UPDATE NO 405 29 May 2020

EEF’s evaluation of Achievement for All published today

On 29 May 2020 EEF has published an evaluation of Achievement for All (AfA), a programme that has been delivered in over 4,000 English schools. It funded an independent evaluation of the programme, conducting a randomised controlled trial in 134 primary schools to test its impact on children in Key Stage 2.

EEF says “The evaluation concluded that AfA did not improve KS2 pupils’ academic outcomes and had a detrimental effect on learning. On the basis of these highly secure findings, we recommend that schools think carefully before purchasing and using AfA. Schools currently delivering AfA should carefully monitor and evaluate whether it is having the intended impact.“

In this trial, Achievement for All resulted in negative impacts on academic outcomes for pupils, who received the programme during five terms of Years 5 and 6 (ages 9-11).

Achievement for All is a whole-school improvement programme that aims to improve the academic and social outcomes of primary school pupils. Trained Achievement for All coaches deliver a bespoke two-year programme to schools through monthly coaching sessions which focus on leadership, learning, parental engagement and wider outcomes, in addition to focusing on improving outcomes for a target group of children (which largely consists of the lowest 20% of attainers).

Achievement for All has published case studies of effective implementation

EEF’s evaluation of an Early Years Toolbox published today

On 29 May 2020, EEF published an evaluation of The Early Years Toolbox (EYT), which is a suite of iPad-based assessments suitable for use with young children by early years settings. It includes eight short, engaging and game-like assessment apps that aim to measure abilities that research has shown to be the most predictive of later academic, social, emotional, cognitive and life outcomes.

This evaluation explored whether using the EYT apps as part of a package of professional development can influence the knowledge and practice of early years staff, what information and level of support may be needed to act on the app-based assessments and whether this intervention is ready to be implemented at scale, and therefore its impact on child outcomes tested.

The independent evaluation found some evidence that the intervention had the potential to positively change practitioners’ practices. Those that reported no or limited change to their practice were settings that were satisfied with their existing methods of assessment, typically school-based nurseries. There was limited evidence on whether the intervention enhanced practitioners understanding of children’s development of skills and children’s current competencies. However, those that did report improved understanding of competencies found the numeracy app most useful.

The approach of the intervention was found to be feasible, but the evaluation highlighted several areas of development needed to ensure a future trial has the best chances of showing impact, such as consistency in the cascading of training and delivery of support visits, improved practitioner advice for how to act on the results of the assessments, and improvements to the output of the assessments so they are in a form that is more user-friendly for early years staff.

NHS Wessex Senate – Webinar on Trauma informed practice in post Covid-19 recovery

This webinar on trauma informed practice in post Covid-19 recovery is provided by South East Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism (MHLDA) Cell and the University of Oxford and is being made available to system leaders across the NHS South East region.

It is intended for a multi-professional audience of frontline staff working with children, young people and families in settings such as schools, early help, hospitals and GP surgeries, as well as voluntary, community and faith sector partners. It aims to build an understanding of how trauma informed practice might help us post Covid-19, in restoration and recovery.

The webinar features Andrea King, NHS Local Authority Advisor for Hampshire Thames Valley Clinical Delivery and Networks, and Mina Fazel, Associate Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Oxford.

Also, these resources – Guidance for professionals: Impact of trauma on children and young people

CYP specific: Adversity and TI Practice Guide for Professionals; Childhood Adversity and Trauma

Women specific: Engaging with Complexity – providing effective TI care for women; TED talk on impact of Trauma throughout a lifetime; TI multi-professional guidance and training

Research informed practice (RIP) (log-in required for these links): Developing and Leading TI practice leaders; TI approaches with young people frontline

Guidance for schools: Practical advice for schools; TI Schools UK; Developing TI practices in inner London schools

Guidance for families: MindEd: Trauma and coping; Helping children and teens – Phoenix Australia

Academic articles: TI mental healthcare in the UK; NICE on TI approaches; The NHS Long Term Plan, Ch2

Peer Challenge Triads – Planning for 2020-2021

As we emerge from the react – recover – reset cycle of response to the Coranavirus pandemic, we have resumed SESLIP forward planning activity.

The Peer Challenge Triads (and one Quartet) will again meet in the forthcoming winter. We are searching for dates in the window 1 December 2020 – 28 February 2021.

We are planning to support these days with two new pieces of work this summer/autumn (lockdown permitting):

• one with the quality assurance group, who will be developing mutual support activities in the triad/quartet groupings so that they can access some of the detailed evidence that will underpin the forthcoming self-assessments, and so support a more detailed peer challenge (more from Diane Williamson contact details below);
• another with Alison Michalska (contact details below) working with Lead Members to support appropriate scrutiny and challenge of self-assessments during each authority’s drafting process

For more details go to the 2020-2021 SE DCS Peer Challenge webpage

Developing Quality Assurance Capacity – 2 June 2020 CONFIRMED

The Quality Assurance Group will meet by video conference on 2 June 2020.

As noted above, one of the key items will be to begin planning the activity that will support the Peer Challenge process this winter.

Please contact Diane Williamson (details below) for more information.

The members of the Quality Assurance group are listed here

Further meetings are planned for 17 September 2020, 9 December 2020 amd 10 March 2021. More details here.

AD Safeguarding and AD Education Networks – both have their next meeting on 5 June 2020

The AD Safeguarding Network meets next by video conference on Friday 5 June at 10.00

The AD Education Network meets next by video conference on Friday 5 June at 10.30

The rescheduled joint event with the AD Education Network and SEND Network will take place on 25 September.

For more details about the Safeguarding Network, DCS sponsor Mac Heath, MKC, please contact Mark Evans (details below)

For more details about the Education Network, DCS sponsors Cate Duffy, Slough and Lucy Butler West Sussex, please contact Chris Owen (details below)

For more details about the SE19 SEND Network, DCS sponsor Kevin McDaniel, W&M, contact Tracey Maytas (details below)

Complex LAC Project

The Complex LAC Project has now delivered its final output to the DfE, entitled “Strategic Needs Analysis and Recommendations for Future Commissioning Arrangements”. 

For more details please contact Lucy Butler (DCS, West Sussex), Mark Evans or Rosemary Perry (details below)

The document has been posted on the secure area of the SESLIP website for access please consult your DCS or Isabelle Gregory (contact details below).

Chapter 15 of the document, in particular, highlights proposals for future work and the project team are now actively working on proposals in hopeful anticipation of future funding opportunities

IICSA publish new research

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has published new research into the motives and behaviours of perpetrators of child sexual exploitation who were convicted alongside other perpetrators. 

The full report is here: An explorative study on perpetrators of child sexual exploitation convicted alongside others

The research is based on interviews with 26 prisoners across England and Wales. Prisoners who took part in the study were aged between 22 and 66 years old and included two women and 24 men. 

The perpetrators were convicted for a range of crimes including rape, sexual assault, taking indecent photographs, trafficking, grooming and faciliating child sex offences. The victims ranged from four months to 15 years old and were both male and female.