Identify this cohort on your data systems, and ask staff to monitor them from class level through to whole school attendance.
From your analysis of your cohort, you will be able to begin to show impact for the cohort regarding the key educational indicators:
- Health and Emotional Wellbeing
- Attendance
- Attainment and Progress
- Behaviour
- Engagement
Questions to consider as a school:
- What do we need to do as an education setting to ensure that we have levelled up the children’s outcomes and narrowed the attainment gap between this cohort and the general population of the school?
- How trauma informed is the school and all of its staff? Developing and embedding trauma informed practice within your school’s ethos, policies and everyday practice will benefit all who are part of your community – pupils, families and staff?
- What training is available that would enhance our collective knowledge around the disadvantages of this cohort of children?
- How engaged is the school with other services to help with attendance, engagement, mental health support etc?
- Have we adapted our processes and policies in line with the new Working Together to Improve School Attendance guidance and understand our responsibilities for the cohort Working together to improve school attendance?
- Does the school use EEF guidance and evidence-based interventions? What Works in Education for Children who have had Social Workers - What Works for Children's Social Care?
- Does the DSL, DT, SENCO and MHL regularly meet to discuss the individual needs of young people within this cohort?
- Do we understand this cohorts needs when we are planning for the pupil premium strategy, and including those not eligible for FSM?
- Do we have high expectations for this cohort? Children want us to have high expectations for them, to believe in them and not to treat them differently. Are you supporting them to achieve their potential and not becoming a barrier to their success?
- How do we work with Social Services to ensure we are working together to promote the education of these young people? Do we have in-depth conversations around education with social workers and think collectively around how we can support the young person and their family to ensure the best educational outcomes for the young person?