Highland Council Psychological Service National Theme 1
The Highland Council Psychological Service
Service’s Self-evaluation of National Theme 1
Impact on Learning and Teaching September 2016
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Contents
Introduction 3
National theme 1: - Learning and Teaching an overview of Service work 4
Literacy Numeracy Health and Wellbeing Professional Development for Teachers Closing the Equity Gap
VSE focus areas – Learning and teaching
I. Persistent Difficulties in Numeracy 9 II. Resilient Kids 10 III. Closing the Equity Gap – attainment challenge schools 11
Conclusion 12
References 13
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Introduction
Education Scotland outlines validated self-evaluation (VSE) as ‘a collaborative, evaluative process which aims to improve the quality of provision and outcomes for learners by providing support and challenge to the work of educational psychology services.’ (Education Scotland 2015)
The purpose of the VSE process is to support, extend and challenge our own self- evaluation to help us evaluate our strengths and areas for improvement, thereby strengthening outcomes for our learners and stakeholders. The process uses many principles which underpin a collaborative enquiry approach to evaluation, intervention and improvement.
The Guidelines note that, ‘to address national objectives, the focus of the partnership between the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) and Education Scotland is on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. This is achieved through working together with partner agencies and stakeholders, to improve outcomes for all.’
There are two themes:- National Theme 1: Learning and teaching where the focus is on ‘The EPS’ contribution to learning and teaching with a focus on raising attainment and achievement for all and closing the poverty-related attainment gap’.
National theme 2: Partnership working/Impact on the wider community. ‘To capture health and wellbeing, Getting it Right for every Child and partnership working. Prevention and early intervention will be central to this area.’
Both themes are interconnected and fit well with the Scottish Government priorities of the National Improvement Framework (2015) and the publication of ‘How Good is Our School 4’ (HGIOS4) which gives opportunities for EPs to work closely with schools and their communities.
The Highland driver is the Highland Community Planning Partnership Children’s Services’ plan, ‘For Highland’s Children 4’ and the Service’s own Improvement plan contributes to this.
The Highland Council Psychological Service regards time for VSE with Education Scotland as a privilege that we would like to ensure we make full use of. To this end we have asked for VSE bids from Development groups. Following this process areas have been agreed and the key question we are looking to answer for Learning and Teaching is as follows:-
o How well is THCPS making a difference to Learning and Teaching through our Development work and how can this be enhanced?
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National theme1- Learning and Teaching an overview of Service work
Where are we now?
Raising the standards of educational attainment for all, in the core skills of literacy and numeracy, is a National Priority (The Education (National Priorities) (Scotland) Order 2000). This was emphasised in the Raising Attainment for All programme that was launched in 2014 by the Scottish Government. Curriculum for Excellence encompasses Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing. However this area also includes pedagogy and staff development. Some examples of the work of the Service are included below.
Literacy
Following the re-issuing of the Service’s policy for Persistent Literacy Difficulties in 2014 and recent update, there has been ongoing training in assessment and intervention for Additional Support Needs teachers (primary and secondary) all of which has been positively evaluated. Work is also being carried out to offer this training to class and subject teachers.
In line with the National strategy and the Highland Literacy strategy, the ‘Improving Literacy with parental involvement’ (ILPI) training was rolled out pan Highland during the 2014-2015 academic year to over 150 participants to encourage uptake of this pack in nurseries and in early primary. The research the pack was based on was in line with a wide body of research which has consistently found a significant relationship between parental involvement programmes and higher academic achievement e.g. Jeynes (2012). It was also presented at the SDEP Literacy event. This was well evaluated and can be downloaded from the Highland Literacy Partnership website under family learning.
HIGHLAND LITERACY | Literacy Learning for Practitioners
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Numeracy
As part of Education Scotland’s and ASPEP’s National Action Research Enquiry, a project on ‘Building mathematical resilience in the early years’ is underway and it is based on parental engagement in the same way as the literacy pack. Research questions for Phase 1 which is due to be completed in May 2017 include:-
o What do parents already do to support their child’s numeracy development? o What additional support could be offered to parents? o How could this be delivered?
This research links with the National Improvement Framework priority ‘improvement in attainment particularly in literacy and numeracy’ and the driver of improvement is Parental Engagement. One of the research questions aims to find out how parents, families and professionals can work together to support children’s learning of numeracy.
Evaluations following the ILPI training indicated that such a pack would be welcomed by stakeholders, particularly if it has clear links to the Highland numeracy progression.
Persistent Difficulties with Numeracy
Traditionally (e.g. 5-14 Curriculum Guidelines) a greater emphasis has been placed on literacy in comparison to numeracy. Curriculum for Excellence (SEED, 2009) addressed the balance by stating that numeracy and literacy deserved equal time and weighting in our schools. The Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy in 2013 and 2015 identified a dip in maths attainment levels (P4, P7, and S2). Numeracy Hubs (introduced in 2014) have raised the profile of maths teaching and professional development.
With an expressed need for more information on dyscalculia from schools the Service developed a practice paper and has begun to develop training on persistent difficulties with number. The Service is represented on the Highland Numeracy Steering Group to help meet local priorities including ‘children and young people are supported to achieve their potential in all areas of development’ (For Highland’s Children 4). The EPS has been tasked to increase understanding of learning difficulties in numeracy and mathematics (including dyscalculia); this links with the professional development aims highlighted by the Numeracy Hubs. This project is in the early stages of development and is one we would like to focus on as a VSE area to gain the support and expertise of Education Scotland.
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Health and Wellbeing
Following our research which identified a need for staff to be cognisant of their own wellbeing to deliver the Curriculum for Excellence, the ‘Ways to Wellbeing’ (2012) handbook was designed for staff in our learning communities and training has been delivered since then at the request of the Council’s Health and Wellbeing strategy group. Other training requests have been made by Social Care teams, Allied Health professionals, the University of Dundee’s MSc educational psychology course, and a workshop was run for an Education Scotland event in Inverness in 2015.
Several teachers contacted us to say that they were adapting the pack to use with secondary aged pupils. We therefore set up a Development group which includes teachers to take this initiative forward. It is based on research evidence that school learning communities benefit from having a focus on staff and pupil well-being which in turn has a positive effective on attainment, relationships and decreases social and emotional difficulties for pupils (Roffey, 2016). The Service has been asked to deliver ‘Ways to Wellbeing’ and our follow-up, ‘Staff and pupil wellbeing go hand in hand’ in September 2016 and February 2017 to Highland’s Headteachers by the QIO with responsibility for staff wellbeing.
As a starting point for the pupil programme, a questionnaire survey was sent to every secondary school in Highland during the spring term of 2015 to gain some idea of pupil self-rated level of wellbeing and their ideal level. The survey also asked about support for pupil wellbeing and the type of activities that enhance wellbeing. Different year groups were targeted in schools to give a randomised spread e.g. S1 and S4; S2 and S5; S3 and S6, and in total, the Service received 1600 returns.
This research appeared to mirror the national trend showing a dip in reported levels of wellbeing through the secondary phase, particularly with S3 girls.
Rating of student perceived level of current wellbeing
Age
Figure1. Results from question 1a:- ‘where would you rate yourself in terms of your wellbeing at the moment?’ (1 (low) - 10 (high)) Note the relative dip in wellbeing from S3 (14 years) to S6 (18 years).
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Results have been fedback to participating schools to give them information and a baseline on the levels of reported wellbeing in their settings. Secondary schools have nominated Health and Wellbeing coordinators so it is likely this information will be useful if interventions are planned, for example the introduction of the ‘Ways to Student wellbeing’ and ‘Resilience 4 Life’. The ‘Ways to Student Wellbeing’ pack is now in development with pilot sessions being run with young people.
Resilient Kids
Developed in Highland, RK is a well-established, universal, emotional literacy and resilience building programme which links into the Health and Wellbeing strand of the Curriculum for Excellence. The Psychological Service delivers training on the set of packs which are used widely in Highland. The programmes won a Highland Quality award in 2014 and are popular with children; young people their teachers and other children’s services practitioners. A fourth programme, Resilience 4 Life came on stream this year for secondary aged pupils. It addresses issues pertinent to today’s teenagers in a way that encourages reflection and discussion.
Our own research indicates that teachers report a noticeable difference in emotional literacy and social and collaborative skills generally, and that participating in Resilient Kids is highly supportive in each of the transition phases targeted. However it would be useful to consider what the impact is more generally e.g. on attainment, and we would like to use VSE to scrutinise how outcomes are being evaluated with our stakeholders and partners in schools.
Professional Development for Teachers
With drivers including the National Improvement Framework (school leadership, teacher professionalism) and ‘How Good is Our School 4’ which looks for excellence in teaching, the Service has a role in supporting pedagogy more widely from a psychological perspective (HMIe Aspect report 2011). We therefore provide core training on areas such as ASD as part of a multi-agency team; persistent difficulties with literacy and nurture group training (see Standards and Quality Report 2015- 2016). Following requests from support for learning teachers and managers, it was decided that a course to support the work of ASN teachers pan Highland was an important area for development that we could contribute to.
A needs analysis questionnaire for ASN teachers was sent out in 2014. Responses from this helped the Service create a distance learning post-graduate module for UHI ‘Applying Psychology to Learning’ which is due to go on stream in September 2016 or February 2017. We are hoping that after the first run though the materials can be evaluated to ensure they are meeting the development needs of those undertaking
7 The Highland Council Psychological Service VSE| Learning and Teaching August 2016 the M.Ed. course or CPD module. We would also like to set up a ‘learning community’ for practitioners with links to the Service.
Role and Responsibilities: This section takes as a starting point a self-efficacy framework to consider the competencies required for those working in the area of additional support needs. Students will examine current legislation and critically analyse what is meant by meaningful inclusion and how this is put into practice in their own settings. Effective communication using a solution focused approach will also be included to enhance student communication skills with parents and professionals.
Cognitive: Students will consider how children learn through a critical understanding of cognitive theories; working memory and attention. Students will link theories and practice and evaluate them within the classroom.
Assessment and Intervention: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the pedagogical theory underpinning current practice in assessment and intervention including Education Scotland’s stance on assessment. They will undertake a critical evaluation of Dweck’s work on Fixed and Growth Mindsets and be able to understand and interpret tests. They will have a critical understanding of various aspects of differentiation.
Emotions and Learning: Students will develop their underlying thinking around challenging behaviour based on the premise that challenging behaviour is the communication of the child’s emotional response to their environment and circumstances. Risk and resilience will be examined as will brain development, trauma and attachment.
‘Applying Psychology to Learning’ taken from the Standards and Quality report 2015.
Closing the Equity Gap in Highland – attainment challenge
From August 2016 five Highland Schools identified as having SIMD 1 and 2 of over 70% decided they wished to buy in a day a week of EP time with literacy as a particular focus. The Psychological Service currently works with each of the five primary schools and link EPs have formed good relationships with their schools through generic working. It was decided that the day a week could be filled by an EP taking on a coordinating role and the former APEP (North) has agreed to take this on. The aim will be to see how we can work closely with these schools to make a sustainable difference.
This is a new initiative for the Service and one we would like to use VSE as an opportunity to study how we can best support these schools, measure impact while considering the unique contribution to the work that EPs bring.
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VSE focus areas- Learning and teaching
Persistent Difficulties in Number Practice - Numeracy development Group
1. Where are we now?
The Persistent Difficulties with Numeracy Practice Paper is being written to support schools to assess such difficulties in numeracy and inform targeted intervention. We are looking to see if the guidelines give enough information so that ASN teachers feel supported in their assessment of numeracy difficulties. VSE will give us opportunity to get formative feedback about the practice paper to help us keep the guidance relevant and practical for teachers in primary and secondary. We would also like to consider the best way to support implementation of the guidance e.g. through training.
2. How do we know?
Through Development group discussion and with others, e.g. Curriculum Development Officer for Numeracy, and having a representative on the Numeracy strategy group. The Service has been asked for information on ‘dyscalculia’. The previous guidelines were quite theoretical and not practical enough.
3. What are our strengths?
o Knowledge of child development, number and the effect of maths anxiety on learning. o Ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively with others. o A real interest in this area.
4. Where are our challenges?
We need to give a clear rationale as to why we are structuring the guidelines the way we are e.g. using the Education Scotland headings as well as tying in the Highland numeracy progression assessments.
We need to make the guidelines accessible and useful for practitioners and helpful for parents.
5. What do we need to find out more about?
o Partners’ views on the guidelines and training – are they meeting an identified need? o Parental engagement? o What support would partners be looking for from the Psychological Service?
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VSE focus areas- Learning and teaching
Resilient Kids – RK Development Group
1. Where are we now? There are 4 RK programmes; Resilient Kids to school; Resilient Kids Together; Resilient Kids Moving up and the most recent pack; Resilience 4 Life. The training is popular and the packs are widely used as a universal intervention based on facilitating all young people to build skills for life. Following the development of each programme there have been requests to develop further programmes. Schools are currently requesting an upper secondary programme preparing for post school life, and others are requesting a Resilient Parents programme to engage those familiar from their own school years with the Resilient Kids experience.
Teachers report that all the programmes make a positive difference to emotional literacy and resilience but don’t tend to make an explicit connection between implementation of the packs and attainment. 2. How do we know?
Our own research indicates this (reported in the Standards and Quality report 2015- 16). High numbers of practitioners (teachers and others) have been trained and demand for training continues, with expressions of interest from other local authorities (e.g. Moray and Orkney). Other research e.g. (Zins et al, 2004).
3. What are our strengths?
The programmes have been developed in line with the CASEL guidelines for effective social and emotional learning programmes. We have worked with other professionals in developing them. The training ensures that schools going on to use the packs have experienced the training, role plays and so forth so that topics can be discussed in the group to enhance understanding of the content. We support the training when asked.
4. Where are our challenges?
What evidence is already available from schools which we could tap into to look at the outcomes of the training? How would we gather further evidence?
5. What do we need to find out more about?
o Resilience, readiness to learn, engagement with education and therefore attainment from embedding Resilient Kids in our schools as it is proving difficult to assess direct impact on attainment from Resilient Kids. o What current information is available in schools on the impact of Resilient Kids on attainment? o How can we help schools use this information/how can we go about gathering further information?
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VSE focus areas- Learning and teaching
Closing the Equity Gap – attainment challenge - Liaison EPs and Coordinator
1. Where are we now?
The Psychological Service has been working with the five attainment challenge schools (‘Closing the Equity Gap’) generically and now schools have asked for some additional EP time through Scottish Government funding from August 2016. We would therefore like to use VSE to think and plan together a strategic input which could be sustained over time, beyond the funding period, which takes into account the evidence base and the fit with the individual ethos of each school involved.
The Service has tasked an EP (former APEP North), to coordinate the work of the patch EPs to work with the schools involved, our partners and stakeholders.
2. How do we know?
Through PRE meetings, training evaluations and discussions with individual schools and by reading relevant research e.g. Closing the Attainment Gap in Scottish Education; E. Sosu and S. Ellis.
3. What are our strengths?
We have a range of interventions and training packages the Service has developed which could be used. We can support schools to carry out action research and evaluate their progress.
4. Where are our challenges?
o Agreeing common issues across schools that the Service is able to deliver on. o We think parental engagement will be key so a challenge is likely to be engaging with hard to reach parents. o Measuring outcomes. o To make the best use of extra EP time for this project, to ensure that we build in review mechanisms, identify our unique contribution and leave a lasting legacy.
5. What do we need to find out more about?
o The needs of individual schools, what the Service can offer. o Desired outcomes and how they are to be measured e.g. acting as co- researchers on action research. o Role of other stakeholders e.g. QIOs
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Conclusion
VSE offers an exciting opportunity to look at our work and how we evaluate it with support and through the perspectives of our partners and stakeholders.
Development groups have played a key role in the Service over several years and they have been innovative while also responding to National and Local priorities. We have therefore chosen as the overarching question for Learning and Teaching:-
o How well is THCPS making a difference to Learning and Teaching through our Development work and how can this be enhanced?
To answer this question several areas have been selected to represent the work of the Service to include newer development areas such as ‘Closing the equity gap in the attainment challenge schools’ and ‘Persistent difficulties with numeracy’ alongside the longer established ‘Resilient Kids’ programme.
Giving the interconnected nature of the themes, it is likely that emerging learning points will also help us progress the key question for partnership working:-
o How effective is our partnership working in building capacity and confidence in our stakeholders to improve outcomes?
Time has also been built into the week for reflection on each activity so that the process itself is open to discussion in order that we learn from this for ongoing future self-evaluation.
Finally, it is hoped that the emerging themes can be pulled together by members of the Service’s self-evaluation research group in conjunction with representatives of partners and stakeholders in a final VSE activity on Thursday 8th September.
The Highland Council Psychological Service would like to thank partners and stakeholders in advance for willingly giving their time to participate in this VSE process particularly in the light of competing demands.
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References
CASEL www.casel.org
‘Closing the attainment gap in Scottish education’ (2014) Joseph Rowntree Foundation written by Edward Sosu and Sue Ellis of the School of Education, University of Strathclyde.
Education Scotland, (April 2015). ‘Guidelines for Validated self-evaluation.’ Support and challenge for educational psychology services in driving improvement.
HMIe (2011). Educational Psychology in Scotland: making a difference, An aspect report on the findings of inspections of local authority educational psychology services 2006-10.
Jeynes W., (2012). A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Different Types of Parental Involvement Programme for Urban Students. Urban Education, 47 (4), 706-742
‘Improving Literacy with Parental Involvement’ (June 2013) available on the Highland Literacy website under family learning. HIGHLAND LITERACY | Literacy Learning for Practitioners
McClatchey, L., (2012) ‘Emotional well-being of staff in learning communities in Highland’ Educational Psychology in Scotland Volume 13 Number 1 Autumn 2012
PERSISTENT LITERACY DIFFICULTIES: Guidance on identification, assessment and intervention; (updated January 2016) available from The Highland Council Psychological Service
Roffey, S., (2016) ‘Building a case for whole-child, whole-school wellbeing in challenging contexts.’ Educational & Child Psychology 22(2) p30 - 39
REsiLient Kids programmes comprise:
Resilient Kids to School: - a pack to support young children as they make the transition from nursery to primary school. Resilient Kids Together: - a pack for the middle stages of primary school Resilient kids moving up: - a pack to support P7 children as they make the transition to secondary education Resilience 4 Life (2016)
‘Ways to Wellbeing’, (2012) a handbook for staff in learning communities available from the Highland Council Psychological Service.
Zins, J., Weissberg, R., Wang, M., and Walberg, H. J. (2004) Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What does the research say? Teachers College Pr.
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