The best practice case studies in the report show how successful providers support these pupils and make a difference to their wellbeing and achievement.
The Welsh Government aims to ensure that all pupils in Wales have access to a broad and balanced curriculum and to learning support services that will help them overcome barriers to their learning.
Schools that best support disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils place the wellbeing of every pupil at the heart of their work.
In these schools, there is a strong focus on providing a safe and nurturing environment where pupils and staff feel secure. Leaders in these schools know their pupils and families well, and work openly, positively and productively with them in a non-judgemental way. They have a clear understanding of the barriers facing pupils who may have experienced trauma and harmful experiences and recognise the challenges these pupils need to overcome to become resilient, well and happy.
They also have a secure understanding of the potential impact of poverty on pupils’ achievement and ultimately life chances.
Main Findings:
- In most schools, leaders understand the importance of supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils to overcome barriers to learning.I n the most effective schools, staff do not just focus on the challenges that pupils face, but identify individual pupils’ interests and talents, and build on these positives.
- Most schools across Wales focus strongly on trying to reduce the impact of poverty. The availability of extra funding contributes to this emphasis. Despite the funding, eFSM pupils continue to perform less well than other pupils. The proportion of primary and secondary schools that make effective use of the PDG remains at around two-thirds. Although most schools use grant funding to provide a similar range of support strategies, their impact varies. In the schools that best use their PDG, leaders use the grant strategically to ensure that all pupils make good progress towards their targets and improve their wellbeing – this work is a priority for them.
- Schools that best support disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils place the wellbeing of every child at the heart of their work. In these schools, there is a strong focus on providing a safe and nurturing environment where pupils and staff feel secure.
- Leaders in successful schools place great importance on recruiting staff who share their school’s vision for nurturing pupils and building positive relationships with families and the community. Where this strategy is in place, schools develop a whole-school approach to supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils.
- In schools that support their vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils successfully, staff track the wellbeing of individual pupils carefully. This helps them to quickly identify individuals or groups of pupils that need additional support, and to help them address barriers to their engagement in school.
- Research suggests that classroom teaching has the greatest influence on pupils’ learning of all education factors and that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds will benefit even more than their peers from high-quality teaching.
- Inspection evidence shows that, in the most effective schools, teachers have high expectations of the achievement of all pupils, including those most disadvantaged and vulnerable. They do not see poverty and disadvantage as a reason for pupils not to succeed and they strive to find approaches and teaching strategies that help remove barriers to pupils’ learning.
- In many successful schools, staff have designed a curriculum that meets pupils’ interests and engages vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils effectively in their learning.
- Many schools support disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils to develop their talents and to widen their experiences by providing financial assistance, for example for music lessons, sporting activities and residential visits.
- The attendance of eFSM pupils is a concern at all phases of learning. There is a gap in overall attendance between eFSM pupils and other pupils. In primary schools thisgap is widening. In both primary and secondary schools, there has been no reduction in the rate of exclusions of eFSM pupils over time. These pupils are still much more likely to be permanently excluded or to receive fixed-term exclusions thanother pupils.
- Evidence suggests that absence, for whatever reason, among eFSM pupils has a substantially more negative impact on their attainment than on other pupils. These pupils often find it harder to catch up on their learning and then can potentially fall behind their peers.
- Leaders in effective schools realise that they cannot work in isolation to support vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. The most successful schools know their community well and work closely with other agencies and services that will benefit their pupils and their families.