ASPIRE

Addressing the Impact of Poverty on Educational Attainment

Strategic Intervention Programme

The clock is ticking . . .

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for our most disadvantaged learners

. . . and priorities for schools in Wales in the future will be to help reduce the effect that poverty and disadvantage has on the achievement of young people. It is clear from any analysis of our current educational performance that the link between poverty and achievement is a significant one. As the Education Minister in the Welsh Government has pointed out, poverty should not be seen as an excuse or an alibi for poor educational achievement. We have a growing body of knowledge based on the everyday experiences of teachers and schools on how to overcome the negative effect of poverty on educational success. What we now need to do is to disseminate and implement this knowledge and practice in all our classrooms and schools. The School Effectiveness Grant provides schools with the resource to achieve this.

200,000 children live in povert y in Wales. Living in poverty dramat ically af fects a childs life chances. Poorer children can expect fewer qualificat ions, lower-paid jobs and shorter lives than their richer classmates. No child should be born wit hout a chance
- Save the Children Wa les

To support schools in undertaking work in this priority area and to enable effective networking and collaboration to be developed, ESIS has decided to introduce a major strategic intervention programme. Whilst this will have a number of common elements, it will be a flexible programme that can be adapted to meet the particular needs and contexts of individual schools. The programme will be implemented in three phases over three years starting immediately in September 2011. The first phase Developing a School Based Strategy will provide schools with access to the following elements:

Evidence of what works in overcoming the effect of poverty Access to school level case studies School audit and self-evaluation Customised school level consultancy based on the developmental needs of the school The development of a school level strategy Professional development for senior leaders and staff Development of an action research model (intervention, monitoring and evaluation) Evaluation of the impact of the strategy on practice (involving teachers, governors, parents and pupil voice)

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That some achieve great success, is proof to all, that others can achieve it as well
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President
The second phase will run from April 2012 to March 2013, and will focus upon Implementing the Programme, with the final phase looking at Sustaining and Supporting Success from April 2013 to March 2014. The programme will be led by a group of ESIS Consultants who have developed specialist expertise in this area. The team will be assisted by Professor David Egan who has extensive expertise in this area of educational research and practice and will act as an adviser to the programme.

d The current strong, enduring an ty biot ic associat ion bet ween pover sym in and low educat ional attainment t han a Wales represents not hing less bl ight on our nat ion

avid Egan Each school involved in the programme will have - Professor D of Wales, n at University the support of a dedicated consultant as well as ff sor of Educatio Profes Institute Cardi access to the wider Programme Team. The consultant will also provide links with the community and with other Welsh Government programmes including Communities First, the Anti-Poverty Strategy, Flying Start and Families First. We will be able to set up learning communities between clusters as well as provide training for staff, parents and governors. Guidance can be provided on how to Cost access funding sources such as the Big Lottery Fund, as well as sharing good Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total (Sept 2011 (Apr 2012 - (Apr 2013 practice and enhancing current strategies.

- Mar 2012) Mar 2013)

Mar 2014)

Primary School Primary School in a Cluster Secondary School Secondary School in a Cluster

1,500 1,000 3,000

1,500 1,000 3,000

1,500 1,000 3,000

4,500 3,000 9,000

2,000

2,000

2,000

6,000

* Programme can be funded from SEG ** Sign up is on a yearly basis

In order to access this pioneering programme we are asking schools to express their interest in Phase 1 by Friday 23rd September 2011. We anticipate this will be an extremely popular programme and urge schools to contact us as soon as possible to register their interest in order for us to allocate places. Please contact Sin Johnson on sian.johnson@esis.org.uk or telephone 01443 827500.

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Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The great success stories were created by people who recognised a problem and turned it into an opportunity
- Joseph Sugarman American Author

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