Targeting Excellence - Modernising Scotland's Schools

Chapter 4 - Targeting Excellence for Parents, Children and the School Community

"Children learn in diverse ways and influences on them outside the classroom are as important as those within."

Children learn in diverse ways and influences on them outside the classroom are as important as those within. What happens at home and in the community has a significant influence on a child's development. What the child learns in the classroom needs to be supported elsewhere and each child should be treated as an individual, with their personal needs taken into account. The Government's initiative on New Community Schools aims to bring together the services required by children and their families so that their needs can be more effectively addressed. New Community Schools will pilot personal learning plans for each child, which will map out a programme for development and outline responsibilities of the school, parent and pupil. The active participation of parents is essential to ensure that each child reaches their learning potential.

The School in the Community

1. We want schools to be fully part of the community in which they are based. The Government's radical programme for improvement in Scottish schools and our strategy for promoting social inclusion are brought together in our major new initiative to pilot New Community Schools throughout Scotland. An improving, inclusive school should consider the needs and potential of the child as a whole. This means that much closer working is needed between the school and other agencies, parents and the community to bring together the services required by children, families and parents in a way which can ensure they are delivered in a integrated and effective way.

New Community Schools

2. Through New Community Schools the Government intends to secure a step change in the attainment of children facing the destructive cycle of underachievement. They will implement an integrated approach to addressing the barriers to learning that many children face. New Community Schools will work with parents and families to raise their expectations for their children and themselves and to stimulate their participation in their children's learning and development.

Burnfoot Community Primary School, Development Project

The way the school is managed already has similarities to the New Community School approach - with an effective working partnership between the school, Burnfoot Community Health Project, the Social Work Department, Burnfoot Church and Borders Enterprise. Many new activities will be added leading to continued improvements in the quality of learning for pre-school children and school pupils, enhanced parental involvement in their children's learning, bringing overall benefits which will significantly strengthen the community. The project will promote social inclusion and better life prospects for all. The activities will include early intervention for 4-8 year olds; better crèche arrangements with more support for families enabling parents to re-enter education; after-school learning activities to improve attainment and promote health; services for adults (including health promotion) and skills development for 14-17 year olds.

3. New Community Schools will be based on the following key principles Integrated provision of school education, informal as well as formal education, family support, and health education and promotion services Clear management arrangements for the integrated delivery of these services Strategies to encourage pupils, parents and carers, together and separately, to develop positive attitudes to learning Focussed support on the family unit to encourage and bring out the best in both parent and child through family learning and the development of positive parent-child interaction.

4. The New Community Schools initiative will encourage all local authorities, Health Boards and other relevant agencies to consider how such integrated approaches can best be developed in their areas.

Pilot Programme

5. When the Government asked local authorities and Health Boards last year for views on the introduction of New Community Schools, the response was positive and enthusiastic. The Government subsequently announced an extensive programme in which it will support some 60 pilot projects across Scotland to demonstrate and test the best way of running New Community Schools. The pilot programme will include a significant emphasis on the primary sector and will concentrate on schools serving disadvantaged areas. The pilot programme will be funded through the Excellence Fund and will operate from the financial year 1999-2000.

6. In the pilot programme, New Community Schools will have the following essential characteristics. A focus on all the needs of all pupils at the school. Their social, emotional and health needs will be considered. All pupils will have a personal learning plan Engagement with families - empowering parents, carers and family members to raise their expectations of their children and themselves Engagement with the wider community. The development of a New Community School will provide an important opportunity and mechanism to build the capacity of the local community Integrated provision of school education, informal as well as formal education, social work and health education and promotion services. This will require a new approach and level of inter-disciplinary team working - ensuring that the team can intervene quickly and effectively in support of the child or the family. These are likely to be the core services - but we are encouraging authorities to consider other services and be innovative and flexible in their approach Integrated management. At the minimum, proposals should set out a management structure which includes a single reporting and accountability framework within the New Community School for all of the core services involved Arrangements for the delivery of these services according to a set of integrated objectives and measurable outcomes. In most instances, co-location in some form is likely to be a significant feature Commitment and leadership, at political level, at all levels of management and shared by all partners Multi-disciplinary training and staff development. A programme should be developed involving the full range of staff working together to common goals and objectives in promoting the educational attainment and welfare of children in the school.

Planning for the Individual Child

7. The needs of the individual child, are central to the development of Personal Learning Plans. Children's needs differ and they need individual support and encouragement. Pupils' belief in themselves, their self confidence and their expectations are key to ensuring that each child reaches their potential; and each child must have his/her own needs recognised, talents developed and achievements recognised.

8. The Government therefore proposes to establish the practice that pupils should have a coherent, well rounded programme of development tailored for their individual progress through school. It will have three linked elements: Personal Learning Plans; a Statement of Achievement and a Progress File.

9. These three elements will be mutually supportive, and co-ordinated development through the 5-14 Implementation Committee and the Progress File Network will ensure that duplication and unnecessary paperwork is avoided.

Personal Learning Plans

10. Personal Learning Plans will set out for each child a programme of learning taking account of their individual needs, experience and progress. Parents will also be involved, and the plan will identify the positive contribution they can make to their children's learning. The plan will ensure that progress will be more effectively monitored, and problems identified and addressed quickly. Personal Learning Plans will initially be piloted in New Community Schools. Key features will include An assessment of children soon after entry into education, forming the starting point of the plan An agreed programme, including targets for achievement which will be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains relevant to the pupil's needs throughout his or her time at school The involvement of the pupil, who will take more responsibility for the plan as he or she moves through school An outline of the main responsibilities of school, and parents and pupils in relation to the learning plan Use of Information and Communication Technology to allow easy and immediate access for teachers, parents and pupils (with appropriate safeguards to ensure confidentiality).

Statement of Achievement

11. The end of S2 is an important stage in a child's life. The significant majority of his or her time at school will have passed. New targets will start being set and preparations will be made for Standard Grade. At present, nothing marks children's achievements at this important stage. The Government therefore proposes to introduce the Statement of Achievement - which will be a record of a pupil's achievement in each of the areas studied under 5-14. This will be of particular relevance in those subjects which pupils do not take on to Standard Grade.

Progress File

12. As they grow older and more mature, young people begin to take more responsibility for their own development, and this should apply equally in relation to their learning as elsewhere in life. The concept of the Personal Learning Plan therefore needs to be enlarged from that used under 5-14 programme to enable pupils to take more responsibility for their own development and targets and look forward to the skills they will need for the world of work. It will replace the National Record of Achievement (NRA).

13. The new Progress File will help students to Set goals and targets and check progress Record qualifications, credits, awards and core skills Write personal statements and CVs for college and university entrance, and for job and other interviews Plan their careers.

14. We will encourage all education and training sectors to use Progress File. It will be available to schools for use in S1-6. Progress File will be implemented in full in schools from Autumn 1999, but the new materials will be made available in electronic form to those schools who wish it earlier.

Reporting to Parents

15. This system of planning personal learning will not supersede the current system of reporting on progress. Each parent should receive regular individual reports about their child's progress. Under 5-14, there are clear guidelines which state that parents should receive reports on the level of attainment their child has reached, including the results of national tests, and describing strengths, development needs and next steps. The "next steps" - short-term learning targets - should be discussed with parents.

Involving Parents

16. Parents are children's primary educators and their encouragement and support of children's learning is vital. Children learn more effectively and quickly if their parents are supportive, and if parents and schools are in touch with each other about children's progress, potential difficulties can be spotted and dealt with more quickly. Parents also have an important role to play in supporting and assisting schools through membership of School Boards or Parent Teacher Associations. The commitment to these roles was shown in responses to the Parents as Partners discussion paper.

17. There should be a proper balance between parents' rights and responsibilities. Parents have important rights - to choice of school, to information and advice, to being consulted about the education provided for their children. They also have important responsibilities to their children - and to their attendance and attitude to school. Striking that proper balance is central to the Government's approach.

18. We must adopt an inclusive approach. There are parents who never come anywhere near their children's school and are not involved at all in their children's learning, often because they have had bad experiences of school and learning themselves, or lack the self-confidence or motivation to be involved. These are the parents who must be reached in developing more effective partnerships between home and school. The Government will support schools and authorities in the development of strategies to reach these parents in particular and engage them in their children's development and learning.

19. A beginning has already been made by schools and authorities. The Government will help them to build and expand on these approaches through the increased funding it has made available for the Early Intervention Programme, support for Family Literacy Schemes and New Community Schools.

Family Literacy

Helping parents help their children is an important aspect of many early intervention schemes. Schools are working to develop parental appreciation of children's language development and to involve them in paired reading with their children. In some areas book-lending schemes have been introduced and schools and education authorities have developed literacy packs and information guides for parents.

Home link and outreach teachers are visiting children and parents in their home to help with learning. A particular example in Edinburgh involves Family Literacy Workers in four areas of Edinburgh. The workers are based in local Community Education Offices or Community High Schools.

Their work includes arranging creative writing classes for parents, games to improve literacy such as alphabet and phonics and spelling and punctuation, storytelling and computer training. The workers encourage parents to determine their own curriculum and to set their own learning patterns.

Information and Advice

20. To participate fully in their children's education, and make decisions in their children's best interests, parents need clear information and advice. They also need to know who they can contact, at both school and authority level, to get further information and advice or to make a complaint. Parents are too often discouraged by not being able to find out easily where to turn. Often, information is too difficult to get hold of, and may be presented in language which is difficult to understand. This is unacceptable. All schools should have identified contacts for parents and all education authorities should have accessible enquiry points and clearly stated complaints procedures.

21. The Government will support the development of easily accessible, clear information and advice for parents in key areas. These will include Complaints procedures Bullying Exclusions from school Education appeal committees Homework The role of School Boards Placing requests.

22. The Government will explore ways of making information available in places such as health centres, post offices and supermarkets, and making full use of Information and Comunication Technology.

23. At a local level, schools and authorities should also review the information they provide and ensure that parents have access to clear information and advice on local issues and know who they can contact to discuss matters of concern to them or to make a complaint. The Government will work in partnership with authorities and schools to identify and disseminate examples of good practice in these key areas.

St Machar Parent Support Project

This project, funded by the Urban Programme, and based in the St Machar area of Aberdeen, aims to provide information, advice, support and training to the parents of children within St Machar Academy's catchment area. In doing so it aims to enhance, encourage and assist their children to experience the formal education system positively, to increase educational attainment, to promote personal and social development, and to increase training and employment prospects.

Community lead and managed by parents, the project offers individual advice to parents on issues such as behaviour, bullying, family and personal problems and employment. It also runs parent groups looking at a variety of issues such as parenting skills, managing stress and dealing with behaviour problems. The needs of ethnic minority families are also a focus for the project. In addition, the project works with pupils - running homework groups in several primary schools, a summer programme, and small groups for young people with particular problems, like non-attendance, or settling in to S1.

Hearing Parents' Views

24. The responses to Parents as Partners showed enthusiasm on the part of schools and authorities for involving parents in decision making on education issues and for clear and frank exchanges of information on issues of concern to parents. Many authorities have parent forums or consultative committees; and School Boards, PTAs and other parent groups or individuals felt that these should be encouraged. Parents are directly consulted during school inspections. This is a good basis on which to build and the Government will encourage all authorities to develop such mechanisms and ensure that they are as widely representative as possible.

25. On a national level, School Boards are routinely consulted on issues of direct interest to them, and representatives of parent organisations are included on many committees and working groups set up by the Government on education issues. The Government will continue to ensure that parents are properly represented on all such groups, and where the opportunity presents itself, will strengthen that representation. It is important however that the voices of all parents are heard; and the Government will seek out ways of doing that. Based on the positive experience of parent forums in education authorities, the Government will organise at a suitable opportunity a National Parents Convention to ensure that the widest range of parental views are heard and taken into account in the development of policy at a national level.

Home/School/Community partnership

South Lanarkshire Council has developed a home, school, community partnership as part of its continuing education services. The partnership runs a range of initiatives including behaviour support for S1 and S2 pupils; after school clubs; family learning; paired reading; individual pupil support; and programmes to ease the transition from primary to secondary school.

Youth work and adult education are important elements of partnership projects. By engaging parents in parenting education and social vocational training, confidence and knowledge are increased resulting in more value being placed on the educational advancement of parents and children alike.

School Boards

26. School Boards play an important role in schools - they represent and communicate with parents, are consulted by the Headteacher on many important management issues and also play an active role in areas such as the appointment of senior staff. They have a key role in planning for improvement and should also play an active role in ensuring the concerns of all parents are heard and in trying to reach those parents whose contact with the school is minimal or non-existent.

27. Responses to the discussion paper showed that School Boards did not want significant extra responsibilities or to take over the management role of the teaching staff. We can therefore put behind us the concerns that have arisen in the past about such issues and look to how we can best build on the positive contribution that School Boards can make. Our consultation showed that Boards believe they have an important role to play in the development of school policies through consultation and review. The Government wishes to develop that role - it believes that it can be of particular importance in the development and review of essential policies on issues such as bullying, discipline and attendance. The contribution to positive ethos and the focus on improvement must also be recognised.

28. The Government accepts these conclusions and through advice and guidance in the first instance will ensure that Boards are effectively consulted by schools on these matters.

29. A need for more information in simpler and more accessible form about what Boards do, and how they can operate most effectively was widely seen as important in getting more parents involved. The Government will therefore review in partnership with School Boards themselves the information currently available about the role of School Boards and introduce new training materials. It will ensure that Boards are fully aware of their ability to invite experts and other advisors to attend and their statutory right to seek further powers.

30. The Government accepts the view that parents should remain in the majority in Boards and recognises the need to make the election process simpler and thereby less intimidating. The by-election stage will therefore be removed from the election process.

Summary/Conclusion

Targeting Excellence for Parents, Children and the School Community

Already Underway

Investment of £26m to pilot New Community Schools throughout Scotland Implement Progress File in schools from Autumn 1999 Investment of £15m in family literacy schemes and home-link teachers New performance reports to parents

Next Steps

Improving information and advice for parents New guidance on complaints handling by schools and education authorities Piloting Personal Learning Plans Making School Boards more effective through training and support Improving consultation with School Boards and parents Removing the by-election stage from the School Board election process Facilitating a National Parents Convention