What are vulnerable groups? The DfE define “vulnerable groups” as “disadvantaged groups” and there are safeguarding and child protection connotations to the expression. In Ofsted terms, vulnerable children are amongst those groups that may need additional support or intervention in order to make optimum progress. They cite children “whose needs, dispositions, aptitudes or circumstances require particularly perceptive and expert teaching and, in some cases, additional support“.
Which groups these are will depend on the circumstances of the particular school (See Ofsted’s Good Practice Report on creating an inclusive school community) but a number are mentioned within the schedule, such as boys, girls, looked after children and minority ethnic groups (see below).
These are extracts from Ofsted reports published February 2012:
“The school has worked very effectively to help individuals overcome particular academic and sometimes emotional needs, enabling all pupils to participate in the full range of activities offered. Senior leaders pay good attention to developing the skills that the staff require to meet the needs of those pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. This, coupled with good support, is helping to minimise any gaps in the progress pupils are making.” (From Ofsted report on Earl Sterndale CofE Primary, inspected January 2012, and judged Good)
“The school works very effectively in partnership with the parents and carers of potentially vulnerable children to help to break down barriers to learning and progress that pupils occasionally encounter.” (Kelsall Primary, inspected January 2012, and judged Outstanding.)
“Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs make excellent progress. This stems from the high priority the school gives to meeting their needs. By ensuring outstanding help from very well-qualified teaching assistants wherever it is needed, the lower-attaining pupils, and those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable, make excellent progress. Any gaps between them and their peers are closed effectively. “ (St Peter’s CofE Primary, inspected January 2012, and judged Outstanding.)
“Boys have performed less well than girls in the past but the school has put in place strategies that narrowed the gender gap in GCSE examination results in 2010 and 2011. Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities make excellent progress, as do students from minority ethnic heritages and those who speak English as an additional language. This is because tasks are closely matched to students’ prior attainment and teaching assistants are deployed very well to help students by providing appropriate challenge and encouragement, demonstrating skills precisely and teaching specialist vocabulary. There is excellent support for those students at the early stages of learning English.” (Park View Business & Enterprise College January 2012)
What does Ofsted guidance say?
”27. The focus on teaching also provides a basis for judging behaviour, exploring matters such as the progress of particular individuals and groups, such as the most disadvantaged or vulnerable pupils, and considering the influence and impact of leadership at all levels.”
From Conducting school inspections: Guidance for Inspectors (2012)
The Ofsted inspection schedule (2012) lists a number of groups that might need additional support. It says:
“Inspection is primarily about evaluating how individual pupils benefit from their school. It is important to test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential, especially those whose needs, dispositions, aptitudes or circumstances require particularly perceptive and expert teaching and, in some cases, additional support. Depending on the type of school, such pupils may include:
- disabled pupils, as defined by the Equality Act 2010, and those who have special educational needs
- boys
- girls
- groups of pupils whose prior attainment may be different from that of other groups
- those who are academically more or less able
- pupils for whom English is an additional language
- minority ethnic pupils
- Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children
- looked after children
- pupils known to be eligible for free school meals
- lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils
- transgender pupils
- young carers
- pupils from low income backgrounds
- other vulnerable groups.” (END)
Factors of underachievement
Research published February 2012 ( Multiple risk factors in young children’s development – research by R Sabates and S Dex Feb 2012 ) identified some of the risks factors associated with restricted educational development.
How this research was reported
BBC news: “A quarter of today’s UK children are living in families which pose more than one risk to their educational development, a study says. Institute of Education researchers analysed 10 risk factors affecting more than 18,000 families. Risks included financial stress, teenage parenthood, depression, low skills, and substance/alcohol abuse ….. “
The Behaviour Guru: “Bedlam descended on the world of education as teachers reacted to the shock findings of recent research, which claimed that, among other things, children who came from families that take drugs, have no money, or don’t value education, have less chance in school than others.
‘I don’t know what’s real any more,’ wept one teacher who asked not to be named. ‘Previously I had thought that kids raised in crack dens with two absentee parents and a day job scraping rust from the underside of moving trains were my best bet in the GCSE sweepstake.” Read more.….
So what can schools be doing? Thoughts and resources …
Consider how far the school has ”a commitment to social justice and to improving life chances for children who are disadvantaged” (NCSL presentation 2011)
The National College for School Leadership has information on a two year research campaign, which includes a TDA resource: Reducing In-school Variation (2009)
NFER report (2008) Narrowing the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups.
Looked after or overlooked? (2006 essay on outcomes for looked after children)
John West-Burnham, writing on the NCSL website, said in his article “Seven vital ingredients for reducing the achievement gap” (2011):
“The highest performing classrooms, schools and systems have a very narrow, or virtually no, gap. Another way of expressing this issue is the extent of the ‘tail of underachievement’ – the number of learners who fail to achieve what are defined as national and international norms and standards.
There are many explanations for the existence of a gap or tail in educational achievement. There is no doubt that social factors (for example the quality of family life) and economic factors (notably poverty) play a significant role. It is equally clear that school-based factors, notably consistency in the quality of teaching and learning, have a fundamental part to play in securing wellbeing, enhancing life chances and realising personal potential.
….
In the most effective schools, and the most effective educational systems, excellence is available to all and the driving imperative is to secure equity. In the least effective schools and systems there is a ‘tail of underachievement’ and failure is accepted as inevitable for some.
Closing the gap has profound implications for models of effective leadership, as it requires the integration of a complex range of variables, strategies and leadership behaviours.
- Closing the gap has to be seen as an ethical imperative rather than a policy initiative. Leadership is therefore focused on an explicit moral proposition that centres on securing effective teaching and learning for all. Leadership is driven by personal values that focus on enhancing achievement and wellbeing, irrespective of personal circumstances.
- Making a commitment to creating a learning community based on high trust and interdependence with explicit values and a shared language centred on high performance.
- School leadership and governance that sees the quality of teaching and learning as its core purpose. This implies the deployment of time, energy and resources to enhance confidence in the quality of teaching and learning and the focus on achievement, ie minimising in-school variation.
- Growing leadership that is widely distributed across the school community and works through collective capacity rather than personal status. The focus is on middle leaders whose primary function is to model, monitor and secure effective learning and teaching.
- Ensuring that parents and pupils are active partners in the learning process with a direct role in accountability strategies and the development of programmes that meet individual needs.
- Securing active collaboration within schools and between schools to ensure that the best practices and resources are available to all.
- Underpinning all of the above with rigorous and systematic planning, resource management and data-rich strategies to support teaching and learning. (END)
