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Why school holidays can be bitter-sweet


In her regular column for Education Today this month JAYNE FOSTER, CEO of Ethos Academy Trust, looks back at the summer holidays and the impact they can have on children in AP/special school provision.


It’s that time of year again. As we all know, pretty much everyone involved in education is on their knees – they’re more than ready to ‘down tools’, recuperate and rejuvenate. Many will be assessing their year and revising their plans for next term anticipating the ‘summer-slide’ and growing divide between the advantaged and


disadvantaged. Some will be torn between enjoying their summer freedom and concern for the children in their care.


Those that have chosen a vocation within the AP/Special school arena understand the complexities and difficulties long holidays place upon our children and families. Like mainstream schools, there is an increase in challenging behaviours as the structure of the school day changes in the closing weeks and the fun activities and rite of passage trips, events and celebrations take place. However, when working with children that are vulnerable it is vital to note, understand and alleviate the crippling anxiety and fear that builds as their routine is disrupted.


As I’ve said in previous columns, children in AP or Special schools are often typecast, but no two children are the same. They have their own set of needs and it’s our responsibility to understand and address them – sometimes on a minute-by-minute basis. Ethos staff have the flexibility and skillset to adjust to any changes of behaviours, which includes the rise in anxiety prior to the end of term. The thought of us withdrawing this support for our children (and their families) for weeks on end is something we can’t entertain.


We have exceptional staff, and are never short of volunteers if we need to extend our support and go over and above our contracted level of care. However, it’s vital that we all have time off to spend with our own families and recharge our batteries, and we encourage staff to switch off. It’s also extremely important to keep our staff and children safe outside of school hours, and so there’s a fine line between going the extra mile and taking matters into their own hands. All Ethos visits – including visits from our volunteers - are risk-assessed and recorded.


Typically, we roster a team of holiday cover from our staff – all of whom know the children and their families well. Although this is outside of our contracted hours and funding, it is something we believe is essential and so this is a cost we are prepared to pay.


For pupils in transition years (e.g. Year 9), our academies facilitate their transition over the last two weeks of the summer term, meaning that pupils are able to begin to get to know staff and peers and familiarise themselves with the building layout and environment, routines and expectations ahead of the summer break, thus allaying their anxieties and fears of the unknown.


At Ethos College, a small number of staff work overtime to provide targeted support for the Year 11 leavers to ensure that they remain on track for a successful start at college in September. This can take many forms, from practising bus journeys to shopping for the equipment they will need for their chosen studies, or just reassuring pupils and families on any last-minute queries. Most staff are present on GCSE results day to navigate the typical highs and lows and give our support and guidance to those in need. We continue to offer support throughout the autumn term and beyond to all Year 11 leavers to ensure that they remain positively engaged in their chosen post-16 pathway.


If anyone in the sector would like to be part of our journal, and is willing to share their success stories and best practice, please contact me on jfoster@eat.uk.com


September 2023 Is it time to review


examinations? In her column this month EMMA SANDERSON, Managing Director of Options Autism, a specialist provider of education and care for autistic pupils and those with complex


needs, explains why she believes it’s time to take another look at using exams to evaluate attainment.


With last year’s results behind us, is it time to reflect on the impact our one-size-fits-all exam system has on our young people? Has our insistence on these narrow tests contributed to students in UK schools having some of the poorest mental health outcomes in the world?


In 2019, the UK ranked 69th for ‘life satisfaction’ for 15-year-olds, out of the 72 countries that participated in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) programme for international students’ assessment (Pisa). This follows on from the UK’s 2015 ‘life satisfaction’ results which witnessed a startling decline when reforms to course assessments moved away from modular assessment and back to final examinations.


In The Good Childhood Report (2022) from the Children’s Commissioner, two thirds of the 2000 10–17-year-olds surveyed, reported feeling stressed about homework and examinations, the highest factor to impact negatively on their wellbeing. For lower scoring students with SEN the negative impact on their wellbeing is often exacerbated, 19.3% of students with SEN reported higher rates of anxiety and stress compared to 12.8% of low- scoring peers.


The assessment of all children presents a dilemma, let alone for those with special needs. This year’s post Covid readjustments meant an overall decrease in achieved grades across the board, so how equitable is the system, or is it just the luck of the draw? Performance in these tests can determine a young person’s future, and those who do not perform to a certain level are to some extent branded failures, creating a self-esteem deficit that is difficult to erase.


Exams measure aptitude in taking exams. They rank skills such as the retention of facts and the performance of linear tasks under pressure, which in many cases have no bearing on what a young person needs to navigate the world. Many neurodiverse individuals struggle with working memory performance and the anxiety created by the examination process itself. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ rarely level the playing field. Additional time, movement breaks, prompts or a scribe, do not address the fundamental shortcomings of the system itself.


With such a narrow focus on what ‘success’ looks like, we can fail to identify untapped talents. Many neurodiverse individuals have highlighted the limitations of exams as indicators of success - Steve Jobs dropped out of college in his first semester with a poor Grade Point Average (GPA), but went onto found one of the most innovative and successful corporations in the world.


The present system is limiting. Reducing the curriculum to easily quantifiable elements provides a simple ranking structure so schools can be ‘compared’ in league tables. But surely the best measure of a good school is its ability to enable each student to reach their full potential? Exams do not have the flexibility required to allow us to appreciate the potential of an individual, unless they fit into that predetermined box, which many neurodiverse young people do not. Exams cannot measure attributes like creativity or curiosity - this will require us to think outside that box.


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