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CHAPTER FIVE: SCHOOL CASE STUDY THEMES

Background

5.1 School case study visits were undertaken to supplement and build on findings generated through the headteacher consultation programme which involved a wide range of partners, such as parents, pupils, the local community, local businesses and organisations and reflected progress in working with DtS. In total, 23 schools were visited across the 6 LAs. Most of the visits were undertaken in secondary schools.

5.2 While the focus of these visits was to engage in consultation about DtS impacts which were being felt or which were feeding through to the school, the nature of the consultation programme was necessarily qualitative. This chapter reports on the key themes which emerged across the schools and through different stakeholders. It should be noted that not all stakeholder groups were aware of the term 'Determined to Succeed'. However this was not important as the 7 themes underpinning DtS were used as prompts to ascertain how different stakeholders groups perceived; the culture and learning environment of the school; what factors influenced the direction of these; and what was this achieving for the school.

Overview of Chapter

5.3 Findings across the case study visits were analysed and a range of themes emerged which were evident across all case study visits and across most stakeholder groups. These themes are:

• Theme 1: definitions and views of DtS
• Theme 2: how schools approach DtS
• Theme 3: DtS partnerships
• Theme 4: monitoring and evaluation of DtS
• Theme 5: barriers and challenges
• Theme 6: achieving outcomes.

5.4 This chapter also provides some case study examples to offer greater insights into how DtS is being approached in different school environments and what is being achieved as a result of this.

Theme 1: Definitions and Views of DtS

Policy Awareness

5.5 While most teaching staff consulted had a strong sense of the ethos of DtS and how it might be approached by schools and teaching staff, there was less awareness of the policy context. This tended to be confined to school management.

5.6 This is an important issue in considering the sustainability of the agenda and how it might be positioned within the school context over time. Teaching staff might be less willing to commit to policy which they do not see as forming part of the wider changes and developments across Scotland's education agenda. Making these 'connections' between DtS and this agenda seems vital in ensuring the rationale behind DtS and in avoiding a school-based approach to DtS which is little more than an 'add-on' to the curriculum.

5.7 Some headteachers (and LA staff) noted that their strategies to implement DtS in an under-stated and subtle way had been influenced by the need to avoid overwhelming staff.

5.8 While this might have been the case in the early days of introducing DtS to teaching staff, it now seems necessary for these more strategic 'connections' to be made, in order to anchor the DtS position and its relative importance to the wider education agenda. This is an issue which merits consideration for both EDOs and headteachers in developing their future approach to DtS.

Definitions of DtS

5.9 The following issues were identified in how school staff and management tended to define DtS:

• the 'enterprise' tag - some staff noted that the term ' DtS' was helpful in getting across the ethos of the agenda. On the other hand, the connection to 'enterprise' education was often felt to be confusing. This term had relatively restricted connotations of the business sector and entrepreneurship. This is perhaps why the 'make and sell' mentality sometimes prevails in schools, often to the detriment of the wider learning agenda behind DtS
• 'developing the whole person' - this was frequently cited by staff and was also the most readily identified concept for external stakeholders / partners. Here, DtS was felt to offer a clearer focus of pupil development beyond teaching to a relatively constrained and predictable curriculum. There are signals that this interpretation of DtS is becoming more common with teaching staff. This definition also places the pupil at the centre of the learning process and considers the skills, attitudes and behaviours which might be necessary for development in order to focus on the 'whole person'
• 'achievement as well as attainment' - this theme also featured strongly with school staff. DtS was felt to offer a vehicle whereby all pupils would have an opportunity to achieve, not just through attainment. This places emphasis on the importance of learning a wider range of skills and behaviours which are not always immediately identifiable through traditional and formal attainment routes. It also emphasises the importance of personal achievement - particular to each pupil - and how this can serve to boost confidence and further learning engagement
• reflecting on teaching and learning styles - teaching staff also tended to note that DtS places emphasis on flexible and reflective approaches to teaching, in the interests of purposeful learning. This relates to the notion of 'pupil-centred' approaches to teaching and learning
• building competences and transferring strengths - teaching staff also tended to view DtS as a longer-term vehicle which allows pupils to build and develop a wide range of competencies and then to transfer generic learning from one subject area / discipline to the other, as well as transferring outside of, and beyond, school. This places the learning focus on the skills and competencies which underpin knowledge, as opposed to the knowledge content, itself. This idea of transferability featured strongly in consultations with teaching staff and can be readily identified in areas such as problem solving and team working.
• The above indicates that similar concepts emerged during consultation - especially with teaching staff - concerning how to define DtS. These centred around pupil-centred approaches, valuing personal achievement, purposeful learning and the transferability of skills, attitudes and behaviours, which will equip pupils for success in later life.

5.10 The above indicates that similar concepts emerged during consultation - especially with teaching staff - concerning how to define DtS. These centred around pupil-centred approaches, valuing personal achievement, purposeful learning and the transferability of skills, attitudes and behaviours, which will equip pupils for success in later life.

Views of DtS

5.11 On the whole, DtS was perceived to be a positive strategy by the majority of consultees. The following issues were identified which have important implications for its future:

• perceived longevity of DtS - while being positively received, there was some level of scepticism regarding whether DtS will be a sustainable component of national policy. Some consultees felt that the new and rapidly changing agenda for Scotland's education policy would mean that some initiatives would inevitably struggle to compete for priority status. These views might exist due to a perceived lack of 'connection' between DtS and the wider agenda behind 'Ambitious, Excellent Schools' and 'A Curriculum for Excellence'. It will be important to ensure that the linkages between the two are more clearly expressed in order to assure schools about the sustainability of DtS
• clear 'leap of faith' mentality - despite the lack of formal evidence of the impact of DtS, headteachers and many staff noted that there 'must be' a causal link between DtS, its impact on pupils and the impact this has on pupil and school achievement and attainment. The underlying concepts behind DtS were not challenged by any consultee group; they could all endorse the DtS concept. This finding appears to indicate the strength of the rationale behind the strategy and its support across all school sectors and all stakeholder groups
• school incentives to engage with DtS - the typical school environment is characterised by many (often competing) priorities. Within this environment, any policy needs to demonstrate its worth in order to be delivered with genuine commitment. Incentives to engage with DtS were usually very obvious within primary school and special school environments. Here, DtS was viewed as a chance to engage communities, ensure pupil inclusion and re-invigorate the school's ethos. Since the 'attainment focus' was much less of an issue for primary and special schools, DtS was a catalyst for schools to further develop teaching and learning methods. DtS offered a similar appeal for some lower attaining secondary schools who felt that it offered a different opportunity to address school attainment issues, where other approaches had failed to deliver the desired results. Indeed, it was felt that DtS offered new and exciting routes for engagement with groups of pupils who were otherwise disengaged from school or who risked becoming disengaged
• potential disincentives to engage with DtS - for higher attaining schools, the incentives to engage with DtS were often less obvious. These schools tended to see DtS as 'competing' with the school's attainment focus. It was perceived that DtS has yet to 'prove' its value in sustaining or enhancing current attainment results. This implies that DtS might not be obviously attractive to high attaining secondary schools. It was noted that there are several routes to overcoming this challenge. The first lies in the knowledge that there will frequently be a 'strand' of disengaged pupils within higher attaining schools where current teaching and curricular approaches are unappealing. DtS offers a route to re-engage such pupils. In addition, higher attaining schools might be more inclined to 'teach to the test', to retain their attainment focus. In such environments, there can be limited emphasis placed on developing the skills, attitudes and behaviours which underpin knowledge and too much focus on 'knowledge transmission'. The risk of this approach is that pupils will be offered less flexibility in learning approaches and will not have benefited from an emphasis on the transferability of skills, attitudes and knowledge.

Theme 2: How Schools Approach DtS

5.12 Schools tended to adopt highly individualised approaches to working with and embedding DtS. Differences might be due to leadership styles, LA or school priorities or the relative 'new-ness' of the policy to the school environment. However, some key patterns emerged during the case study visits which offer greater insights into what supports and what hinders the development of DtS. These are listed below:

The 'Necessary Conditions' for DtS to Flourish

5.13 As noted in the paragraph above, there is no 'magic formula' to guarantee success with DtS. However, schools did indicate that a supportive and committed management team is essential to provide direction and the willingness to take some risks and experiment with new approaches. Headteachers require to have the vision, drive and enthusiasm to engage staff, while allowing them the freedom to be creative. It was also noted that resourceful headteachers who are strong 'networkers' are an essential factor. This 'networking' requires the building and development of strong partnerships with a wide range of bodies and being opportunistic in identifying mutual benefits from such engagements. Headteachers' networking efforts were felt to expose the school (and its pupils) to a wider range of experiences and insights than might otherwise be evident in school life.

How DtS Permeates the School Environment

5.14 Some schools noted that ' DtS disrupts the classroom hierarchy'. In other words, DtS challenges notions that only the most vocal or highest attaining pupils seek to gain from their engagement with DtS. This is due to the opportunities which are offered for all pupils to 'shine'. In addition, primary schools and (especially) special schools were felt to absorb the ethos of DtS, in that it legitimises what many of them already do ( e.g. encouraging learner-centred approaches and experimenting with new ways to engage pupils).

The Relative Importance of DtS Funding

5.15 While all schools noted that the funds associated with DtS were welcome in allowing for levels of investment in CPD, resources and school events, few schools felt that the strategy was not sustainable in the absence of this funding. Indeed, many schools noted that the mainstreaming of DtS should be a target for all schools which could be achieved without having to 'jump through hoops'. Some schools noted that funding has been crucial in getting some aspects of DtS off the ground.

5.16 However, there is a danger that school expectations of funds following new or recent policies then makes them dependent upon future funding. This is an area which merits further consideration at LA level, when reviewing the objectives of future funding allocations.

Common Challenges to Implementing / Working with DtS

5.17 While some schools noted the advantages DtS offers in addressing the needs of all pupils and in promoting a more inclusive approach to learning, there were some specific challenges in addressing the needs of particular groups of pupils or in specific settings. The key ones noted were:

• children with disabilities - this was especially evident in special schools with children who had physical and / or learning disabilities. It was sometimes felt that 'off-the-shelf' resources relating to enterprise in education failed to address adequately the needs of these pupils. In addition, teaching and learning styles which were more geared towards practical engagement were often inappropriate in these schools. There was felt to be a need for enhanced EDO / LA level support, to ensure that special schools are adequately supported to address DtS
• disaffected pupils - while DtS offers routes to re-engage pupils, particularly through alternative curricular options (such as ASDAN - Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) it was sometimes felt - by teachers and pupils alike - that the offer of 'special' or different curricular choices to particular pupil groups could often perpetuate the difference between these pupils and other pupils. This was occasionally felt to reinforce the stigma surrounding the 'isolated' educational experience of those pupils who disengage from the traditional curriculum. Schools have a responsibility to promote the value of different educational experiences, such that any departures from the more traditionally-oriented approaches to teaching and learning do not have negative connotations
• teaching staff - despite a greater awareness and acceptance of the ethos driving DtS, an issue persists with some teaching staff being resistant to the DtS 'message'. While some of this might be related to confidence and relative comfort with the agenda (which can usually be overcome through time), there remains a tension between the confines of traditional approaches to teaching (and the assumed roles of teachers and learners) and the relative freedom, through a managed approach to risk-taking which DtS promotes. Notions of reflective teaching practice, adaptive styles and wider engagement of stakeholders who normally exist outside of the school walls are all issues which have yet to receive unanimous support from across the teaching profession. The challenge remains for LAs and school management to continue to address this agenda
• secondary schools - the 'subject silo' mentality was felt to be a key barrier in engendering wider staff acceptance of the value of DtS. For some schools, the challenge remains to convince subject specialists of the importance of DtS and its relevance to their subject areas. In such schools, DtS is often mainly (or only) currently 'accepted' by non-curricular specialists, such as guidance and learning support staff
• time barriers - many staff (including those who are strong advocates of DtS) noted the significant challenge of implementing DtS into an already full curriculum. In addition, some teachers noted that more flexible teaching styles often necessitate different approaches to classroom planning and organisation. This was felt to be a time-consuming process. However, some teachers did state that experience and support were crucial elements in providing teachers with the space to adapt teaching techniques and reduce teaching workloads ( e.g. by identifying opportunities for pupils to peer-assess work or for pupils to take the lead in planning elements of projects / presenting information to peers)
• rurality - schools in rural areas noted challenges in 2 key areas: business engagement (where local businesses were not readily on-hand to work with pupils); FE partnerships / vocational education (where distance made regular contact difficult and where vocational support was often delivered through training providers, who could be expensive).

Emerging Models of DtS Application

5.18 Three general patterns of how schools approach and implement DtS were evident across schools. These models are different in the school's relative status, positioning and 'presence' of DtS. On the basis of the schools visited, the majority fell into the first 2 categories and there were few schools in the final category:

• fully embedded model - in these schools, the 'presence' and value of DtS was evident, due to the extent to which it was embedded across the curriculum and permeated the school's ethos. Such schools are not vulnerable to a diminishing focus on DtS since the ethos is already part of what the school does
• partially embedded model - these schools are either introducing DtS in a tentative way or are confining DtS activity to particular curricular / non-curricular areas. Such schools risk losing focus on DtS since there is limited current, over-arching commitment to embed the DtS ethos across the school
• DtS activity only model - in these schools, DtS has barely any presence and is likely to be approached as an 'add-on' to the curriculum. Such schools are likely to withdraw their commitment to DtS if funding and support were reduced. There is likely to be limited strategic direction in such schools, concerning how DtS becomes an embedded aspect of school life.

DtS as a Lever for Scotland's Education Policy Agenda

5.19 The most enthusiastic supporters of DtS and the schools where working with DtS is embraced as an opportunity to invigorate teaching and learning are also the schools who make ready links between DtS and other national policy. These include: Health Promoting Schools; eco-schools; addressing the needs of those pupils at risk of becoming ' NEET' (not in education, employment or training); Assessment is for Learning; and A Curriculum for Excellence. Some schools indicated that DtS acts as a vehicle to facilitate the addressing of these policy areas, while other schools are applying DtS as a 'testing ground' to assess their readiness to embrace the wider educational changes which are in current development. These schools are aware of the similarities between the school ethos, culture and purpose which DtS promotes and relative levels of preparedness for embracing the wider education policy agenda.

Theme 3: Partnerships

5.20 This is a theme where a wider range of stakeholder groups could contribute their views. There are 5 key issues which emerged under this theme.

Parental Awareness and Support

5.21 It is likely that the group of parents who took part in the case studies are not wholly representative of the wider parent group, since they displayed quite strong relationships with schools and were probably more active within schools than other groups of parents. Some of these parents had heard of DtS but most were more familiar with the term 'enterprise in education'. The 'enterprise' focus (in terms of business connotations and learning about entrepreneurship) was the key association made, here. However, on exploring the 7 themes underpinning DtS, many parents were able to provide opinions concerning whether these types of learning / development formed part of school life. The general consensus was that: 1) these themes were important in supporting pupil development, and 2) schools were active in delivering these. The themes which parents could identify with most readily tended to be working in teams, communication and confidence.

5.22 It would appear that continued efforts will be necessary - at national and local levels - to promote the DtS strategy with parents and to provide them with concrete examples of how this might be manifested in teaching and learning.

5.23 Parents also discussed their active roles in supporting schools with school events (such as school shows, coffee mornings and general fund-raising activities). There was also some sense that - through taking a more active part in the life of the school - this contributed to further and more sustained parent / school engagement in the future.

Local Communities as the School's 'Best Resource'

5.24 This view was expressed particularly in primary and special schools. This is perhaps not surprising, given that these schools (due to size and the nature of the pupils) are often in closer proximity to the local community. There was some evidence that schools had made new or closer links with their communities as a result of DtS. Examples of activities included schools proactively asking local businesses or organisations to give talks to pupils or in having longer-term associations with the school. The influence of the headteacher's skill in networking emerged as a determinant of increased community links.

5.25 It was also felt that everyone serves to benefit by the school having a more regular stream of 'external' people actually in the school environment. This exposed the pupils to a wider range of people and also ensured that the local community had a better sense of the school having an 'open door' policy. One school noted that this was helpful in furthering the Integrated Community Schools concept. One primary school - in a relatively deprived area - expressed the 'turnaround' that had occurred in community spirit by making the school a more welcoming place. This was felt to have instilled a sense of enthusiasm and hope within a community where residents appeared to have few obvious ambitions. DtS was felt to offer the catalyst to continue to develop community relations.

Effectiveness of Approaches to Engaging Businesses

5.26 As noted in Chapter 2, this was often driven by support and guidance from EDOs, especially where schools had little experience of developing such partnerships. Some schools noted that 'forced' partnerships ( e.g. where the 'matching' of school with a business had been done by a third party) were unlikely to be successful. The establishment of partnerships can be a time-consuming and challenging process where common objectives and working practices must be agreed from the outset. In addition, a 'spark' between partners and the school is necessary for genuine creativity in the partnership arrangement.

5.27 Some schools were unclear whether the partnerships they had formed with public, voluntary and community sector bodies could be classified as 'business' partnerships, despite there being no national requirement for formalised business partnerships. In some cases, it appeared that such partnerships were under-valued, due to the false impression that these would not 'count' towards DtS targets for achieving partnerships. There was a great deal of evidence of good practice and creativity in the partnerships which schools had forged ( e.g. with housing associations and the Armed Forces). These often achieved strong results with partners generating their own ideas about how they could work with pupil groups. Where schools were restricting this freedom ( e.g. by 'dictating' the nature of the partnership) there was less evidence that these partnerships would be sustainable or that much value was being derived from them.

National Body Partnerships

5.28 Some headteachers and teaching staff queried the extent to which the national partnership infrastructure for DtS was strongly in place, with bodies such as Scottish Qualifications Authority and Learning Teaching Scotland. There was felt to be a need to forge stronger links with such bodies at national level or - where these do already exist - to make these linkages and their purpose clearer to schools.

Theme 4: Monitoring and Evaluation of DtS

5.29 Some of the issues which emerged under this theme resonate with those identified earlier in the report. There are clearly a range of challenges for schools in taking forward the monitoring and evaluation function. These are important to highlight as they are likely to impact upon a school's ability (and - at an aggregated level - an LA's ability) to offer regular and robust assessments of their progress in relation to DtS. Four key themes emerged in relation to monitoring and evaluation.

Key Challenges with Monitoring and Evaluation

5.30 Schools were often very interested in the proposed 7 themes assumed to underpin DtS. There tended to be general agreement with the direction of these themes but, more importantly, schools were keen to know if these would form the basis of a future framework to monitor and evaluate DtS. Some schools intimated that they had struggled with this area as they were unclear 'what success would look like'. Despite national and LA level guidance to describe and support the essence of DtS, there was felt to be a lack of direction or consensus in developing tools which would allow schools to track their DtS progress. Linked to this is the issue already detailed regarding attribution: how could any discernible changes and improvements be assigned directly to the influence of DtS? The influence of a wide range of policies and initiatives, together with the dynamic nature of schools were felt to pose significant challenges in ascertaining which specific interventions / support mechanisms worked with which specific groups of pupils.

Progress in Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Tools

5.31 Some schools felt that monitoring and evaluation would be adequately addressed through activity 'audits', which would act as accountability mechanisms for DtS funding. While such audits were deemed to be helpful in gaining an overview of how much DtS is being built into teaching and learning, this does not explore outcomes or impacts - i.e. what has been achieved as a result of these teaching and learning inputs. Audit tools were being widely used across schools. Some had been devised by LAs for all local schools to use and some schools had developed their own. A range of schools derived further benefit from these tools, as they provided evidence to their teaching staff of how much DtS-based activity was already taking place, within the school. The objectives of this were to assure staff that they were on the 'right track' and to provide further momentum to embed DtS across the curriculum. These audits also assisted in identifying ' DtS gaps', either in curricular areas or in specific aspects of teaching and learning within these curricular areas.

5.32 In addition, LAs and EDOs had made progress in developing tools for use in schools. One LA had invested heavily in providing school 'frameworks' for teaching staff to develop portfolios of evidence in relation to their DtS work. Such evidence might consist of examples of pupil work and photographs of 'learning in action'. One school working with this portfolio approach found it very helpful in reflecting on progress with DtS.

HMIe Quality Indicators: 'How Good Is Our School?'

5.33 The indicators devised for Enterprise in Education were not widely used across schools. The main reasons for this appeared to be that they were felt to offer insufficient direction or detail. There was limited evidence of their use at school management level. In some schools, they were deemed to be somewhat useful in offering a broad 'checklist' to compare against the school's general direction with DtS. However, schools tended to feel that a more concrete and detailed tool was necessary to offer clearer direction for DtS.

Connecting Assessment is for Learning with DtS

5.34 In a small number of schools, where Assessment is for Learning (AifL) featured strongly in the school's approach to assessment, there was evidence that schools were attempting to link their DtS work with this agenda. This was being done through pupil questionnaires and gathering staff and partner feedback about DtS progress. It was not clear how these tools were being amalgamated to offer a more 'macro' level view of DtS progress. However it was felt that there were strong connections between AifL and DtS since both advocated strong pupil-centred approaches to school life. This is perhaps a point for further reinforcement, at national level, to ensure that LAs and schools can readily make this connection.

Theme 5: Barriers and Challenges

5.35 As with any new school-based strategy, especially one which challenges highly traditional approaches to teaching and learning, there will be, inevitably, a range of barriers and challenges to overcome. While some of these might be 'teething problems' relating to developing infrastructures, others are linked to teaching attitudes which appear opposed to the ethos of the new / developing strategy. Attitudinal issues appear to present the clearest challenge, for DtS implementation and have been evident in the following areas:

• 'conventional wisdom' of traditional and established approaches to teaching - both headteachers and EDOs expressed the challenge which exists in convincing a strand of teaching staff of the merits of the teaching and learning approaches advocated through DtS. The resistance to this is likely to stem from previous teaching experience which tends to place the teacher 'in the driving seat', with pupils reacting to a pre-determined 'format' for learning. One secondary school teacher offered a glimpse into this perspective by sharing her concerns that when pupils were out of their seats, they were less likely to be engaging in learning
• addressing the traditional views of parents regarding the 'learning process' - some parental attitudes reinforce the views expressed above. Such attitudes cast doubt on the value of more experimental and 'pupil-focused' approaches to teaching and learning. Indeed, some parental consultations expressed views such as: 'if they're not doing long division, they're not learning'
• staff resistance based on anxieties about the 'case' for DtS and impacts on time and classroom organisation - some staff have yet to be persuaded of the benefits of the DtS ethos. In the absence of a clearer evidence base of the benefits, some teachers are likely to remain unconvinced. In addition, where the DtS strategy is very new to some staff, quite significant investment and support is likely to be required to ensure they feel adequately prepared to try out different classroom styles and approaches
• assuring schools of the longevity of DtS - as has been noted previously, some schools and staff have yet to be convinced that DtS is a long term policy, linked to a wider agenda for Scottish education
• the place of 'enterprise' in the school curriculum - a few staff, who have focused only on the 'enterprise' angle of DtS, have clear misgivings of education's role in promoting what they deem to be unethical notions and unrealistic visions of pupils all becoming budding entrepreneurs. This suggests that further efforts are required to raise awareness about the ethos of DtS and its wider linkages to e.g. community engagement and citizenship.

Theme 6: Achieving Outcomes

5.36 While this theme is, arguably, the most important one for this evaluation study, it has been the most complex to uncover, due to the monitoring and evaluation challenges present for schools and LAs, which have been documented extensively in this report. Several headteachers recommended that a clearer national indication of the connection between DtS and ACfE would encourage schools to make more obvious linkages between their DtS-oriented practice and the underpinning principles of ACfE. It was also felt that this would encourage schools to divert more efforts into tracking their progress and performance in the context of DtS. There appear to be clear roles for the Scottish Executive and LAs in supporting and directing this.

5.37 Most schools indicated that the 7 DtS-oriented themes being explored in this study were helpful 'markers' in supporting them to articulate what DtS is achieving for their schools. In the absence of these 'markers', schools might have struggled to articulate how DtS has been manifested in the school environment. This further demonstrates the need for a more 'concrete' framework, whereby schools and LAs can reflect on and assess their performance in relation to DtS.

5.38 In relation to perceived change, improvement and impact the following themes emerged. It should be noted that schools were often slightly tentative in discussing these areas, and - in the absence of a previous monitoring 'record' of progress - the details below were often verbalised as 'on-the-spot' recollections or reflections or performance, rather than as carefully considered examples.

Positive about DtS and Its Anticipated Impact

5.39 All headteachers and most teaching staff expressed very positive views about DtS and its compatibility with school objectives. Furthermore, they believed there to be a strong likely correlation between DtS and pupil 'success' (whether through improved attainment, personal achievements and feeling generally positive about school and its value). These views prevailed despite a lack of clear evidence of the link between these. This indicates significant 'faith' in the concept of DtS and strong support for its 'place' in school education.

Impact on School Ethos

5.40 School management and staff tended to be quite certain about the relationship between DtS and an improved school ethos. This was the case in schools where there was an already positive ethos at pre- DtS stage and in those schools where there was a recognised need to improve school ethos at pre- DtS stage. This ethos 'turnaround' was felt to be connected to enhanced efforts to further engage and include pupils in the life of the school (whether through school management and organisation, extra-curricular activities or in the classroom). Such enhanced efforts were felt to be making an impact on pupil motivation, interest and general care and respect for the school itself and the people within it.

5.41 An example of how DtS was felt to have impacted on school ethos relates to a secondary school which had been experiencing problems with the pupil dress code. It was decided to create a staff / pupil working group to canvas the views of all pupils and to propose options for a solution. This resulted in a significant 'return' to the school uniform and - while this was not the favoured option of many pupils - they did respect that a genuine attempt had been made to listen to and address the views of pupils. A teacher in this school cautioned against a half-hearted attempt in undertaking such an initiative. Where there is little genuine effort on the part of school staff to engage and canvas the views of the school population, credibility will be reduced and results could be counter-productive.

5.42 It was also felt in some schools that the adoption of a wider range of teaching and learning styles had improved pupil-staff relations, with a positive effect on the school environment. This was felt to be a very powerful tool in developing a more positive and motivating school environment. Under these conditions the learning atmosphere would be allowed to flourish and would have likely impacts upon pupil achievement and attainment. Such school environments were very clearly 'placing the pupil at the heart of the curriculum and not the subject'.

5.43 Teachers who had reflected on / adopted new and different approaches to teaching indicated that this had encouraged them to ask different questions of themselves and the school, such as:

• will this approach appeal to all pupils?
• does this equip pupils for life after school?
• what kind of citizens are we seeking to develop?

General Impact on Pupils

5.44 Consultations with pupils across the case study schools tended to reveal a difference - regardless of age - between those pupils who possessed a conscious understanding of their learning and development and those who did not. The 7 DtS themes were used as prompts to request information about the types of learning they had undertaken which could be linked to these themes. While most pupils could provide examples across most of these themes, not all could describe how such learning was, or would be, of benefit to them.

5.45 Pupils who could explain the likely transferability of their learning - across subject areas, in their hobbies or in possible application in future life - tended to be based in schools where the DtS ethos was quite well-embedded and where a strong enthusiasm for DtS was displayed by management and staff, alike. Primary school pupils tended to articulate this transferability more confidently that secondary school pupils. This might be due to relative levels of DtS-embeddedness in primary schools, when compared to the secondary sector.

Pupil and Staff Views of Pupil Progress in Relation to the 7 DtS Themes

5.46 Staff tended to indicate that progress across all 7 DtS themes had been evident, and this might be - at least, partially - related to the school's approach to working with DtS. Pupil confidence and communication were the themes which were most readily identified, while personal effectiveness and approach to learning were least obvious. Problem solving appeared to be a stronger focus in primary schools. Improvements in pupil behaviour were noted in several schools which had applied DtS approaches with pupils who had been identified as having behavioural problems. It was felt that the level of 'hands-on' engagement which DtS advocates had been a deciding factor in addressing the behavioural issues and promoting self-esteem.

5.47 Of the 7 themes, approach to learning ( i.e. understanding that tasks / work can be undertaken in different ways and that people have different personal preferences) and personal effectiveness ( e.g. planning and reviewing own work, managing time and decision making) tended to be least well-articulated across all pupil groups. This resonates with staff views. For pupils, this might be due to the relative complexity in verbalising about these areas. However, it might also indicate that these themes are less-well developed in school. This would not be surprising, given that they both place a significant onus upon pupils taking the lead in their work. This presents a challenge to traditional approaches to teaching and learning.

5.48 Due to the qualitative nature of these discussions, it is not possible to draw clear conclusions from pupil or staff consultations, concerning the relative importance or presence of the 7 themes in their day-to-day school work. The survey report which accompanies this report places more emphasis on these themes, as perceived by pupils, teachers and parents.

5.49 However, there is perhaps future scope for schools to use these 7 DtS themes to engage in reflective discussions with pupils, in relation to their learning, its relevance and transferability. This could form part of a wider assessment framework which schools could use to self-assess their performance and direction, in relation to DtS.

Case Study Examples

5.50 The following examples demonstrate how DtS is being applied across different schools and - in some cases - how staff and pupils feel they have benefited:

Table 5.1: Case Study Example 1

Table 5.2: Case Study Example 2

Table 5.3: Case Study Example

Table 5.4: Case Study Example 4

Summary Points from Chapter Five

Table 5.5: Summary Points from Chapter Five

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