC) focusing on 3 key groups: looked after children, children and young people with ASD, and young people with over 20 per cent absence from school at KS3.
Experiences of poverty and educational disadvantage (131KB) - This paper explores the link between poverty and educational achievement.
Overcoming School Refusal - a tips and suggestions to encourage a reluctant child to attend school.
The Care Standards Act 2000 contained provisions for the protection of the professional title "Social Worker" this article explores the Act and provides a brief overview.
What does the future hold for the Educational Social Worker - death or resurrection?
A proposal for the modernisation of the education welfare service. Integrating education welfare services into support systems for children and young people.
Anti-Social Behaviour Bill responses submitted by the NASWE Policy Team to the consultation on the education - related provisions in the Bill.
Sheila Edward and Heather Malcolm summarise the findings of a literature review conducted as part of their recent DCSF sponsored research looking at the causes and effects of truancy.
