Teach Primary Issue 18.6

Fundraising Parkgate Juniors has a pro-active PTA, but some fundraising activities adversely impacted attendance. If they didn’t have a pound for non-uniform or a costume for fancy dress, children would not come in. If we do dress-up days now, it’s something like wearing odd socks, so every child can join in. To make events (such as school discos) more inclusive we offer early bird discounts and family prices. Getting everyone on board Tackling pupil poverty is everyone’s responsibility and that includes every member of staff, whether frontline teaching or office staff. Class teachers and TAs may notice some indicators of hardship and poverty, but equally our lunchtime or reception staff may recognise financial barriers we need to respond to as they interact with children and parents. Getting our governors on board was also crucial because there is a cost involved in this work – whether that’s a whole-school expense like our subsidised sports clubs or supporting individual families, for example by sorting their home broadband so they can do homework. Parent communication is also key: for those experiencing financial difficulties, intervention and communication have to be respectful. We’ve also found there are difficult conversations to be had with our more financially secure parents, too. They want a full, educational experience for their child and there can be some frustration if we aren’t offering those big experiences because they are not affordable for all. If you’d like support, advice and tips on how to challenge financial barriers to education in your school, visit hfl.mobi/eeearticle Sarah Pipe is headteacher at Parkgate Junior School in Watford. The language relating to underserved pupils is continuously changing. We’ve been asked to ‘close the gap’ and ‘leave no child behind’, ‘diminish the differences’, to name but a few. However, what doesn’t change is the understanding that poverty impacts on social, economic and educational mobility. Young children coming from impoverished backgrounds who are recognised as more able at the start of their educational journey have already overcome statistical measures to successfully demonstrate developmental and educational milestones. As school leaders we take on the challenge to help them succeed. We need to provide them with cognitively challenging learning experiences to engage them and to enhance their development. We need an educational provision in which the individual is not underserved. We are challenged to help them become the best versions of themselves with the skills and attributes needed to compete equitably with more able pupils from all backgrounds. There is no single solution; pupils need a rich tapestry of experience and opportunity. Through continuous provision, younger pupils engage in new experiences and learn practically. They develop language, recall, skills and memory. A classroom with rich dialogic discourse and higher-order questioning will engage and excite. What we hear and say enhances our knowledge of the world and develops cognition. We cannot assume that higher ability implies a knowledge of the process of learning. Schools must teach this precisely and explicitly through coherent structures and scaffolds. Through our ‘making space for able learners’ research programme at the National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE), schools have shared with us a range of approaches to successfully developing and embedding cognitively challenging learning environments for all. For the next phase, we are focusing specifically on effective support for more able learners who face various forms of disadvantage. To learn more and get involved, visit nace.co.uk/research Dr Ann McCarthy is research and development director at NACE. She was previously education director of a multi-academy trust. Making space for able learners L E ADERSH I P www.teachwire.net | 47 “Parent communication is also key: for those experiencing financial difficulties, intervention and communication have to be respectful.”