Cynulliad
Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly
for Wales
Y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg | Children, Young People and
Education Committee
CYPE(5)-13-16 – Papur | Paper 2
Ymateb gan : Estyn
Response from : Estyn
How the Welsh Government monitors the way local authorities use the Education Improvement Grant and how the new, amalgamated grant supports Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, and Minority Ethnic children, with specific reference to improving educational outcomes
This section explains how Estyn contributes to the monitoring of educational outcomes and provision for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, and Minority Ethnic children. For details of Estyn’s national thematic work and best practice work, see answers to the next two questions.
As part of Estyn’s inspection of individual providers and local authorities, inspectors consider the performance of different groups of learners including minority ethnic groups, and gypsies and travellers. Inspectors judge how well a provider establishes an ethos that is inclusive as well as other equality and diversity issues. Inspectors also judge how well the provider promotes the prevention and elimination of oppressive behaviour including racism. For more details, see for example Estyn’s handbook for secondary school inspections, which is available here:
http://www.estyn.gov.wales/document/guidance-inspection-secondary-schools
Estyn also has supplementary guidance for inspecting Equality, human rights and English as an additional language, available here.
As part of the above, inspectors report on how well an individual provider has supported Gypsy, Roma and Traveller and Minority Ethnic children in improving educational outcomes using different funding streams including the Education Improvement Grant and the Pupil Deprivation Grant. Estyn has not evaluated how local authorities use the Education Improvement Grant specifically and without detailed work it is difficult to differentiate between the different funding streams. Some of the good practice identified below and the recommendations of Estyn reports such as ‘The education of Gypsy Traveller pupils: An update on provision in secondary schools’ do not necessarily require additional funding to implement.
The following are extracts from a selection of inspection reports of individual providers that give a flavour of this reporting. Good practice is identified and areas of improvement noted. The extracts from the school inspection reports are from reports published since the grants were amalgamated in April 2015. The extracts from local authority reports are from inspections since 2011.
Blaenau Gwent LAESCYP Inspection January 2013
In the Foundation Phase, key stage 3 and key stage 4, minority ethnic pupils generally perform better than their cohort groups. Gypsy and Traveller pupils and looked-after children generally perform less well than the cohort group.
Torfaen LAESCYP Inspection, October 2011
Support for parents of pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and for parents from the Gypsy and Traveller community is particularly effective. However, the authority does not do enough to ensure that all parents are aware of the range of support and advice available to them.
West Monmouth School, Torfaen March 2016
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In partnership with the Torfaen Equal Project, the school provides exceptional support for Gypsy Traveller pupils and their parents. This is having a very positive impact on the attendance and outcomes for pupils from this community. This is a very strong feature of the work of the school.
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Flintshire County Council, October 2011
The authority provides effective support to Gypsy and Traveller learners that has improved their literacy levels and helps them achieve good attendance. All Gypsy and Traveller primary-age pupils attend primary school.
Queens Ferry School, Flintshire September 2015
Many pupils for whom English is an additional language, and those from the community of Gypsy Travellers, make very good progress from their starting-points. Staff work closely with specialist services, such as the Gypsy Traveller service, speech and language support and the service for pupils with English as an additional language. This work has a positive impact on pupils' achievements.
Coleg Cambria, Flintshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire November 2015
Learners from the most deprived areas of the three local authorities, those with a declared disability and learners from ethnic minority backgrounds achieve in their learning at a rate equal to, or greater than, their peers.
Pembrokeshire County Council, June 2011
Gypsy traveller children improve their literacy skills and many make good progress into work.
Monkton Priory Community School, Pembrokeshire April 2016
Monkton Priory Community Primary School is a 'window on the world' for its pupils and the heart of a learning community based on equality, respect and doing your best. Thirty percent of pupils are from the gypsy traveller community. There is a permanent traveller site in Monkton and the school has an attached unit for traveller pupils aged 11-16 years old. The school has strived to create a stimulating learning environment that engages all learners. Leaders ensure that they place all staff in settings that match their skills. All staff are committed to supporting pupils’ wellbeing and providing a learning community based on equality, respect and doing one’s best.
Stepaside School, Pembrokeshire April 2016
The school focuses well on promoting good attendance. Over the last year or so, the school has been very successful in engaging the traveller community and ensuring that traveller children attend school regularly.
Conwy County Borough Council, March 2011
Specialist services provide good support for Gypsy Traveller children and those who have English as an additional language (EAL). This has impacted on improvements in attainment and attendance of the supported pupils.
Carmarthenshire County Council, March 2012
At key stage 4 the performance of looked after children and learners from traveller families is good. The authority offers a wide range of provision outside of schools for pupils at key stage 4. This helps vulnerable learners, such as looked after children, young people at risk of dropping out of education and children from traveller families to achieve good outcomes by the end of their school careers.
St Mary’s R.C. primary school, Carmarthen October 2015
The school works well with several specialist agencies such as the police, health and social services. Liaison with the ethnic minority advisory service is particularly effective and enables the majority of pupils to make suitable progress in acquiring English as a second language. The school works effectively in partnership with a wide range of agencies, such as the ethnic minority advisory service, health and social services, to support all pupils’ learning and wellbeing.
Wrexham County Council
Effective strategies to support Gypsy Traveller pupils
St. Joseph’s Catholic and Anglican High School, Wrexham have developed effective strategies to support Gypsy Traveller pupils such as engagement with pupils and parents and working with the local youth service and the traveller education service teacher. Pupils are more confident, exclusion rates have fallen and participation in extra-curricular activities has increased
Newport City Council, November 2011
Attendance rates for most vulnerable groups such as looked after children and minority ethnic learners are good.
Ringland Primary School, Newport June 2015
Many pupils benefit from the school’s partnerships with a wide range of specialist agencies, such as the local authority’s learning and behaviour support service and its ethnic minority support service.
Pillgwenlly C.P. School, Newport June 2015
The school works successfully with a broad and effective range of specialist agencies to support pupils well. For example, its close collaboration with the Gwent ethnic minority service has a positive impact on the progress specific pupils make in their acquisition of the English language. This in turn allows them to integrate effectively into the school community.
Maindee C.P. School, Newport March 2016
The headteacher’s leadership is highly effective in setting and promoting a vision for the school. She has responded very effectively to recent changes in the school’s population resulting from a significant increase in pupils of Roma heritage. In a short period, she has put in place a series of pioneering arrangements that are proving highly successful in meeting the very diverse needs of pupils who often have had little or no previous experience of education.
The school makes very good use of the pupils’ diverse cultural heritage to ensure they have a good understanding of the need to respect one another. The school promotes pupils’ attendance rigorously. For example, the Family Engagement teacher who works with ethnic minority groups has established close relationships with families to emphasise the educational and social importance of regular attendance.
The outstanding collaborative working arrangements between the school, the ethnic minority service and other outside agencies, including the speech and language therapy service, ensure that all identified pupils make at least good and often very good progress, especially in their acquisition of English.
The school has highly effective practices in the integration of newly arrived pupils with no English into the school and this has had a very positive impact on pupil wellbeing and progress. The close working with local authority ethnic minority service provides excellent support for all pupils and their families, enabling them to access all areas of the curriculum as well as supporting one another in learning.
The school has highly effective partnerships with the local authority, particularly in relation to the support from specialist services. A notable feature is the close partnership working with the ethnic minority education service.
Cardiff City Council, January 2011
The performance of minority ethnic learners is improving and the gap in performance between them and white UK learners is narrowing. The percentage of ethnic minority learners achieving the level 2 threshold (equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grade A* to C) has increased and the gap in attainment between them and white UK learners has reduced considerably. The authority’s Ethnic Minority Achievement Service provides good support to learners whose first language is not English or Welsh.
St Mary's R.C. Primary School, Cardiff September 2015
Pupils from an ethnic minority background and those who have English as an additional language make good progress by the end of the Foundation Phase, and most perform at the expected level or above by the end of key stage 2.
There are good links with a range of specialist agencies, and support services such as the sensory impairment, speech and language therapy service and the ethnic minority achievement service support pupils’ specific needs well.
Greenway Primary School, Cardiff July 2016
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The school's current performance is good because most pupils make expected or better progress as they move through the school, including those with English as an additional language. Pupils from Gypsy Traveller families who attend well make good progress.
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The school's partnership with Gypsy Traveller families is excellent and has a positive impact on their children's attendance and achievement. |
Swansea City Council
Plasmarl Primary School, Swansea October 2015
The school has good links with a range of outside agencies. For example, staff work closely with the educational psychologist and ethnic minority language acquisition service to support pupils’ particular needs.
St Helen's Primary School, Swansea February 2016
All staff support pupils with English as an additional language exceptionally well. The highly effective arrangements between the school and the Ethnic Minority and Achievement Unit ensure that all identified pupils make at least good but often excellent progress, especially in their oracy and writing skills
The effectiveness of other Welsh Government policies and strategies for supporting the education of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, and Minority Ethnic children
In addition to the inspection of individual providers, Estyn publishes thematic reports requested by the Minister in annual ‘remit’ letter to Estyn. In recent years, Estyn has published several reports relating to the education of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, and Minority Ethnic learners.
In 2011, Estyn published a thematic report on ‘The education of Gypsy Traveller pupils: An updateon provision in secondary schools’
The report updated the 2005 Estyn report, ‘The Education of Gypsy Traveller Learners’. Only modest progress had been made between 2005 and 2011. Estyn recently completed inspections of all four Regional Consortia in Wales and in each case was critical of the consortium’s ability to use pupil-level data to identify strengths and areas for improvement, in particular for groups of vulnerable pupils.
The report’s main findings are outlined below:
1. Despite the best efforts of a few local authorities and secondary schools, much remains to be done to ensure improved outcomes for Gypsy Traveller pupils. Only one of the five recommendations made in the 2005 Estyn report on ‘The Education of Gypsy Traveller Learners’ has been addressed.
2. The most important factors in improving Gypsy Traveller pupils’ outcomes are improving pupils’ attendance and their attitudes towards school. Improving low attendance rates and the resulting low achievement of Gypsy Traveller pupils is a challenge for traveller education staff as it involves changing well-established attitudes in the Gypsy Traveller community and in secondary schools.
3. The Welsh Assembly Government’s All-Wales Co-ordinators Group for Gypsy and Traveller Education was set up to enable staff to discuss common issues and share best practice across the 22 Welsh local authorities. There is now a forum for sharing best practice in Gypsy Traveller education. However, as yet, the work of this group has not impacted widely on policy and practice in many secondary schools.
4. Provision for Gypsy Traveller pupils varies across authorities. Most local authorities provide only mainstream secondary education placements, but in a few authorities Gypsy Traveller pupils are inappropriately taught in separate discrete units for their entire secondary education.
5. Most traveller education staff provide high-quality support for schools. They also provide important support for parents of Gypsy Traveller pupils and often the wider Gypsy Traveller community. In a few local authorities, traveller education staff work closely with education welfare officers to improve the attendance of Gypsy Traveller pupils. They make joint visits to Gypsy Traveller sites to establish the whereabouts of pupils. In a few cases, these actions are beginning to improve the attendance rates of Gypsy Traveller pupils.
6.
Despite
this support, the overall attendance rates of secondary school age
Gypsy Traveller pupils are still too low. Many Gypsy Traveller
pupils still have levels of attendance that fall below the Welsh
Assembly Government’s minimum target for this pupil group of
50% attendance a year. In several local authorities, Gypsy
Traveller families are not prosecuted for attendance below this
level. This would be counter-productive as there is little evidence
to show that prosecution improves the attendance of Gypsy Traveller
pupils.
7. In a very few schools, an ethos of inclusion is embedded in all aspects of school life, and there are comprehensive policies that cater appropriately to the needs of Gypsy Traveller pupils. However, overall, few secondary schools have policies or practices that specifically address the needs of Gypsy Traveller pupils or encourage a positive attitude towards school, even in schools with large numbers of these pupils. Most schools treat Gypsy Traveller pupils the same as other pupils, instead of according to their particular needs. Few secondary schools actively promote Gypsy Traveller culture as part of the curriculum. Very few schools make additional arrangements to avoid excluding Gypsy Traveller pupils on a temporary or permanent basis. Few schools provide homework for pupils when they are travelling, to support continuity in their education. Only a few schools have suitable mechanisms in place to gauge the views of Gypsy Traveller pupils and this group of pupils is rarely represented on school councils. Few local authorities offer extra support when Gypsy Traveller pupils are moving from primary to secondary schools.
8. The data that the Welsh Assembly Government collects on the numbers of Gypsy Traveller pupils is not always accurate and this can lead to inequalities in the allocation of grant funding. Many local authorities also collect data on the achievement and attainment of Gypsy Traveller pupils. However, very few use this local data well to target support where it is most needed.
9. Most local authorities use aspects of the Welsh Assembly Government circular ‘Moving Forward – Gypsy Traveller Education’ to inform their policy and to enhance their provision for Gypsy Traveller pupils. However, although the circular contains much helpful advice, its overall impact in most schools has been limited. The best practice is in Wrexham, Cardiff and Newport where initiatives such as joint working with youth services and events to raise awareness of Gypsy Traveller culture are impacting positively on the achievement and wellbeing of Gypsy Traveller pupils.
The recommendations of the report were as follows:
Local authorities and schools should:
R1 continue to find ways to improve the attendance rates of Gypsy Traveller children at secondary schools*;
R2 ensure that all schools have policies that address the specific needs of Gypsy
Traveller pupils*;
R3 ensure that the curriculum promotes the positive aspects of Gypsy Traveller culture, particularly in schools where this group of pupils is on roll*;
R4 improve the use of attendance, exclusions and attainment data to evaluate the
impact of support for Gypsy Traveller pupils; and
R5 ensure that any discrete provision for Gypsy Traveller pupils is only a short-term arrangement prior to full integration into mainstream secondary schools.
The Welsh Assembly Government should:
R1 ensure that the data collected on Gypsy Traveller pupils from information supplied by designated local authority support staff is accurate and consistent*;
R2 consider ways in which funding can be allocated so that it places greater emphasis on the needs of secondary age pupils*; and
R3 provide guidelines on prosecution in cases where Gypsy Traveller pupil attendance falls to under 200 sessions a year, to ensure a consistent approach across Wales.
*Recommendation in the 2005 Estyn report
In 2014, Estyn published a report called ‘Action on Bullying - A review of the effectiveness of action taken by schools to address bullying on the grounds of pupils’ protected characteristics’.
The report’s main findings are outlined below:
Pupils’ experiences of bullying
1 Too many pupils suffer from bullying at some point during their time in school. The effects of being bullied can be short or long-term, psychological or social, and often result in underachievement or attendance problems. Certain groups of pupils are at a higher-than-average risk of being bullied, including:
· pupils with special needs or a disability;
· lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils; and
· pupils from a minority ethnic or religious background.
2 Pupils’ experiences of bullying and the ways in which schools deal with it vary widely. In many secondary schools, how well staff deal with bullying may also vary within a school. In these secondary schools, staff lack a clear understanding of what constitutes a ‘reportable incident’ of bullying, because the school does not have an agreed definition of bullying that is clearly understood by the school community as a whole. Even in schools that have robust strategies to address bullying, there is often not a common understanding of the importance of the protected characteristics or their legal implications.
Ethos and values
3 Pupils report lower instances of bullying, both generally and on the grounds of the protected characteristics, in schools where there is a strong ethos that promotes equality and diversity. However, too few schools establish a positive basis for dealing with bullying by helping pupils to understand their rights and using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The schools where leaders do use the convention to establish an ethos in which children understand that they have and can exercise a right to be safe often achieve success in countering the effects and incidence of bullying. Case studies of such schools are quoted in chapter 2 of this report.
4 There is a close link between how pupils treat one another and how well leaders communicate expectations about pupil behaviour. The best schools take a proactive approach to preventing bullying and to mitigating its effects when it occurs. For example, they make sure that there is effective supervision between lessons, at breaks and lunchtimes, when bullying is more likely to occur, and provide safe places for vulnerable groups during these times. They provide counselling services and use external agencies to support pupils who experience bullying.
Consulting pupils
5 Very few schools consult with groups of pupils to gain a true picture of the extent and nature of bullying at the school. The best schools use a range of methods to collect the views of pupils, parents or carers, and staff about bullying.
Verbal bullying
6 In a minority of primary schools, staff do not have a clear picture of the extent of verbal bullying that takes place or the sort of language that is used routinely as a form of insult. In a minority of secondary schools, staff do not treat remarks that can cause offence seriously enough but treat it as normal ‘banter’.
Keeping records
7 Most schools in the survey keep records of behavioural incidents and a minority keep a specific record of bullying incidents. Very few primary schools categorise incidents according to the protected characteristics. As a result, they do not have a clear picture of patterns of behaviour over time that they can use to inform anti-bullying planning.
Supporting pupils
8 Most pupils know whom to tell if they witness or experience bullying. The best schools display details of where help is available, and provide details of local and national helplines. These schools provide opportunities for pupils to support each other, for example through buddy systems. Overall, most primary school pupils are confident that the school will deal with their issues effectively. However, as pupils get older, they become less confident that the school will be able to resolve bullying issues.
9 Most schools hold an ‘anti-bullying week’ annually that normally includes issues related to the protected characteristics. These weeks usually focus on developing pupils’ personal, social and emotional skills, including greater resilience in dealing with bullying. However, developing resilience is less well planned for in the school curriculum generally. In many schools, the curriculum celebrates individual differences, but often shies away from the aspects that staff feel less confident in discussing, such as homophobia and gender reassignment. A minority of schools are anxious about highlighting diversity issues and see this as potentially contentious. This attitude means that a minority of schools only tackle issues as they arise, rather than building them into the curriculum proactively.
Cyberbullying
10 In most secondary schools, pupils and staff are concerned about the rise in cyberbullying, particularly in relation to the protected characteristics. Cyberbullying has created new forms of bullying that are unfamiliar to some staff. In the best practice, staff keep up-to-date with the technologies that pupils use and understand their potential for misuse inside and outside school.
Policies, plans and procedures
11 Many school strategic equality plans do not pay enough attention to the full range of protected characteristics. The Equality Act 2010 has resulted in some confusion, particularly in primary schools, between a disability equality plan and a strategic equality plan, and actions relating to the protected characteristics may appear in neither. Of the schools in the survey, only a few identify ‘reducing bullying on the grounds of protected characteristics’ as one of their equality objectives. Even these schools do not refer to specifics, such as how they plan to tackle bullying on the grounds of race or address issues of homophobic bullying.
12 Many schools have separate behaviour and anti-bullying policies. In the best examples, these policies are well understood and set out the school’s expectations about how members of the school community should treat each other. A few schools have combined these policies into a single document. These schools see bullying within a continuum of behaviour and tend to deal with it more successfully.
13 In drawing up strategic equality plans, schools are required to consult widely with the community and with groups representing protected characteristics. Many schools consult pupils, parents and staff, but few ask the views of groups linked to the protected characteristics.
14 In many schools, governing bodies review progress towards meeting the strategic equality plan annually. However, the quality of this monitoring and the information provided to governors varies too much and is generally unsatisfactory.
15 Local authorities provided schools with support when drawing up strategic equality plans. Not all local authorities and regional consortia provide schools with ongoing support and advice through monitoring the appropriateness of schools’ strategic objectives or the progress towards meeting them well enough. Many do not provide governors with effective training that enable them to fulfil their statutory responsibilities to monitor strategic equality plans and objectives.
16 In a few clusters, schools collaborate to identify possible issues in relation to the protected characteristics when preparing strategic equality plans. These clusters share useful information and expertise in combatting discrimination and bullying. However, there are very few cases where feeder and receiving schools work towards joint strategic equality objectives.
Staff development and attitudes
17 Many schools train staff on bullying, although the training tends to be general and does not relate specifically to the protected characteristics. Where staff receive specific training, they find this useful. Schools report an absence of high-quality face‑to‑face training, especially related to transgender issues. Many schools are unaware of the Welsh Government’s useful guidance ‘Respecting Others’.
The recommendations of the report were as follows:
Schools should:
R1 raise awareness of bullying on the grounds of protected characteristics with pupils, parents, staff, and governors and take a more proactive approach to preventing and mitigating its effects (see Appendix 3 for a checklist);
R2 consult pupils, parents, and others, to identify the extent and nature of bullying in the school and to agree the contents of strategic equality plans;
R3 plan age-appropriate opportunities in the curriculum to discuss issues related to the protected characteristics and to build pupils’ resilience to bullying;
R4 ensure staff have a clear understanding of the extent and nature of bullying that may take place in school, including cyberbullying,
R5 make sure that staff know how to deal with and record incidents of bullying;
R6 record and monitor incidents of bullying in relation to the protected characteristics and use this information to review strategic equality objectives; and
R7 make sure all policies and procedures meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
Local authorities and regional consortia should:
R8 provide training and support for school staff to improve their understanding of the Equality Act 2010 and its implications;
R9 provide training and support for school governors to enable them to fulfil their statutory responsibilities to monitor strategic equality plans and objectives; and
R10 monitor the quality and effectiveness of schools’ strategic equality plans more closely.
The Welsh Government should:
R11 publicise the ‘Respecting Others’ guidance.
Estyn has published two thematic reports recently on the barriers that prevent learners from black and minority ethnic communities, and those with disabilities, from engaging in apprenticeship programmes.
Barriers to apprenticeship - November 2014
Breaking down barriers to apprenticeship – October 2015
The first report identifies the barriers, which include:
· lack of awareness of apprenticeships by parents, employers and learners themselves
· few apprenticeship role models from the BME communities or from disabled groups
· difficulties in finding suitable work placements, especially where employers believe there will be a need to provide additional support for learners
· real or perceived discrimination
· language difficulties for students for whom English is an additional language and cultural differences
· available support for learners not being accessed or fully utilised
· parental anxiety that the young people may not be able to cope
· insufficient co-ordination between schools, employers, work-based learning (WBL) providers and local community organisations to promote apprenticeships
The report also identified that, although the majority of providers have good arrangements to ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010, they are unable to show that this translates into measurable improvement in reducing barriers or stereotyping.
The second report builds on the work undertaken in the first report. It identifies examples of good practice in promoting diversity in apprenticeships, with a focus on young people from BME communities and young people with disabilities, as well as identifying good practice examples of joint working between providers, employers and communities to achieve diversity in apprenticeships.
Other relevant thematic reports include:
How effective is provision for learners aged 16 to 19 years with language acquisition needs? - July 2009
Effective practice in tackling poverty and disadvantage in schools - November 2012
Attendance in secondary schools - September 2014
Any key issues arising from amalgamating the other previously separate grants into the Education Improvement Grant.
Although not specifically relating to grant funding, Estyn also identifies and publishes relevant good practice case studies, for example:
Bishop Gore Comprehensive school’s commitment to supporting disadvantaged learners has made a significant impact on achievement, exclusion rates, understanding and tolerance. A close partnership with the local Ethnic Youth Support team has also helped to build strong community ties.
https://www.estyn.gov.wales/best-practice/community-partnership-supports-disadvantaged-learners
Through a combination of after-school classes for pupils and wider family engagement, staff at St Helen’s Primary School have reduced pupil absence and created an inclusive learning environment.
https://www.estyn.gov.wales/best-practice/engaging-parents-improve-pupil-attendance-0
Pupils at Mount Street Infants School, Powys, come from a variety of ethnic groups, the largest of which is Nepalese. The school has worked hard to support the diverse needs of all learners, including creating a Hindu temple, appointing Nepali speaking staff and developing the outside learning environment for creative activities such as survival skills.
https://www.estyn.gov.wales/best-practice/supporting-needs-diverse-school-population