Views & Opinion


The power of relationships Comment by ALICIA BLANCO-BAYO, Early Years Teacher at Kirkham Grammar School


As I read through some of the policy documents I regularly refer to in my role as an Early Years Teacher, I find myself highlighting key aspects that I believe should be carefully defined so that the socio-emotional aspects of development can be brought into every aspect of learning. The three prime areas in the Development


Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage are listed as “prime” because they are required before any other skills can be firmly acquired. The need to be mobile and use gross and fine movements to be physically active, the necessity to communicate needs through the use of sounds and words and the fundamental sense of expressing emotions whilst developing a sense of belonging are basic areas of development the environment should cater for before any other aspects of learning are considered. Having trialled a variety of approaches within


a number of the educational establishments I have worked for over the years, I freely admit there is not a system for planning that suits all settings and there are many approaches to


teaching and learning. Applying a strategy so that individual needs are addressed will help design a planning system that works for each setting. So that we all sing from the same hymn sheet, it is necessary to expand on this as I clarify the importance of an enabling environment as stated in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (2014). How do we enable the environment?


What do we take into account as we attempt to make the environment suitable? These are some of the questions that come to mind when I look back at how practitioners often feel when they are asked to provide an environment that will engage all children within it.We may look around and select resources to make the areas attractive and interesting but prior to this, it is essential to study the connection between the practitioner and the child. This is without a doubt the first step in planning what we aim to provide in that environment. At this stage, how the relationship between practitioner and child develops is the


information that will feed the socio-emotional aspect of planning. Let’s consider a particular example - if a child looks for moments of solitude to explore the world around him or her, we will take note of those responses so that we can organise areas that promote that sense of curiosity but at the same time we will be planning for collective learning opportunities so that the child begins to learn to be a member of a group too. This is a clear example of how we should plan to secure those skills already acquired but also promote the development of those not yet developed. Children have varied needs and develop at


different stages and what’s more, they are beings with individual characteristics who behave differently due to a series of learned responses that occur during times of interaction with adults and other children. This is precisely why a system for planning in an Early Years classroom has to account for socio-emotional stages, and the impact which adult-child interaction can have on how relationships are formed.


How will you be spending your pupil premium grant? Comment by JAYNE WARBURTON, CEO, 3P Learning, Europe and Middle East


Following publication of the pupil premium allocations for 2016 to 2017, schools throughout the country will be considering how best to use this funding to raise the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils during the coming year. These children eligible for pupil premium will struggle to keep up with their


peers at all stages of their education, from primary right through to higher education, so it’s vital that schools close the gap - and the earlier the better. It is left entirely to schools to decide how to spend their pupil premium


allocation – an important decision with pupil premium funding currently worth £2.5 billion in total. There is no one ‘correct’ approach, as evidenced by the annual pupil premium awards which recognise schools that have made the best use of the money allocated to them. Some use the funding beyond the classroom to give pupils a broader life experience such as going to the theatre or taking part in sport. Occasionally schools make very personalised and practical interventions, such as providing shoes or some food. But more common – and I believe most effective - are whole school


approaches that support excellent teaching. When expectations are high, I believe this is the best strategy of all for raising the attainment of pupil premium children and closing the gap between them and their peers. One of the most efficient and effective users of pupil premium which I


have come across is Parkfield Community School in Birmingham, a large inner-city primary school, where more than a third of its 768 pupils qualify for pupil premium. This school takes a robust and systematic approach to identifying the challenges its pupils face and the impact that these challenges have on their learning. It exhibits a relentless focus on closing all performance gaps – tracking, measuring and tackling gaps based on pupil premium as well


July/August 2016


as ethnicity, cultural background and gender – and has made significant progress in doing so. Before selecting its strategies, the school did a lot of research, including


informal interviews to identify the problems of pupils who were falling behind in maths and struggling with homework. Frequently their difficulties included accessing a computer at home and finding a quiet time and place to work. Armed with all this information, the school set up a raft of strategies, key


among them being to set up breakfast, lunchtime and after school maths clubs using Mathletics - our award-winning, curriculum mapped, digital resource for maths, using a ‘gaming-style’ challenge and reward system which has significantly improved the school’s maths results. Pupil premium children are given first option to attend the breakfast club


at 8.30am every morning, and other pupils can fill any remaining spaces. So as well as targeting support for pupil premium children, the whole school is benefiting from the resource. That’s a good use of funding, especially with the current strains on budgets. It also helps to plug the gaps for any other disadvantaged children who just miss the PP classification, or who become eligible after the funding has been allocated. The outcomes of before and after-school clubs like this can be stunning.


The evidence shows that extending school time – when used to deliver additional academic support that is stimulating – is an effective approach. The latest attainment statistics show that more disadvantaged pupils than


ever before are reaching the expected standard at age 11 and age 16. But there is still work to be done. With the right and proper thought and planning, schools can maximise the value of their pupil premium funding and make a massive difference to the lives of their pupils.


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