SEND


How a culture of belonging has improved our attendance


In our regular SEND update from Ethos Academy Trust this month we’re delighted to hear from


REBECCA SMITH, Executive Headteacher at Ethos College. In the first of a two-part piece (continued next month), Rebecca explains how the college has improved pupil attendance by 30%.


Ethos College is part of Ethos Academy Trust and is a well-established outstanding Alternative Provision for Key Stage 4 pupils in the Kirklees area. It has a long-standing reputation for achieving life-changing outcomes for vulnerable pupils, and the staff have achieved the trust’s vision ‘to create nurturing inclusive learning communities’ for young people whose needs have failed to be met in mainstream provision. Like any young person, they are unique, and their needs and life experiences are wide-ranging. However, they often share one human need that we can all identify with and that is the need to feel that they belong. And they most certainly do.


Creating a culture of belonging has enabled us to achieve an average value-added attendance of 30%. Put simply, this means our pupils’ overall attendance has improved by 30% on that recorded from their previous schools.


We can offer extensive and creative curriculums and life-enhancing extracurricular activities, but unless our young people are actually turning up each day, ready and open to learn, it is all pretty redundant. Typically, by the time young people access alternative provision, their attendance has dropped well below the national standard. Some have even stopped attending altogether. They have often lost the ability to connect with their peers and have little faith in - or respect for - their teachers. School or college life has become an utterly miserable experience.


Therefore, our priority is to create nurturing and inclusive experiences from our very first meeting.


Here are just a few examples of the way we build a sense of belonging:


• Our environment, our people and everything we do is calm, warm and welcoming. Our classrooms are designed for comfort and equipped with sensory aids to encourage participation and focus and there are plenty of safe and peaceful breakout spaces for reflection and self-regulation.


• Our experienced educators and nurturing staff support teams are exceptional in building positive bonds with pupils and their parents/carers and external agencies. This helps our experts to make quick and accurate assessments regarding our pupils’ needs, individual contexts and safeguarding concerns. This alignment and joined-up approach has been crucial in developing continuity of care outside of the classroom.


• We are able to meet pupils’ individual needs through an unwavering commitment to understand them and carefully plan and adapt their provision throughout.


• Every pupil is recognised as an individual and their educational experience is tailored around their specific needs and interests.


• Pupils know that the staff truly care about them and want the best for them. Building mutual respect between staff and pupils is key.


• The school dog, Wilko, helps pupils to form positive connections and provide a sense of belonging especially for those pupils who find meeting new people and building initial relationships difficult. Wilko is playful, forgiving and a listening ear to many of the pupils.


• All members of staff see attendance as a shared responsibility for all involved and progress is celebrated with pupils and parent/carers. We also have an array of rewards and incentives in place. It’s important to understand that everyone is unique and what works for some won’t work for others.


• Every parent/carer is given the mobile telephone number of their child’s class team, allowing them to have direct contact through to the relevant staff team. Some parents/carers are extremely anxious particularly when they are new to the college. They want and need daily contact and we make this possible.


For more information about our trust or how to get involved please go to https://www.eat.uk.com/


May 2024


The challenges of addressing unregulated


provision In her regular column for Education Today this month EMMA SANDERSON, Managing Director of Options Autism, a specialist provider of education for autistic pupils and those with complex needs, discusses the challenge of providing appropriate alternative provision to the most vulnerable pupils.


Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, states the local authority (LA) has a legal duty to secure suitable, full-time alternative education for children of compulsory age, if illness is preventing them from being able to attend school, if they have been permanently excluded from school or for any other reason. The alternative provision (AP) must be appropriate for their age, ability, aptitude, and special educational needs or disability (SEND) .


This can place LAs in a predicament if schools are unwilling to take a child or all schools in the area are full. Which is better - unregistered AP or no education? According to The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) approximately 20,000 children and young people were placed in unregistered AP in 2022. The very fact the number is just an estimate, highlights the need for something to change, especially when this cohort consists of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils: looked after children (LAC); those with SEND; education, health and care plans (EHCP); and those eligible for free school meals (FSM). Unregistered AP is required to comply with basic regulations – for example, health and safety, however they are not required to adhere to safeguarding legislation such as ensuring teachers are qualified and have criminal record checks. No one authority has responsibility for them so they can easily slip through the net, and in some cases, the quality of experiences these children receive is questionable. Provision providing ‘full-time’ education to either five or more pupils, or a child in care or with an EHCP or SEND statement, should be registered and come under Ofsted’s regulations and inspections, but currently there is no legal definition of ‘full-time’.


Since 2018-19, unregistered AP commissioned by LAs rose by 41%, to 8,320 in 2022. Schools commissioned 12,030 placements, 61% of which were unregulated compared with 20% commissioned by LAs.


There is no doubt that some unregistered AP provides irreplaceable support for children and young people who would otherwise be without education or care. This provision can be life-changing - but why are schools and LAs forced to turn to unregistered settings? Pupils’ needs are outstripping specialist provision, and with the continuing rise in EHCPs, this situation will not change in the future. Why don’t these services register? Registration is complicated. In order to be approved by Ofsted, a provision has to offer a broad and balanced curriculum, some APs don’t have the scope to do this, rather focusing on supporting the child or young person to become ‘ready to learn’. Qualified staff also increase costs to the provider.


All children deserve to be educated in a setting that is visible, safe and delivers a suitable quality of education. Until there are enough schools available for the most vulnerable among them, this issue is here to stay.


www.education-today.co.uk 19


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