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Implications of The Rochford Review
Issues which prompted the commissioning of the Rochford Review and dominated the challenge posed to its members South and West Association of Leaders in Special Schools Deputies’ / Assistant Headteachers’ Conference
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Summary of the Rochford Review Recommendations
Statutory assessment by reference to P scale levels should be removed The interim pre-key stage standards for pupils working below the standard of the national curriculum tests should be made permanent in order that all pupils engaged in subject-specific learning may have the opportunity to be tested Pupils with EAL may be disapplied from statutory assessment Pupils not at the standard of subject-specific learning should be statutory assessed against the seven aspects of engagement for cognition and learning Schools should routinely assess pupils with SEND in all EHC areas of need and report their holistic progress to parents in tandem with attainment data from statutory assessment
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It’s mainly stuff to do with pupil assessment and improving outcomes for pupils with SEND
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Clarity About Pupil Assessment
Clarity of Purpose Why are pupils being assessed? What is assessment intended to measure? Who is the assessment for? How will the resulting information be used? Combinations of summative and formative assessments serve different purposes for different people: Pupils; Parents/Carers; Teachers and support staff; School leaders and governors; Local authority and service providers; The Government and Ofsted Schools need to have clear policy governing why and how they use different forms of assessment Statutory assessment is only a small aspect of a school’s provision for pupil assessment
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What We Want Assessment to Help Achieve Safe & Healthy Learners
Engaged Learners Engaged learners who are motivated to participate in new learning activities and retain some knowledge of what they have experienced Successful Learners Successful learners who are accessing, mastering and generalising new concepts & skills to bring about beneficial, enduring outcomes Safe & Healthy Learners Safe & healthy learners who have friendships and enjoying good standards of mental, emotional & physical wellbeing Responsible Learners Responsible learners who are interacting positively, behaving appropriately, being self-determining and helping realise their planned level of dependent or independent living in the adult world
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Big Issue The Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education still claims that the provision of special education somehow violates a child’s basic human rights and is disrespectful So Has the inclusive national curriculum and its framework of statutory assessment upheld the basic human rights of children with SEND and shown them due respect?
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Disadvantage & SEND The Desperate Need to Change Quality of Life Outcomes More than 60% of those in prison are below Level 1 in reading , approximately 75% are below Level 1 for writing and 60% have significant difficulties in their basic communication and language skills People with learning difficulties have a shorter life expectancy and increased risk of early death with 3 times higher mortality rates for MLD/SLD than general population School leavers with learning difficulties are more likely to be NEET and only 7%-10% of adults with learning difficulties are in employment More than 49% of those in prison have a history of being excluded from school and pupils with statements of SEN are 9 times more likely to receive a fixed period exclusion than pupils with no SEN People with learning difficulties have higher levels of unmet mental health needs despite statistics showing that 36% of pupils with learning difficulties suffer from a diagnosable psychiatric disorder (compared to 8% of other pupils) People with learning difficulties are more likely to be exposed to poorer health, poverty, poor housing conditions, social disconnectedness and overt discrimination
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What’s the Point of these Recommendations?
To propose a change in the way schools assess pupils who are working below or at the periphery of subject specific learning, designed to have a lasting beneficial impact on a school’s culture, organisation and overall performance with a view of improving pupil outcomes The Rochford Review proposals represent a real rabbit out of the hat moment for improving provision and outcomes for children and young people with SEND
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Why a Cultural Change? Statutory P level assessment has become too entangled in school league table mentality with pupils being pushed through “best fit” levels of attainment as quickly as possible in order to raise the relative standard of whole school performance The setting of IEP targets with which to minimise the disabling impact of SEND issues has become secondary to the setting of pupil targets to improve whole school Ofsted ratings SEND issues have a massive impact on how pupils acquire, retain, perceive and apply new learning yet there remains an assumption that all pupils should be able to make similar rates of linear progress within a narrow set of generic academic standards The statutory requirement to review progress within Statements of SEN / EHC plans and prepare pupils for adulthood has become secondary to the task of amassing summative pupil performance data that only really demonstrate pupils with SEND achieve at rates and standards below the national average
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Principles before Procrastination in Statutory Assessment
Assessment should ensure that every pupil is able to demonstrate achievement and be empowered to make the best progress possible via combinations of summative & formative approaches Assessment should take into account the complexity, nature and combination of difficulties faced by disadvantaged pupils and support the ambitions of recent SEND related reforms including EHC plans to improve long term outcomes In order to make statutory assessment truly inclusive and provide equal insight into the standards attained by all pupils assessment approaches have to be varied according to the needs of some pupils
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A Backdrop of National Change
Too often levels (in the old national curriculum)became viewed as thresholds and teaching became focused on getting pupils across the next threshold instead of ensuring they were secure in the knowledge and understanding defined in the programmes of study. Depth and breadth of understanding were sometimes sacrificed in favour of pace (CAWL Report 2015) Ministers asked the Rochford Review whether the P scale levels remained fit for purpose and the overwhelming answer was “No” I can see you had a lazy eye as a child and it seems to have spread to the rest of you 78% of respondents from a DfE survey undertaken in spring 2016 also agreed that P levels were not fit for purpose
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Context to the P Levels Question In response to the DfE survey of 2016
Despite voracious feeding of P level progression data into commercial software systems and their collection by local authorities, P level pupil performance data were never considered sufficiently robust to warrant any significant “data crunching” by the Department for Education or The Standards & Testing Agency Despite the publication of “Progression Guidance” Ofsted has increasingly preferred to seek out a “range of evidence” to inform their judgements about pupil progress rather than rely on P level data In response to the DfE survey of 2016 60% of parents/carers did not think P levels gave useful information and over 90% said it was important their child made progress in relation to their own needs
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Escaping the Historical Culture of Levels
Changing the culture of assessment by reference to national curriculum levels is the key to enriching learning and motivation for pupils with SEND and the professional development of teachers
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Big Headline Assessing pupils with complex needs and those with very low attainment can be more complicated than assessing other pupils CAWL 2015
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Issues of Perception in Cognition & Learning
Our understanding of the world and how we interact with it are intrinsically linked to how we engage with and make sense of the things we experience The process by which we do this is called perception and the development of perception requires an integrated use of the senses with other core functional abilities Perception is more than the processing of sensory stimuli, it requires us to draw upon information gained from our memory of previous events It is essential we monitor and respond to pupil engagement in order to personalise our teaching and empower pupils to access new learning We depend upon previous knowledge to provide the context in which we can think about new information and shape our perception of it Having multiple impairments inhibits how well information is perceived so new learning experiences can be confusing and pupils may demonstrate extreme variations in their motivation and engagement
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Innate Disabilities & Social Issues
Cognitive Impairment Physical Health Impairment Sensory Impairment Untreated medical conditions Increased risk of abuse Emotional, Behaviour & Social Impairment Motor Impairment Social Exclusion Deprivation Mental Health Impairment Neurological Impairment Communication Impairment
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Issues of Acquired Pupil Difficulties
Some difficulties are not identified because of inadequate SEND related assessments & these become more acute & disabling over time Basic aspirations to have a fulfilled & enjoyable lifestyle sometimes overlooked Inability to make and sustain progress undermines status within society Depth of understanding sometimes neglected because of overwhelming emphasis on anticipated rates of pupil progress Poorly targeted curricula constrain the acquisition & generalisation of essential skills & concepts Lack of personalisation restricts engagement for learning Provision not responsive to idiosyncratic therapeutic needs undermines wellbeing Lack of opportunity to be self-determining & make decisions increases passivity
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Some pupils may take longer and need more help than others
Mastery Learning The new national curriculum is premised on a process of “mastery learning” with a combination of in-school and statutory assessment being used to confirm depth of learning in all aspects of Programmes of Study as opposed to the historical practice of accelerated, best fit progress Mastery learning is a specific approach in which learning is broken down into discrete units and presented in logical order with pupils required to demonstrate mastery of all aspects within a unit before being allowed to move on It is assumed the majority of pupils will achieve mastery if they are appropriately supported Some pupils may take longer and need more help than others There will always be a small minority who will never master the standards of a particular key stage
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Mastery Learning at Subject Specific Levels
Because skills and concepts at P levels 5-8 are the first stages of cognitive development which relate to “subject specific learning” pupils working at this standard can be statutory assessed in much the same way as pupils working at the level of tests, but only when pupils are secure in PoS subject matter and in ways that are empathetic to their personalised learning styles Overseen by DfE curriculum experts, additional “can do” pre-key stage standards were appended to key stages 1 & 2 in English and mathematics to accommodate P5-8 learning matter and bridge the “gap” between P8 of the old national curriculum and Standard 1 of the new national curriculum The panel has recommended these interim pre-key standards be made permanent, but acknowledged that further work is likely to be required after the procedure has been adequately trialled
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Incorporating Mastery Learning into
Statutory Assessment However, the recommended pre-key stage standards approach still cannot provide a satisfactory solution to the assessment of pupils unable to participate in formal test settings and/or working below the level of subject specific knowledge in a meaningful or inclusive way
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Assessing pupils working below
the standard of subject specific learning Learning is the acquisition of knowledge (concepts and skills) usually classified by reference to different subject areas The statutory assessment of a pupil’s subject knowledge is undertaken by testing concepts and skills against concise written standards of what a pupil is expected to know and be able to do at specific chronological stages Particular problems arise when a pupil has not reached the stage where the level of knowledge acquired can be attributed to a subject, ie., the pupil is working below the level of subject specific knowledge The Rochford Review sought to determine an approach to statutory assessment that would better recognise the achievements and progress of pupils working below the level of subject specific knowledge in a way that would also be inclusive of pupils of all abilities.
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In-School Approaches to Assessment
Schools should not seek to devise an approach to pupil assessment they think Ofsted inspectors might want to see - it should be one that works for pupils with the sole aim of empowering learning and long term benefits For pupils with SEND assessment should consider long-term wider outcomes and meaningful ways of measuring all aspects of progress including communication, social skills, physical development, resilience and independence CAWL 2015
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Issues Associated With Assessing Depth of Learning
It is essential pupils are able to connect together previously learned concepts in order to generalise their understanding and apply this in functional ways to solve problems and bring about desirable beneficial outcomes But how easy is it for pupils with SEND to achieve depth of learning ? Depth of Learning (deep learning): Accessed to supported, incremental learning that builds to acquisition of a targeted concept/skill Mastery of targeted concept/skill autonomous of adult support Generalisation of the newly mastered concept/skill
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Helpful Prompts The nature of learning for those with complex difficulties and disabilities can never be guaranteed to be either linear or developmental Both the SEN and Disability Code of Practice and Ofsted highlight the importance of assessing progress in wider EHC plan areas of need Cognition & learning Communication & interaction Physical & sensory Social, emotional & mental health Without engagement there is no deep learning
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Big Headline In 2006 the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) advised that schools should “transform their responses to the learner from the largely standardised to the profoundly personalised” (Hargreaves)
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Personalisation As teachers we have a duty to know and demonstrate whether we making a real difference in the circumstances of the pupils we serve Provision for pupils with SEND is not about identifying and teaching generic, standardised measures of knowledge and learning outcomes It is about understanding what needs to happen and how it needs to happen in order to facilitate important improvements in the quality of an individual pupil’s learning and cognition in tandem with facilitating important beneficial outcomes in the other SEND domains It is only once we have personalised a pupil’s learning pathway that we can properly measure the impact our specialist provision is having upon the learning and holistic development of our most complex pupils
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A Multilayered Pathway to Learning
Motivation Postural & Motor Access Physical Health, Social, Emotional & Mental Wellbeing Sensory Neural Perception Cognition & Communication Accessed Learning ENGAGEMENT
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Personalised Pathways
What are the best postural settings to ensure my wellbeing and access? What beneficial new skills or concepts do I need to learn? What are the optimal settings for me to use distant and near senses? Engagement For Learning What things capture my immediate interest and motivate me to respond?
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The Seven Aspects of Engagement
Pupil Engagement Because engagement is key to how pupils of all abilities learn, measuring the different ways and extent to which pupils are engaged for learning represents a particularly relevant, inclusive approach to statutory assessment Assessing pupil engagement is also very helpful for monitoring the extent to which pupils working below the level of subject specific knowledge are developing the right kinds of concepts and skills with which to progress to subject-specific learning if and when they are ready to do so The Seven Aspects of Engagement Responsiveness Curiosity Discovery Anticipation Persistence Initiation Investigation
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Engagement for Depth of Learning
Beneficial Impact Generalised for Practical Application ment Mastered Concepts & Skills Pupil “can” autonomously age Accessed Motivation Eng Prompted small steps
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Big Issue How can the ambitions of EHC plans be supported by a combination of in-school and statutory assessment to bring about better outcomes for pupils with SEND?
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Issues with EHC Plans EHC Plans aim to provide support for children and young people through a unified plan taking into account education, health care, and social care needs Parents are finding the system hard to navigate and believe services are declining in quality Present provision is fragmented leading to difficulties in sharing information and knowledge Many children and young people do not receive the support they deserve and gaps in the system lead to wasted resources 48% of those who had been through the system were dissatisfied The number of EHC plans being issued is lower than envisaged meaning we could see an even bigger increase in tribunal figures Source: HOUSE OF LORDS BRIEFING PAPER Number 07020, 10 November 2016
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List of Holistic Assessments
Example Case Study List of Holistic Assessments Pupil Issues & Barriers Pupil is dependent upon others for support in all aspects of his learning/wellbeing. and diagnostic assessment has identified the following issues: Hydrocephalus (he has a shunt fitted) Cerebral palsy affecting all four limbs (he has a Baclofen pump fitted) Contractures of upper limbs particularly wrists and also in his knees (Botox injections every 12 months) History and high risk of developing pressure sores Scoliosis of the spine Dislocated left hip Severe communication difficulties Nil by mouth and has a gastrostomy Severe respiratory problems (requiring regular chest physio and oral suctioning) Epilepsy (seizures and absences) Registered partially sighted (bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia; visual acuity 6/38; right alternating divergent squint)
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Using Assessments Formatively in Pupil Profiles
Example Case Study Using Assessments Formatively in Pupil Profiles Postural Preferences Likes to sit in his chair for short periods but most comfortable when lying on the Acheeva bed and this also reduces risk of pressure sores When he is comfortable he has more energy and is better motivated to join in activities; Very sociable, but not so easy for him to see and join in with his friends when lying on the Acheeva so group activities need to be adapted Sensory Preferences Enjoys using his hands to make messy paintings to show his friends but needs some over hand prompting and good positioning Loves rock music, especially “We Will Rock You” by Queen and this works well to capture his attention and/or reinforce positive experiences Enjoys the feeling of air being blown gently in his face by a fan Loves having water sprayed very gently and finely on the back of his hands Reduced vision particularly on right so preference for close work on left side
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Example Case Study EHC Targets, Engagement & Beneficial Outcomes
Priority EHC targets relating to worsening contractures of wrists and hands Pupil can participate in coactive exploration during mark making activities as described in the following activities: I can use a flat hand to explore surfaces and materials I can grasp an object placed in his hand I can participate in making marks on surfaces I can produce work through mark making using a variety of media Beneficial impact and outcomes I can maintain my hand function and learn about the world via sensory integration I can participate in fun, meaningful activities using my hands to experiment and initiate activities I can use my hands to make choices and express preferences I can make my mark on the world and share my creations with my friends Engagement for learning Suitably motivating and messy interactive activities Relevant physical/visual positioning Spray on back of hand as prompt “We Will Rock You” as reinforcement
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End of Year Report for this Pupil
Actual Example End of Year Report for this Pupil Current National Curriculum Levels and Targets for End of Academic Year Spk/List Reading Writing U&A Number SS&M Current P Levels S= P2i+47% L=P2i+47% P2i+40% P2i+7% P2i+27% P2i+47% P2i+33% Target S= P2i+40% L= P2i+40% What do you think parents/carers might like to read in their child’s report?
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Another Big Issue How will schools be held to account for
standards of pupil learning and progress?
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How Schools Will Be Held To Account
when no progression data is submitted In respect to the progress of pupils working below the standard of tests schools must provide evidence to support a dialogue with parents and carers, inspectors, regional schools commissioners, local authorities, school governors and those engaged in peer review to ensure robust and effective accountability A school’s claims about the quality of its pupil assessment will be done by comparing its published statutory SEND information against its everyday practice and reviewing the actual outcomes accruing to pupils with SEND Peer Review
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Big Headline Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment
For pupils with SEND to achieve depth of learning Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment need to be inextricably connected
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Dimensions of School Provision in Relation to Changes in Assessment Practice
curriculum design School SEN information pedagogy Statutory Assessment resources policies assessment framework CPD
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SEND is Always Context Related
Environment Curriculum Pedagogy Assessment ENGAGEMENT SEND
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Curriculum & Pedagogy to Empower the Rochford Recommendations
THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IS ENGAGEMENT Specialised stuff to promote pupil performance within the EHC areas of need; minimise the impact of innate SEND issues and acquired barriers; enhance wellbeing and motivate pupils to experience new things Motivating stuff to develop pupil personality; interaction and relationships; acquire the skills to enhance participation; build resilience to cope with anxiety and the unpredictable nature of life Cognitive stuff to provide pupils with depth of learning so they can understand and apply the processes governing everyday living with opportunities to experiment, problem solve and be self-determining EHC Plan
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Engagement for Learning
Responsiveness A change in a pupil’s behaviour that demonstrates s/he is being attentive to a new stimulus. Important for establishing what differing stimuli motivate a pupil to attend and particularly relevant for assessing pupils with multiple sensory impairments Curiosity How a pupil is building on an initial automatic reaction to a new stimulus, perhaps by reaching out or scanning for the source of a new stimulus Discovery Changes in the way a pupil is interacting or responding to a new stimulus, sometimes accompanied by expressions such as enjoyment and excitement Anticipation A pupil’s ability to predict, expect or associate a particular stimulus with an event which is important for measuring a pupil’s concept of cause and effect Persistence The extent to which a pupil is sustaining attention towards a particular item or action and thus beginning to develop conceptual understanding Initiation Different ways and extent to which a pupil is instigating an event in order to bring about a desired outcome Investigation The extent to which a pupil is actively trying to find out more about an object or activity via prolonged, independent experiment
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Assessing Individual Pupils in:
Responsiveness Curiosity Discovery Anticipation Persistence Initiation Investigation No focussed engagement (score 0) Emerging or fleeting engagement (score 1) Partly engaged (score 2) Mostly engaged (score 3) Fully engaged (score 4)
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Assessment Used Formatively to Improve Engagement & Summatively to Show Gains in Lateral Progress
Monitoring of different approaches used during lesson 28 24 20 16 12 8 4 24 score What motivated engagement? 14 score 6 score asleep Different approaches for teaching of a targeted concept/skill Baseline Lesson 1 Lesson 3 Lesson 6
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Different Forms of Assessment
In-school formative assessment In-school summative assessment Statutory summative assessment School policy needs to set out the purpose, strengths and limitations of each form of assessment and explain how the information is used to get optimal overall benefit
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Assessment for Pupils with Complex Needs
In-school summative assessment Incremental progress towards EHC improvement targets and/or lateral progress endorsed by engagement scales Mastered concepts and skills Generalised concepts and skills applied in practical ways Periodic standardised testing in specific areas such as reading In-school formative assessment Dynamic pupil profile information Routine diagnostic assessments of functional skills and issues in SEND domains and setting of EHC related improvement targets Engagement for learning baselines with subsequent monitoring of accessed learning across relevant components of the curriculum Formative Teaching Whole class observations via use of engagement ladder to monitor pupil engagement, staff performance and curriculum differentiation Analysis of impact of SEND interventions via engagement scales Case studies Statutory Summative Assessment National Curriculum teacher assessment at end of Key Stage 1 and tests at the end of Key Stage 2 (data submitted to DfE) Engagement in Cognition & Learning Annual reports about impact and outcomes (SEND offer and/or EHC plan)
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Engagement for Learning & Data Mapping
Intervention Gathered daily to identify where and how a pupil is struggling, what needs to be done to assist the pupil and what the pupil needs to do in response to issues which are presenting barriers to learning and wellbeing Progress Gathered systematically to identify how well a pupil is participating in his/her personalised curriculum and what needs to be done to improve engagement for learning and the incremental acquisition of accessed learning Attainment Gathered periodically to confirm both lateral and linear progress, moderate evidence of mastery learning and the generalisation of skills and concepts targeted to bring about wider benefits Pupil Profile Data Impact in reference to a pupil’s EHC plan and/or school offer Progress Data Engagement and progress within the school’s broad, well balanced and motivating curriculum Standards Data Deep learning in cognition in tandem with overall holistic progress Analysis
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Research & Partnership Working
Schools need to work collaboratively to research and develop best practice with good schools sharing their expertise and any school in need of support actively creating links with schools that can help
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Self-Review Those Nagging Doubts
Q1) With 1 being “not well” and 10 being “very well” please give yourself a score which represents how well you usually cope with change; Q2) Using the same system, score how you are feeling about the proposed Rochford Review recommendations; Q3) Record the evidence you have that supports why you might be feeling negative, particularly if you don’t believe the reasons, or why you feel the recommendations aren’t fair, or why you feel they won't work; Q4) If you had to recommend a change in the statutory assessment of pupils with complex SEND then record how you would do it to bring about the same range of benefits anticipated by the Rochford Review recommendations? “My comments might suggest I am inviting feedback but please do not be fooled”
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Albert’s Thoughts About The Rochford Review Recommendations
Curriculum Assessment Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid Pedagogy I never teach my pupils I only provide the conditions in which they can learn
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Reflect on the Rochford Recommendations
Respond Positively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND Richard Aird OBE
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