Child development and learning in reception research

The analytical associate pool recently conducted a study on child development and learning in reception, commissioned by the Department of Education (DfE). The aim of the research was to address the following questions: 

• What level of development in maths, literacy, communication and language does a child need to be achieving by the end of reception in order to achieve good levels of later attainment?
• What should teaching content include and what is the best way to facilitate a reception age child to achieve optimal development and outcomes in maths, literacy, communication and language by the end of reception (with a particular focus on disadvantaged children)?
• What is the role of other skills such as executive function (e.g. ability to filter distractions, prioritise tasks, set and achieve goals) as well as self-regulation and physical development in the development of maths, literacy, communication and language in reception?
• What is the optimal level of development and approach to learning for the understanding the world and expressive arts and design Early Learning Goals (ELGs)?

The review drew on evidence in peer reviewed journals, published between 2009 and 2017, with a focus on English or UK evidence. Studies which met the inclusion criteria were assessed against pre-defined quality criteria assessing relevance, theoretical framing, methodological rigor and the reliability and validity of findings.

The final review included 148 high quality references (141 primary research and 7 secondary research or review).

The key findings can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analytical-associate-pool-summary-of-projects

The strength of evidence available varied across the research questions.

Findings support many elements of the existing EYFS Statutory Framework but also indicate new knowledge and understanding which have the potential to inform further refinements.

Warwick scholars

The University of Warwick has launched Warwick Scholars, a new programme aimed at removing educational, financial and social barriers to a Warwick education, focusing on prospective students from under-represented groups or disadvantaged background within a 30-mile commute of Warwick’s main campus.

The programme aims to enable participants to reach their full academic potential and prepare for the transition to Warwick, achieving the best possible A level grades. It will include mentoring from current undergraduate students, 1:1 online tuition for one of their A level subjects, skills support, and information, advice and guidance around the transition to Warwick.

Successful participants can expect to receive admissions offers between 2-4 grades below Warwick’s standard A level offer, a 50% tuition fee discount per year of study, and access to a means-tested bursary of £2,000 per year. This will run alongside continued support throughout their studies with priority access to careers advice and guidance, as well as help accessing work experience, internships and study abroad opportunities.

Applications are now open for current year 12 students who are intending on applying to Warwick for 2020 entry, who live or attend a state school or college within 30 miles of the University of Warwick. Applications can be made online at warwick.ac.uk/warwickscholarsuntil Friday 19^th July 2019 and places will be allocated according to our eligibility criteria as outlined on the website.

Final reminder: CPD for Primary School RE Subject Leaders and Coordinators

Thursday 4 July 4pm - 6pm at Southam College

Focus of the session: New to RE subject leadership

Religious Education (RE) subject leaders and coordinators from all Warwickshire primary schools are invited to the next twilight meeting on Thursday 4 July 2019, 4pm - 6pm at Southam College Welsh Road West, Southam, Warwickshire CV47 0JW

These sessions are organised by Warwickshire County Council in partnership with the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) and are completely free to attend. They provide an excellent opportunity for teachers and subject coordinators of RE to:

• seek advice and support from the RE Facilitator
• receive updates on local and national developments in RE
• network with other RE coordinators
• develop subject knowledge

The focus for this particular twilight session will be new to RE subject leadership

How to book

To book your place, please email your details (name and school) to sacre@warwickshire.gov.uk by Friday 27 June at the very latest.  

Educaterers focus on allergen awareness and protection

The consequences of exposure to food allergens by children and young people has hit the news in recent months, with a number of examples from around the world of the tragic impact that exposure to allergens - such as sesame, peanut and dairy to name but a few - can sometimes have.

Food allergy now affects around 7% of children in the UK and there has been a notable rise in allergies in recent years.

School caterers, Educaterers, take allergen awareness and protection very seriously and have a designated ‘Purple Process’ for identifying children with special dietary requirements in the infant, junior and primary schools that they serve.

Educaterers have noticed increasing numbers of special diets requested for pupils with food allergies and intolerances.

All Educaterers school catering teams are given a purple folder in which to keep all the information about their pupils’ special diets, and all staff are trained in the use of the Purple Process before they are permitted to serve food.

This ensures that all Educaterers staff, wherever they work, know where to find the information and will follow the same procedure. The colour purple was chosen as it is the recognised industry standard associated with food allergens.

On seeing a child wearing a purple wristband or presenting a purple card, all Educaterers staff must stop and check the correct meal is being served against the information they hold in the purple folder.

In addition to this information, the folder also includes step-by-step flow charts for the purple process and complicated multiple special diets, plus generic multiple allergen advisory sheets, for example, vegan, egg and fish free.

Special diets for children with complicated requirements are developed by Educaterers in partnership with parents, carers and the child’s hospital dietician.

In addition to this, Educaterers offer allergy awareness training to all school staff – of particular use and importance to midday supervisors and any teachers or assistants involved in school cookery clubs, for example.

The training defines what is meant by food allergy, highlights food safety law in the UK, and looks at common examples of food allergy and their associated symptoms.

It looks at the differences between intolerances and allergies, including hidden allergens, the 14 specific allergens that have to be declared, how to prevent allergen contamination and give emergency first aid.

For more information about Educaterers, visit www.educaterers.co.uk

Warwickshire NEET cause for celebration

Warwickshire is one of the more successful regions in the country for NEETs (not in education, employment or training), according to new figures published by the Department for Education (DfE). 

The DfE require all local authorities to collect and report information about a young person’s post 16 activity on a monthly basis.  Recent figures show that Warwickshire is performing strongly in comparison to other parts of the West Midlands and the country as a whole, with more young people progressing onto post 16 education, employment and training and fewer being identified as NEET. 

Figures show a steady fall in NEETs to 1.6% this year from 2.4% in 2017. This is below the average of the West Midlands as a whole, which is 2.4%, and below the national average of 2.6% this year, showing Warwickshire is performing highly at finding destinations for young people after school.

Coventry and Warwickshire announced as Careers Hubs to help transform careers education

Coventry and Warwickshire are to become two of 20 Careers Hubs, following an announcement from the Secretary of State. The expansion of the successful hub model follows news last year that careers support is improving across England and is now strongest in disadvantaged areas.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Careers Hubs will give every school and college in the area the opportunity to work together with universities, training providers, employers and career professionals. Each Hub brings together a group of up to 40 schools and colleges to improve careers support for young people in their area, through a relentless focus on best practice. 

These are the first Hubs to be established in the area and the Warwickshire Careers Hub will be integrated with Warwickshire County Council's Skills for Employment Programme to provide a co-ordinated and coherent approach to careers activity in the county.

In September, The Careers & Enterprise Company launched the first 20 Careers Hubs across England.

Schools and colleges in this first wave of Careers Hubs are already outperforming the national average across all aspects of careers education nationally. After two terms, schools and colleges which are part of the first wave of Hubs are:

• outperforming the national average on every single one of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of good careers guidance
• the majority (58%) are providing every student with regular encounters with employers
• the majority (52%) are providing every student with workplace experiences such as work experience, shadowing or workplace visits

The announcement today is for a second wave of 18 new and two expanded Careers Hubs, backed by a further £2.5m investment. Just over 1,300 secondary schools and colleges (around a quarter of those in England) will now benefit from being part of a Careers Hub.

Schools and colleges will have access to support and funding, including an expert ‘Hub Lead’ to help coordinate activity and build networks, a central fund to support employer engagement activities, and training for a ‘Careers Leader’ in each school and college.

Employers are vital to the Hub model’s success, with all Hubs required to demonstrate strong engagement amongst local businesses and a clear plan for increasing employer engagement.

As well as support from the CBI, more than 100 ‘Cornerstone Employers’ across the country have committed to driving and championing all-important connections to the world of work. Cornerstone Employers work with a specific Hub and underwrite careers provision in these areas. 

The Careers Hubs are based on a model first piloted by the Gatsby Foundation and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) from 2015-17. Schools and colleges in the pilot made rapid progress against the Gatsby Benchmarks, and independent evaluation showed increased attainment and career readiness among students.

Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council, said:

“Warwickshire County Council welcomes this new funding which will build on and expand the work that we have been doing with our schools and colleges for a number of years through our Skills for Employment Programme.

“We know effective careers and employability advice and support are critical components of a successful labour market, while also providing clear social benefits, increasing the likelihood of successful employment outcomes and lifetime earnings.

“Ensuring that all our young people develop strong employability skills, and are provided with effective and appropriate careers advice and support, is a key priority for the County Council.”

Moral dilemma

“Using the Framework to explore the dilemmas organisations face when recruiting staff”

You receive a reference request from a local school for a classroom teacher on your staff. This member of staff has applied for a leadership position in this other school and they have been offered the position pending references. 

However, you have been involved in an unpleasant capability process with the given employee that has spanned over the past 18 months. You are nearing the end of this process and you are about to issue a letter giving this employee their notice. If this colleague gets another job this would end what has been a very time consuming and draining process that is not likely to get any easier.  

Using the Ethical Leadership Framework what do you do?

Please return your thoughts to Marie Rooney email marierooney@warwickshire.gov.uk. 

Last week's dilemma answer

There are “impossible decisions” which wake heads at two o’clock in the morning, and those which they have to make within 30 seconds. Our decisions can derail a child’s education or unravel a family or finish a career – so they have got to be the right ones,”

Carolyn Roberts, Commission Chair, March 2019

Last week focus was on using the framework to explore the dilemmas organisations face when dealing with the most challenging behaviour. We hope it has helped start your journey on using the ethical leadership framework to navigate the moral maze.

Model answer: