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Targeting Excellence - Modernising Scotland's Schools
 
Early Intervention
14. The Government is committed to ensuring that children acquire, at the earliest stage in their primary school careers, the basic literacy and numeracy skills they require to access all later stages of the curriculum. One of its first acts on coming to office was to set up the Early Intervention Programme to assist every local authority in Scotland to devise and implement a strategy targeted at improving literacy in Primary 1 and 2 children.
15. One of the strengths of the Programme is its flexibility. There is no single model of Early Intervention which is being applied across Scotland: education authorities are expected to consider the needs of their area and devise programmes to suit. The results so far have been promising. Schools are benefiting from additional staff development and training covering principles relating to early learning and teaching, better awareness of current research findings, best classroom practice, support for children with reading difficulties and the importance of child development. In some schools the inclusion of nursery nurses and classroom assistants is helping to increase the quality teaching time that teachers spend with pupils, as well as assisting the transfer of information, practice and methodology between pre-school and primary.
 
Flexible Approaches to Early Intervention
Glasgow City Council has adopted an authority-wide strategy with a specific emphasis on coaching of staff in the classroom. Early Intervention grants have allowed the education department to second staff development officers to work directly with teachers in their own classrooms. The Council report that this method of in-service staff development has proved to be effective in accelerating reading and numeracy programmes at school level.
Key features of the Highland Council's Early Intervention Programme include the appointment in pilot schools of half-time class assistants to primary 1 and 2 classes and additional learning support teacher time. Joint staff development and training has taken place for class and support teachers and class assistants. The Council has reported an increase in expectations of teachers and an improvement in the quality of independent writing of primary 1 and 2 pupils.
Clackmannanshire Council has adopted a focused approach working directly with children to improve their reading. In a pilot project operating in three schools, teachers used the method of 'synthetic phonics' to teach reading to primary 1 pupils. The Council has worked very closely with researchers at St Andrews University to evaluate its success and so far extremely positive results have been reported.
 
16. Many authorities are helping parents to develop their appreciation of children's language development and involving them in paired reading with their children, through book lending schemes and the development of literacy packs and information guides for parents.
17. Education Authority evaluations have been very positive. Government support for Early Intervention will rise to £14 million each year from 1999-2000, bringing the total investment, inclusive of contributions from authorities, to £60 million over 5 years. These resources will permit
  • Every local authority to expand its early intervention strategy
  • Every P1 and P2 teacher to undertake staff development in best practice of teaching early literacy and numeracy
  • The focus on numeracy as well as literacy to be strengthened
  • More support for home/school links and initiatives to help parents support their children's learning
  • Targeting of schools under performing on reading and numeracy and in areas of deprivation
  • Earlier identification and addressing of special educational needs.
18. For some children, extra support at the pre-school stage with talking and listening skills enhances the impact of later work in primary school on literacy and numeracy. Where education authorities see a need for additional in-service training or home-school links in order to support very early action of this kind at the pre-school stage, they may make limited use of Early Intervention grant for this purpose. The main thrust of the grant will however remain on action in P1 and P2.
 
Class Size Reductions
19. The Government has made clear its commitment to reduce the size of P1-3 classes to 30 or below by 2001. Smaller classes are popular with parents, who can see the positive impact on their children's school experience, and with teachers, who are able to commit more time to individual pupils. The reduction of class sizes is a key component of the Government's strategy for the transformation of early years' education. We have therefore brought forward the deadline for its achievement to August 2001.
20. Smaller P1-3 classes will ensure
  • More individual attention for children (especially crucial in the early years where the foundations are laid for attainment throughout children's lives)
  • More effective organisation and management of classes
  • Better lesson planning
  • Reduced pressure on teachers.
21. The Government is working alongside local authorities to ensure that this ambitious pledge becomes a reality. There are significant issues to address. At the last count there were 1,100 P1-3 classes with more than 30 pupils and only one teacher. 36,000 (that is one in five) of our P1-3 pupils were being taught in classes of over 30. Smaller classes mean more classes, and more classes mean more teachers. In addition, in many cases there will need to be changes to school premises, to free up more space for teaching, or the construction of new accommodation to house these new classes. Each new class will need to be properly furnished and equipped.
22. The Government has therefore allocated £48m over the next 3 years. This will enable over 500 additional teachers to be employed and also provide for new classrooms to be built. In addition, £4m was allocated to education authorities following the 1998 Budget to allow them to make early progress towards the target.
23. As further steps to support the achievement of our commitment to reduce class sizes we shall
  • Introduce regulations to limit class sizes
  • Introduce a planning system to enable us to work with local authorities to ensure that our proposals are being implemented systematically, sensitively and efficiently.
24. Smaller classes in the early years is one key stand of an integrated approach to raising standards in our schools in the early years. It is part of the package which includes expansion of pre-school education, support for early literacy and numaracy and a much higher proportion of trained adults to pupils throughout the primary school.
 
Classroom Assistants
25. Our primary classrooms must offer an attractive learning environment for children which takes advantage of the skills and abilities of teachers, classroom assistants, other professionals and volunteers. Children will derive a greater educational benefit if their teacher is able to concentrate on teaching. Children, particularly young children, need a range of help and support with personal development as well as with learning. Not all this support has to come from teachers.
26. Children benefit from more adults in the classroom; this can particularly help to ease the transition from nursery classes to primary. The experience of the Early Intervention Programme has shown how improvements in children's learning can be helped by the contribution of assistants, and other staff such as nursery nurses, in the classroom. The type of support children need changes and, in the majority of cases, diminishes as children get older and develop more self-sufficiency. In the later stages of primary, the role of classroom assistants may change (e.g. they will have less of a role in 'looking after' children and are more likely to be involved in practical support - including working with computers - and in support for learning).
 
Classroom Assistants
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, in common with many local authorities, currently employs classroom assistants in primary and combined primary/secondary schools. Support provided falls within a wide range of assistance including support for learning, support for administrative tasks, support for IT use, and support for children with special educational needs.
Training provision for classroom assistants has been developed by the comhairle from being largely 'on the job' to a more systematic approach of late. 12 SEN assistants have recently completed, by distance learning, Northern College's certificate for classroom assistants.
The experience in Eilean Siar is that assistants bring benefits to pupils, parents, teachers and school management through developing close relationships with pupils and providing 'another pair of hands' in the classroom. This is particularly the case in small schools where the headteacher is also a classroom teacher and the presence of another adult is highly valued. There is occasionally apprehension from teachers at having another adult in the classroom but this quickly disappears once the contribution of the assistant becomes evident.
 
27. The Government has committed itself to a major expansion in the number of classroom assistants in primary schools through
  • Setting a new target of a ratio of one adult for every 15 pupils in the primary sector
  • Investing £66 million over the next 3 years in order to fund up to 5,000 new posts for classroom assistants.
28. We expect assistants to support the classroom teacher by
  • Undertaking administrative and practical classroom tasks (photocopying, stock control, preparing classroom materials and displays, recording TV and radio programmes)
  • Assisting in the practical supervision of children, particularly younger children (during dinner and break times, on school trips, to swimming lessons, providing comfort and care for minor accidents, helping younger children with coats and shoes)
  • Providing support for learning under the direction of the classroom teacher (reading or telling stories, paired reading, counting and matching games, practising tables and supporting practical measurement activities, supporting small groups in tasks set by the teacher, helping pupils to follow the teacher's instructions and providing appropriate praise).
29. Within this broad framework, local authorities and schools will have flexibility to develop posts to reflect their own needs, the abilities and skills of the people they employ. All the assistant's tasks will be carried out under the direction of the classroom teacher and be supported by relevant training.
  • Classroom assistants will be deployed through all primary stages
  • Other staff (such as nursery nurses, with their higher level of professional training) will continue to fulfil a valuable role
  • The Government is particularly keen to see more men taking up posts as classroom assistants. Such jobs have been traditionally seen as for females but men have much to offer in the classroom - young boys, in particular, may respond well to them as role models
  • The initiative will also help increase employment and job opportunities not least in deprived urban areas and rural areas
  • The first objective of this initiative is to raise standards. Quality and training of assistants will therefore be paramount.
30. Education authorities already employ a range of non-teaching support staff in schools. Many local authorities are working on pilot schemes supported by an additional £1 million allocated in the 1998 Budget. Many commendable approaches, responding to local needs and circumstances, have been undertaken and we have been gathering information to inform the classroom assistants programme. The Government will build on and encourage proven success.
 
Classroom Assistant pilots - initial reactions
The initial results and the reactions of those involved are generally very positive. Classroom assistants are deriving job satisfaction in helping with tasks which would otherwise distract the classroom teacher from his/her professional work. Teachers are finding that the extra pair of hands, even for only a few hours, is a great benefit and some, even at this early stage, report a positive effect on class discipline and work output. Many teachers are able to give examples of 'added value', in that they have been released to do work that in some cases could not be done without a second person or in other cases was being postponed due to pressure of work (eg 5-14 implementation). Many report a big improvement in the wall displays of pupils' work, with a positive effect on the classroom working environment.
The pilot is also proving successful in teasing out the issues which will need to be addressed before the full classroom assistants programme is rolled out; for example, the role of assistants, their training needs, and the additional responsibility placed on teachers for planning the work of assistants and instructing them in it. Detailed guidance will be made available to local authorities based on the experience of the pilots and the outcome of the national working group set up to oversee implementation of the programme.
 
Classroom Assistant Pilot
North Lanarkshire's pilot is running from September 1998 - March 1999 and is studying the use of classroom assistants in both primary and secondary schools. Primary assistants are being used in many of the tasks envisaged by the Government; for example preparing work materials, helping children with practical work, keeping small groups 'on task', telling stories to younger pupils etc. In secondary schools, assistant have been used to provide practical support in the preparation of materials for art and home economics classes and taken over administrative tasks from subject and guidance staff, particularly principal teachers.
There is also evidence of more innovative roles for classroom assistants being found. For example, in one primary school, the assistant has been spending much of her time working with a child with emotional and behavioural difficulties, keeping him on task with work supplied and marked by the classroom teacher. This has led to reports of a significant improvement in class atmosphere and the work done by the remaining pupils. The assistant is also supporting work prepared by another teacher for a pupil who is behind in reading and encouraging progress has been reported.
 
31. As well as the benefits the increased use of classroom assistants will bring to children and teachers, we expect there to be a positive impact on the wider school community. Classroom assistants will be part of the team in schools including janitors, caretaking staff, librarians, technicians, office staff, caterers and volunteers as well as teachers. Although teachers have a distinct role in the education of pupils, all adults in a school interact with pupils and will act as examples and role models to children. We believe that all school staff have a valuable part to play and contribution to make to the life of the school. Headteachers and senior staff should aim to develop a sense of teamwork within schools - at improving the experience of pupils and creating an environment in which learning can flourish.
 
Training and Qualifications in the Early Years
32. The successful expansion of early years services requires appropriately qualified staff. There is a need to improve the links between different qualifications, to extend career paths in childcare and early education, and to ensure the effectiveness of in-service training and professional development. This will be tackled in a number of ways
  • Improving the links between pre-school and primary, eg through joint staff training
  • A programme of training will be put in place for classroom assistants. The training should be flexible, competence based, delivered on the job as far as possible, and should lead towards a qualification. There will be an emphasis on practical, work-based learning
  • Local authorities will consider the need for flexibility and mobility within early years services and take account of training of SEN auxiliaries, childcare workers, those working in early intervention schemes and non-teacher staff working in the pre-school setting
  • We are committed to establishing a clear, comprehensive framework of qualifications across the early years and childcare sector which will be accepted by employers and early years and childcare workers. The framework will show entry and progression routes. We are working with the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the relevant National Training Organisations to take forward proposals
  • The newly established Early Years National Training Organisation will also play an important role by identifying training needs and by facilitating provision for high quality training and qualifications for the Early Years Sector.
 
Summary/Conclusion
 

Targeting Excellence in the Early Years
Already Underway
  • Expansion of family centres, providing support for families with very young children
  • Investment of £138m over 3 years to secure for every parent who wants one-

    a part-time quality education place for every pre-school year child
    a part-time quality education place for every three year old by 2002

  • An expanded curriculum framework for children aged 3-5
  • Investment of £60m over 5 years to expand the Early Intervention programme
  • Investment of £52 to reduce P1-3 classes size to 30 or below by 2001
  • Investment of £66m in classroom assistants to establish a ratio of at least one adult for every 15 pupils in primary schools
  • Established the Early Years National Training Organisation
 
Next Steps
  • Consideration of a new statutory duty on authorities to secure pre-school provision in their area
  • Reviewing the planning requirements for children's services to provide a clearer framework
  • Preparing quality standards for childcare and pre-school centres
  • Improving links between pre-school and primary schools
  • Developing a framework of qualifications in the early years and childcare sector
  • Identification and dissemination of best practice in the early years
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