Sonia Blandford - Achievement for All. Raising Aspirations, Access and Achievement.

Published 2013 by Bloomsbury Education

Bloomsbury Publishing plc

50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP

www.bloomsbury.com

9781408192559

Sonia Blandford and Catherine Knowles 2013

A CIP record for this publication is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage or retrieval systems without the prior permission in writing of the publishers.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

eBook by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NN

This book is the story of a game changer. The vast transformations that have taken place in the English educational system over the last three decades have done little or nothing for the youngsters who are the core concern of Achievement for All. Achievement for All has changed that conclusion beyond all recognition. By putting together our best knowledge on teaching, learning, leadership and parental engagement and converting it into practical action, the participants in Achievement for All have made huge positive impacts. The book describes the work and offers rich case-study illustrations of the materials, tools, practices and experiences of the participants. This is a must-read for all school leaders. It should be considered a must do for any school leaders who have yet to match the pupil gains shown here.

Professor Charles Desforges OBE, Parental Engagement Pioneer, former Director of Teaching and Learning Research Programme, Economic and Social Research Council and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Essex.

Achievement for All is one of the most important current opportunities in education and undoubtedly tackling one of the most crucial current issues, that of ensuring all pupils, including those of lower ability whether or not said to have special educational needs, achieve. This book sets out the successes, in many cases beyond their highest expectations, of the schools that were the brave ones to blaze the trail. The London Borough of Camden took the lead in gathering every school in the borough to take part and was privileged to marvel at the progress made by so many participating schools.

Tim Coulson, Director of Education and Learning, Essex Local Authority and former Director of Quality, Camden Local Authority.

This is a highly readable and inspiring story of how committed people can make a real impact, changing lives and changing society. It is a story of success against the odds and shows how you can make a difference with leadership and determination. This is a book for anyone who believes in better.

Jo Owen, Social Entrepreneur and Author of How to Lead.

Through strong evidence based research, Achievement for All 3As demonstrates extensive material which can be used to deliver the Achievement for All programme. I have no doubt that the work which Sonia Blandford and Catherine Knowles have carried out will go to on transform the lives of many young SEN learners.

Graham Allen MP, Chair- Early Intervention Foundation.

This timely book provides practical, accessible and important information for improving access, aspirations and achievement not only for the 20% of the pupil population in England recognised as SEND, LAC and receiving FSM, but for all children. By capturing the essences of this programme in the form of empirical case studies involving real pupils and schools, the work of Achievement for All 3As and the difference it has made to the lives of pupils and the improvement of the schools are very tangible. This now national programme, starting from humble but ambitious beginnings has led the way in repositioning the emphasis of pupil participation and progress back in the classroom. Yet, the infrastructure of the Achievement for All 3As programme involves much more than an emphasis on teaching and learning; with effective leadership, parental engagement and wider outcomes in education and society key features too. Through a process of monitoring and evaluation, and with the support of dedicated Achievement Coaches, schools now have a real, workable and above all sustainable approach to developing and delivering a programme that has been proven to work. If you want to know how to raise aspirations, improve access and achievement simply read this book. Your next step would naturally be to register for the programme. I personally look forward to July 2016 when 6,000 schools nationally will be enrolled with Achievement for All 3As.

Dean West, Teacher, Subject Leader and Liaison & Outreach Manager, King Edward VI College, Stourbridge.

This book is dedicated to all pupils, parents, leaders, teachers and wider professionals engaged in supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged learners.

All royalties received from the sale of this book will be donated to Achievement for All 3As, Charity number 1142154.

The current Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) system has failed too many children with SEND. While the principles that guided the system were good when adhered to, for too many children in too many places we have still been living with the hangover of a system that thought children with SEND were uneducable and could not aspire to achieve and be the best they possibly could. Schools expectations were too low and resources not focused on those with greatest needs. This could be seen in the appalling gap between the achievement for children with SEND and those without; the conflict and friction in the system between parents and professionals and that rising expenditure on SEND had produced almost no discernible impact on parental confidence and childrens outcomes. This was the situation I found when I conducted my Inquiry into Parental Confidence in the SEND system.

What was more frustrating was that you could go into two schools of similar size, catchment area, resources and children. In one, children with SEND would be thriving, in the other more or less written off. This happened under the same legislation, guidance and codes of practice. While legislation needed changing it was also clear to me that we also needed a cultural revolution in schools. A revolution that put the best teachers back at the centre of teaching children with the most challenging needs, a revolution in which schools had the aim of ensuring that all children with SEND made progress and attained more and a revolution in which school leaders were measured on the outcomes they achieve for all of their pupils.

There was also another element which needed to be put in place. It is perhaps not surprising if you are asked to look into parental confidence in the SEND system that you would recommend that parents have a bigger voice about that system. The reasons why this is a good idea have been less well understood. While it is a good principle that the parents of children should be listened to, it also has a practical impact on the quality of the service and in improving outcomes and confidence. Parents involvement in their childrens education is fundamental to successful outcomes for their children. This is true for all children but more so for children who have more challenges in their learning. This was established long before my Inquiry and confirmed by every national and international study undertaken in recent years in the UK, America, and the European Union. Further the greater the level of parental involvement with the school the greater the level of confidence in school and the SEND framework. The conclusion was clear; parents need to be involved because you cannot improve the system without them.