Below is an extract from Equitable Education: What everyone working in education should know about closing the attainment gap for all pupils by Sameena Chaudry
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence, it takes moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try.
Atul Gawande
This chapter covers:
- the reasons for writing this book and how it will support staff working in educational settings;
- the case for equity and diversity;
- a brief overview of the diversity of pupils in our classes and educational settings
- key concepts and terms that are critical to our understanding of addressing equity and diversity in our educational system;
- the pressing issues facing us at the moment which impacts particularly on equity matters in society;
- the moral and legal case for why addressing equity and diversity is essential for all staff working in educational settings;
- the format of the chapters and a brief overview of what the book covers.
This book is the culmination of my work in addressing equity and diversity issues over 35 years of working in education in a variety of extremely rewarding roles. For the past 20 years in particular, I have worked closely with hundreds of leadership teams in both primary and secondary schools in England, to successfully close the achievement and attainment gaps for a range of pupils. We all know the transformational role that education can play, not only in the lives of individual pupils and their families but whole communities too. For many pupils it is only through education that they will have a chance of having a better life than their parents. However, we also know that too many pupils still fall between the cracks and are denied this opportunity for lots of different reasons, some to do with the variability in the quality of education they receive in their schools and others to do with ingrained structural inequalities perpetuated by society at large. These structural inequalities can manifest themselves in different ways dependent on the characteristics of the pupils in our educational settings.
The aim of this book is to ensure that leaders and staff in schools are better informed about the issues impacting on the achievement and attainment of different groups of pupils. Each chapter begins by bringing together in one place all the relevant research pertaining to particular groups of pupils, highlighting the key issues pertinent to them, as well as proven best practice in addressing their achievement and attainment gaps. Each chapter then provides an overview of current attainment outcomes for that particular group where the data is readily available and accessible. This will enable you to get an in depth understanding of the issues and reflect on your learning before moving on to supporting you in your quest to better meet the needs of these pupils. You will be supported in this endeavour by being able to access a number of key strategies and resources that will support you to close these particular equity and diversity gaps. The strategies and resources shared in this book will, hopefully, stimulate you to seek out additional strategies and resources as part of your own continuing professional development in these areas that is tailored to the particular needs of pupils. As we know, there are no quick fixes, so embarking on reading this book is the start of your journey in developing a greater understanding of and the requisite knowledge and skills to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse educational settings.
The case for equity and diversity
The vast majority of teachers and leaders I have worked with over the years state that one of the compelling reasons they came into teaching was because they wanted to make a difference to future generations of children and young people. Whilst understanding that schools cannot fully compensate for the inequalities in society at large they firmly believed that a good education could provide a buffer and enable children and young people to have access to more opportunities than their parents and in doing so, follow a path which would lead them to having even better opportunities than their parents. There was what I call ‘pragmatic optimism’ for the pupils in their charge with some exceptional teachers and leaders making sure the education they provided excelled against the odds and that postcode of their pupils and their backgrounds did not determine their future destinies. Overall, most agreed that their ‘moral purpose’ was to ensure that a pupil’s attainment, health and wellbeing should not be determined by their parents’ income. However, at the same time they were fully aware that our current education system ‘All too often, instead of equalising life chances… reproduces existing advantages and disadvantages’ (Dyson, Goldrick, Jones and Kerr, 2010).
In my many conversations with colleagues, they cited many reasons for wanting to make a significant difference to the young people in their charge. These centred around three key aims as defined by Blundell, Dearden and Sianesi (2001):
- private returns which relates to personal benefits to individuals and are translated in terms of having a good income, respected occupation, and high levels of wellbeing and health;
- social returns which relates to improvements in general health, active participation and social cohesion in society;
- economic returns which relates to increases in employment and labour productivity.
They felt strongly that any education system and ours in particular should contribute significantly in achieving these three aims. I am sure just by the fact that you are reading this book, you too will have you’re your own personal reasons for wanting to make a significant difference to the next generation of children and young people entrusted to you, regardless of the context, demographics and backgrounds of the pupils you serve.
One of the challenges that is often posited is that you cannot have both equity and excellence, with each being somehow directly opposed to one another. However, these are not binary situations and research has shown that the best education systems on the world have both equity and excellence. Further information on this is provided in the leadership chapter.
This takes us to diversity and again similar arguments are put forward to state that diversity and high performance are somewhat incompatible, yet this is simply not true. Yet research undertaken by McKinsey in a number of reports (2015, 2018 and 2020) shows that the business case for gender equality, diversity and inclusion is stronger than ever in terms of impacting positively on performance. In their 2014 research they found that
…companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 15 per cent more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. In our expanded 2017 data set this number rose to 21 per cent and continued to be statistically significant. For ethnic and cultural diversity, the 2014 finding was a 35 per cent likelihood of outperformance, comparable to the 2017 finding of a 33 per cent likelihood of outperformance …’ (p 1)
Their latest research (2020) shows that ‘…not only that the business case remains robust but also that the relationship between diversity on executive teams and the likelihood of financial outperformance has strengthened over time’ (p 1). Although education has followed the lead from businesses in many ways in an attempt to improve educational provision and outcomes, they still lack the insight provided by business to look at the business case and findings of having a truly inclusive and diverse workforce, especially at leadership level.
In England, as you will see shortly in this chapter our classes have become increasingly diverse and are likely to continue to grow in diversity, yet our teaching force, especially at leadership is quite out of calibration with the changes that are taking place in our society and schools at large. We have a situation where the Department for Education’s (2018) own research shows that leadership of the teaching profession remains stubbornly and primarily, white and male even though women make up most of the teaching workforce. Without any coherent strategy to address these inequalities it is likely that any changes that do take place are likely to be slow and make minimal progress.
Syed (2019) in Rebel Ideas extolls the benefits of both demographic diversity (differences in race, gender, age, class, sexual orientation, religion and so on) as well as cognitive diversity (differences in thoughts, insights and perspectives), with both often overlapping with one another. His own book proves plenty of examples of situation when diversity would have led to better decision making such as the catastrophic failings of the CIA before 9/11 to the communication breakdown on top of Mount Everest. He also cites the McKinsey research mentioned already, as well as research undertaken by an American professor of economics who found that an increase in racial diversity of one standard deviation increased productivity by more than 25 per cent in legal, health and financial services. He states this is because such teams have a wide range of perspectives and fewer blind spots. He goes on to explain that not only do homogeneous groups underperform, they do so in predictable ways. This is because they are surrounded by people who are similar to them and, as such, not only do they share each other’s blind spots but also reinforce them. He calls this ‘mirroring’ whereby when surrounded by people who reflect one’s picture of reality, you reflect this picture back to them rather than bringing other perspectives to the situation.
The diversity of pupils within our classrooms
In any classroom in England, there are pupils from a range of different backgrounds sitting in front of you waiting to be taught by you. Typically, out of 100 pupils you are likely to see the following diversity in schools in England, which is shown in Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1 The diversity of pupil population in schools in England out of 100 pupils.
(based on 2020 national figures provided by the DfE)
In 2020 out of 100 pupils in state schools in England …
- 32.5% were from minority ethnic backgrounds
- 19.5 % were speakers of English as an additional language
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17.3% were eligible for free school meals
- 12.1% were on Special Educational Needs Support
- 3.3% had an Educational Health and Care (EHC) plan
Masters to use if needed
Need to attribute the silhouettes to https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/children-holding-hands-silhouette_837165.htm#page=1&query=silhouette%20children&position=4
Of course, these percentages will vary from school to school dependent on which school and region you teach in. However, even if you are working in quite a monolithic context now it is highly likely that over the duration of your career as a teacher you will encounter a wide range of needs and growing diversity in your class and school.
Meeting the needs of a range of pupils and addressing the gaps in professional development of school staff in this area is the genesis of this book. I have used my knowledge, skills and proven track record of working collaboratively with many schools to positively impact on outcomes for pupils, especially the most vulnerable, and attempted to crystalise this into the contents of this book. The intention is that you will be able to readily access the information and the support you need in one place and in doing so this book will assist you in developing the requisite skills, knowledge and understanding to address these needs well in your classroom and school.
Current events and their relevance to this book
During the writing of this book two significant world events occurred which have a direct bearing on the contents, as well as catapulting the necessity to address matters of equity in education as a matter of urgency. The first is Coronavirus (Covid-19), the invisible and lethal pandemic that has swept the world, affecting millions across the globe, and claiming the lives of hundreds and thousands. Originating in Wuhan in late 2019, it has up to the time of writing (mid-August 2020) led to an estimated 20,439,814 confirmed cases and 744,385 deaths according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The corresponding figures for the United Kingdom were 313,798 people having tested positive in mid-August, with 46,706 declared having died from this virus. These figures are only estimates and the true extent of the impact is likely to be unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear how long the world will be held hostage to this pandemic, infecting millions more and claiming the lives of many, especially the most vulnerable.
What Covid-19 has done is exacerbate existing inequalities in the UK that have been evident for many years, particularly as a result of years of successive governments pursuing a policy of austerity. A Public Health England (2020b) report into the risk and outcomes of Covid-19 has shown that it has disproportionally impacted on particular groups as follows:
The largest disparity found was by age. Among people already diagnosed with COVID19, people who were 80 or older were seventy times more likely to die than those under 40. Risk of dying among those diagnosed with COVID-19 was also higher in males than females; higher in those living in the more deprived areas than those living in the least deprived; and higher in those in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups than in White ethnic groups. These inequalities largely replicate existing inequalities in mortality rates in previous years, except for BAME groups, as mortality was previously higher in White ethnic groups. (p 4)
Public Health England has also found that Covid-19 has impacted on those working in the following occupations detrimentally:
When compared to previous years, we also found a particularly high increase in all cause deaths among those born outside the UK and Ireland; those in a range of caring occupations including social care and nursing auxiliaries and assistants; those who drive passengers in road vehicles for a living including taxi and minicab drivers and chauffeurs; those working as security guards and related occupations; and those in care homes (p 4).
In addition, a Guardian columnist and author, Frances Ryan (2020) provides shocking figures for disabled people affected by Covid-19. Drawing on Office for National Data (ONS), she states that disabled people make up two thirds of coronavirus deaths in the UK. Indeed, estimates by the ONS show that disabled people are 11 more times likely to die due to the coronavirus. Figure 1.2 shows who is affected by Covid-19 in the UK and by how much.
Figure 1.2 Who is affected by Covid-19 in the UK the most and by how much?
Not only has Covid-19 had devastating consequences for the vulnerable in society this has also been played out in education and the awarding of A levels and GCSE examinations results in particular with the absence of pupils being able to take their examinations in the summer of 2020. In March 2020, when the pandemic resulted in the government closing schools, a decision was made by the Secretary of State that there would be no examinations this year. We were assured that no young person would be adversely affected and that the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (OfQUAL) would ensure that there would be a fair procedure in place in awarding examination grades. Instead what happened was that an algorithm for awarding grades based on centre assessed grades to ensure that national results would be ‘broadly similar to previous years’ was used. This was because concerns were expressed that teacher assessed grades would not be accurate. As a result, teachers were asked to supply an estimated grade for each pupil for each subject, as well as a ranking each pupil so that they could compare this with every other pupil at the school. Critics had already warned of the fact that a high performing pupil at an underperforming school was likely to have their results downgraded as a result of the algorithm, as was a school which was rapidly improving. However, despite earlier protestations that this would be an unfair system, a debacle ensued on results day when A level grades were announced on the 13 August 2020 which resulted in the grades being nearly 40 per cent being lower than teachers’ assessments in an effort to ‘maintain standards’ and contain ‘grade inflation.’ It also soon became apparent that pupils in selective private schools, who in most years perform well due to the characteristics of their pupils, resulted in the algorithm automatically putting their pupils at an advantage compared to those in state schools. Furthermore, in a blog written by FFT Education Datalab (2020) it soon became obvious that class size had had an impact on the awarding of grades, with those in smaller class sizes being given an unfair advantage. This had resulted in private schools, who normally have smaller class sizes again gaining an unfair advantage. Accusations of unfairness ensued, with a detrimental impact on disadvantaged young people being highlighted. This soon led to the government backtracking and abandoning the use of the algorithm and instead deciding to use centre awarded grades in an attempt to contain the public backlash. In order to avoid the same problem, the same decision was made in awarding the grades for GCSEs a week later. This debacle was a perfect example in how existing inequalities can so easily be perpetuated, with potential gainers and losers, dependent on the system that is used to award grades.
The second monumental world event in 2020 was the heart-breaking and shocking murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Sadly, his last moments were graphically captured on video with the whole world to see right in front of their eyes a white police office kneeling on his neck for over eight minutes during an arrest, to the cries of ‘I can’t breathe’. The last three words he uttered are appallingly a common refrain uttered by many black people before dying in similar circumstances with little hope of justice or change taking place. This horrendous act rightly caused tumultuous waves first in America and then across the globe. Many other black people in America and also in the UK have suffered extreme injustices, which have led to the highest penalty of all – the loss of life. In the UK, an investigation by the BBC (June 2010) showed that black people were more than twice as likely than their white counterparts to die in police custody. The Lammy Review, commissioned by Theresa May in 2017 as part of her work in addressing ‘burning injustices’ when she became Prime Minister highlighted the over-representation of black and minority ethnic people in the criminal justice system. Although they only represent 14 per cent of the overall adult population, they make up 25 per cent of adult prisoners and an incredulous 41 per cent of the under 18s in youth custody. Furthermore, these shocking figures came at a time when youth offending rates were falling significantly. Despite this black and minority ethnic young people continue to make up a higher share of those offending for the first time, those reoffending after a conviction and those serving a custodial sentence, highlighting disparities within the criminal justice system.
As a result of this, in the midst of the pandemic there were scenes of the toppling of statutes which symbolised race injustices going back many centuries and the ongoing legacy of race inequalities suffered by too many even today. In the United States, in Confederate states, who are a group of southern states that had fought to keep black people as slaves in the American Civil war between 1861 and 1865, we saw Christopher Columbus statutes being torn down, with pressure on the authorities to remove monuments connected to slavery and colonialism. In the UK, similar scenes were seen with the toppling of Edward Colston’s statute in Bristol. Furthermore, calls once were once again made for Cecil Rhodes prominent statue proudly displayed on the facade of Oriel College, Oxford University, to be removed due to its imperial and colonial legacy.
This has led to campaigners wanting the curriculum to be diversified so that young people are taught not only of slavery but given a well-rounded education as to the contributions that civilisations from across the world have made to human knowledge. There are also demands that there should be an opportunity within the curriculum to learn about Britain’s colonial and imperial history, warts and all, rather than the sanitised version that is often promulgated. Current narratives mainly promote an understanding that colonialism was a benevolent exercise, rather than it having severe and direct consequences for many minority ethnic communities now settled and living in the UK. For many these dishonest narratives provide a disservice to all and distort facts and history, which are untenable in modern day society.
These two current world events are examples of burning injustices that impact on the vulnerable and marginalised in society. They shine a light on existing inequity and diversity issues that have been ignored and buried in society. During this time, I have been amazed at the work staff in educational settings have undertaken to support families from checking up on the welfare of pupils and extending this to their families, even to the extent of providing essential food and groceries when this was not forthcoming nationally. Staff have been personally delivering food parcels to ensure that their most vulnerable are getting fed which is a remarkable situation to see in a country which is one of the richest in the world. Covid-19 has just accelerated the underlying inequity gaps in our society at a time when the use of food banks has increased remarkably. Figures by the Trussel Trust, a nationwide network of food banks which provides emergency food and support for people locked in poverty, shows that in April to September in 2015 they delivered 506,369 food parcels. In the intervening years this has grown exponentially to 1,239,399 for the same period in 2020. They state that in the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty, of which 4.5 million are children. Between April 2019 and March 2020, Trussel Trust food banks in their network provided a record 1.9 million food supplies to people in crisis, which was an 18 per cent increase on the previous year. Schools have provided a pivotal role in this area and have acted as an emergency service to many desperate pupils and their families.
Educational settings have also once again been reminded of the stark and appalling racial injustices that continued to be faced by black people in across the globe. Their pupils have been asking them pertinent questions about the Black Lives Matters movement #BLM and many colleagues in educational settings have felt that their curriculum is woefully lacking in better educating their pupils about such important matters if we are to achieve a more cohesive and just society in the future. This has led to many critically looking at their curriculums and revisiting the content of what they teach. However, many feel that they need support in this area to do this well as there is a gap in their own knowledge, understanding and skills because it has not been a national priority area despite all the significant changes that have taken place in the curriculum over the past 10 years or so.
Without doubt, staff in educational settings morally want to do the right thing and be responsive to such significant and far-reaching events, which change society for ever. They find that competing demands on their time and the challenges they themselves face make it difficult to make real positive change. Often such important matters are seen as being on the periphery, with a push nationally by the Department for Education and Ofsted, the school inspections regulator pushing for a return to the status quo or ’normal’ as soon as possible. It is at this point worth reminding you that staff in educational settings are bound by legal frameworks, which clearly set out their responsibilities and duties towards their pupils affected by the issues mentioned above as well as meeting the needs of pupils covered in this book. These are outlined in the following section for your information.
Legal context: educational settings and teachers’ duties [A]
Educational settings, including teachers and all staff who work in them have legal duties towards many of the pupils that we will be discussing in this book so it is worth you knowing what your statutory responsibilities are as well as the rights of your pupils when undertaking your roles. The following are key legal requirements that you need to be up to date with to ensure you are not in breach of your legal obligations.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) [B]
The UNCRC is an international human rights treaty that grants all children and young people (aged 17 and under) a comprehensive set of rights. The UK signed the convention on 19 April 1990. It was ratified on 16 December 1991 and came into force on 15 January 1992.
Altogether, the Convention has 54 articles. They cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights. It clearly stipulates that every child has rights, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status.
The following articles are particularly pertinent to the groups of pupils covered in this book.
- ‘Article 2 (non-discrimination) The Convention applies to every child without discrimination, whatever their ethnicity, sex, religion, language, abilities or any other status, whatever they think or say, whatever their family background;
- Article 13 (freedom of expression) Every child must be free to express their thoughts and opinions and to access all kinds of information, as long as it is within the law;
- Article 14 (freedom of thought, belief and religion) Every child has the right to think and believe what they choose and also to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Governments must respect the rights and responsibilities of parents to guide their child as they grow up;
- Article 15 (freedom of association) Every child has the right to meet with other children and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights;
- Article 28 (right to education) Every child has the right to an education. Primary education must be free and different forms of secondary education must be available to every child. Discipline in schools must respect children’s dignity and their rights. Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this.
- Article 29 (goals of education) Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment.
- Article 30 (children from minority or indigenous groups) Every child has the right to learn and use the language, customs and religion of their family, whether or not these are shared by the majority of the people in the country where they live.
- Article 39 (recovery from trauma and reintegration) Children who have experienced neglect, abuse, exploitation, torture or who are victims of war must receive special support to help them recover their health, dignity, self-respect and social life.’ (p 1)
The Equality Act 2010 [B]
The Equality Act 2010 came into force on 1 October 2010 and legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and society at large. It brought together 116 separate pieces of legislation into one Act. In the school context, the Equality Act 2010 gives protection against discrimination for pupils and staff with ‘protected characteristics’. It replaced previous separate anti-discrimination laws pertaining to sex, race and disability and widened its scope. The nine protected characteristics it covers are as follows:
- race;
- religion and belief;
- sex;
- sexual orientation;
- disability;
- age;
- gender reassignment;
- pregnancy and maternity;
- marriage and civil partnership.
It is worth noting that ‘age’ and ‘being married or in a civil partnership’ are NOT protected characteristics for the schools’ provisions.
The Equality Act 2020 provides protected against four kinds of behaviours.
- Direct discrimination is defined as any instance in which a person is treated less favourably that another person because of a protected characteristic. Discrimination can be based on association, perception or because of pregnancy and maternity;
- Indirect discrimination is defined as any instance in which a provision, criterion or practice is neutral on the face of it but its impact does or would disadvantage those who have a protected characteristic, whether the intent was to do this or not.
- Harassment is defined as unwanted conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for a person with a protected characteristic or has the purpose violating someone’s dignity. There are three types of harassment namely harassment related to a protected characteristic, sexual harassment or less favourable treatment of someone because they submit to or reject sexual harassment or harassment related to sex.
- Victimisation is defined as treating someone badly because they have done a ‘protected act’ or because it is believed that a person has done or going to do a ‘protected act’. A ‘protected act’ is:
a) making a claim or complaint of discrimination (under the Act);
b) helping someone else to make a claim by giving evidence or information;
c) making an allegation that the school or someone else has breached the Act;
d) doing anything else in connection with the Act.
Furthermore, an equality duty also known as the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) was also created under the Equality Act on 5 April 2011. The PSED duty replaced the previous race, disability and gender equality duties.
As a public organisation, including educational settings and all educators who work within them are subject to the PSED and must, in the exercise of their functions, have due regard to the following three key aims:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010;
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not;
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
On 10 September 2011, The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 came into force. This requires public bodies, including educational settings to publish relevant, proportionate information demonstrating their compliance with the Equality Duty as well to set themselves specific, measurable equality objectives.
Safeguarding [B]
Schools and staff who work within them are subject to a number of safeguarding obligations and welfare responsibilities towards children and young people in the educational settings. These responsibilities are clearly outlined in the Department for Education’s (DfE) statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (2018). This statutory guidance defines safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as:
- protecting children from maltreatment;
- preventing impairment of children’s health or development;
- ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
- taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Each school is required to have a safeguarding lead and any approaches taken should be in the best interests of the child. The guidance covers sexual violence and sexual harassment. It also includes specific guidance on ‘honour’ based violence, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage.
The 2018 DfE document ‘Sexual Violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges’, outlines schools’ and colleges’ legal responsibilities and provides a whole school or college approach to safeguarding and child protection, as well how to respond to reports of sexual violence and sexual harassment.
Ofsted [B]
Ofsted’s 2019 education inspection framework makes it clear that inspectors must assess the extent to which a school complies with its legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, including the Public Sector Equality Duty. There are key areas within the inspection framework such as pupil’s personal development and provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which overlap and support educational settings fulfilment of the PSED responsibilities.
The Teachers’ Standards
The DfE Teachers’ Standards (2013) for England define the minimum level of practice expected for all trainee teachers and teachers from the point of being awarded qualified teacher status (QTS). As such, they are used to assess all trainees working towards QTS and all those completing their statutory induction period. They are also often used to assess the performance of teachers, especially in relation to awarding performance related pay. All the eight standards and their sub points are relevant to ensuring the needs of all pupils are addressed to the highest standard by their teachers. However, two specific teacher standards are very pertinent to the needs of the pupils covered in this book. These are standards 1 and 5 in particular.
- ‘Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils
- establish a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect
- set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions
- demonstrate consistently the positive attitudes, values and behaviour which are expected of pupils…’ (p 10)
and
- Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils
- know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively
- have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these
- demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development 12
- have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.’ (pp 11-12)
During my work in schools, it soon became evident that many teachers and leaders felt that they had not been adequately prepared for addressing the gaps in attainment for a wide variety of pupils. Nor did they feel that they knew how to fully ensure that their classrooms and schools were inclusive for all pupils. Many colleagues reflected that they had not been trained well in initial teacher training to cover these two aspects of the Teachers’ Standards. Therefore, the expectation is that you will have the skills, knowledge and understanding to enable ALL pupils to get the best out of their education with you. Interestingly, meeting the needs of these groups of pupils are the very groups that newly qualified teachers often feel the least prepared to teach as Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) surveys show year after year (2018). Colleagues also stated that the subsequent continuing professional development they received during their careers was variable, and in many cases addressing the needs of diverse groups of pupils continued to be neglected, even though these pupils were sitting in front of them in their classrooms. The exception to this was the recent national emphasis on addressing the needs of ‘disadvantaged’ pupils, which focused on closing the socio-economic attainment gaps. Equally, leaders felt that leadership programmes that they had undertaken did not give sufficient focus on meeting the needs of the groups of pupils in this book and often even when there was a focus on ‘closing the gap’ this was only in relation to ‘disadvantaged’ pupils because of the national profile of this group. However, they stated that the label disadvantaged did not do justice to the diverse needs of pupils within this broad category.
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