School Matters: Every Child Matters
0001 10:00:10:12 10:00:13:11
(radio) The carers of
a north London girl have been jailed
0002 10:00:13:11 10:00:16:13
for life for her killing. Tom
Bateman has more on this case.
0003 10:00:16:13 10:00:20:09
It's one of Britain's
worst ever cases of child abuse.
0004 10:00:20:09 10:00:24:04
Victoria repeatedly slipped through
the net of Social Services and NHS.
0005 10:00:24:04 10:00:25:23
People failed to spot her plight.
0006 10:00:25:23 10:00:31:06
A postmortem revealed
128 separate injuries on her body.
0007 10:00:31:06 10:00:33:23
Haringey Council's
Child Protection Agency
0008 10:00:33:23 10:00:36:14
admitted it was partly to blame.
0009 10:00:38:03 10:00:41:16
(narrator) In response to the
Victoria Climbie inquiry of 2003,
0010 10:00:41:16 10:00:44:17
the government set out
its new green paper.
0011 10:00:44:17 10:00:46:20
"Every Child Matters"
has implications
0012 10:00:46:20 10:00:50:17
for all childcare agencies,
but most of all for schools.
0013 10:00:50:17 10:00:53:20
Though the legislation was in
reaction to child protection,
0014 10:00:53:20 10:00:56:20
"Every Child Matters"
is all-encompassing.
0015 10:00:56:20 10:00:58:14
Under the new common framework,
0016 10:00:58:14 10:01:01:24
schools will be driven to work
in multi-agency teams,
0017 10:01:01:24 10:01:05:13
be fully inclusive,
and open extended hours.
0018 10:01:06:13 10:01:10:06
Their responsibility now
goes beyond the school gates,
0019 10:01:10:06 10:01:13:14
as they care for
every child in every way.
0020 10:01:13:14 10:01:16:16
What ECM means for me
is a shift in the culture
0021 10:01:16:16 10:01:20:08
and a real commitment to focusing
on the individual child,
0022 10:01:20:08 10:01:21:15
and their needs,
0023 10:01:21:15 10:01:25:03
and what it takes for them
to be able to succeed in school.
0024 10:01:25:03 10:01:27:08
I don't believe
there's any child anywhere
0025 10:01:27:08 10:01:29:23
who doesn't want to do better
in school, or in life.
0026 10:01:29:23 10:01:32:23
I think what happens is
sometimes children come to believe
0027 10:01:32:23 10:01:35:22
that they can't,
and so say they don't.
0028 10:01:35:22 10:01:38:11
(woman) Schools are
very inflexible places,
0029 10:01:38:11 10:01:43:01
and you have to have flexibility
in order to allow a child to fit in.
0030 10:01:43:01 10:01:44:24
Traditionally, I think, schools,
0031 10:01:44:24 10:01:48:03
if a child doesn't fit,
it's the child's problem.
0032 10:01:48:03 10:01:50:07
We try to see it another way,
and try to say,
0033 10:01:50:07 10:01:54:04
"What do we have to do to make sure
that child and family can fit?"
0034 10:01:55:00 10:01:58:15
(woman #2) The vision of "Every
Child Matters" is widely welcomed.
0035 10:01:58:15 10:02:01:05
We have five outcomes
that work together,
0036 10:02:01:05 10:02:04:15
that children and young people
told us were most important to them.
0037 10:02:04:15 10:02:09:05
That they wanted to be healthy,
stay safe, enjoy and achieve,
0038 10:02:09:05 10:02:11:13
make a positive contribution
to society,
0039 10:02:11:13 10:02:13:20
and achieve economic well-being.
0040 10:02:13:20 10:02:16:16
In a way, it's not a vision
that you can argue with.
0041 10:02:16:16 10:02:19:00
The issue is around
the practicalities.
0042 10:02:19:00 10:02:22:20
(narrator) In this film, we look at
how two inner-city secondary schools
0043 10:02:22:20 10:02:26:07
have taken on board
their new duty of care.
0044 10:02:27:21 10:02:30:16
MayfieldSchool and College,
in north-east London,
0045 10:02:30:16 10:02:34:14
is just beginning to implement its
version of "Every Child Matters".
0046 10:02:34:14 10:02:36:00
A school, like most,
0047 10:02:36:00 10:02:38:20
that has a number
of additional support departments.
0048 10:02:38:20 10:02:43:04
Morning.
Any messages for me today?
0049 10:02:43:04 10:02:48:02
(narrator) Sue Jones co-ordinates
the learning support team.
0050 10:02:48:02 10:02:49:22
Good morning, SCN.
0051 10:02:49:22 10:02:50:22
Thank you.
0052 10:02:52:01 10:02:54:03
Good morning, can I help you?
0053 10:02:54:03 10:02:58:04
(narrator) MayfieldSchool is a
typical inner-city secondary school,
0054 10:02:58:04 10:03:01:13
with a sophisticated
internal pastoral care network.
0055 10:03:01:13 10:03:05:21
He's a teenager and they hate
their mums, so don't worry.
0056 10:03:05:21 10:03:11:05
(Rehling) We've got three learning
mentors, a large number of LSAs.
0057 10:03:11:05 10:03:14:23
We have a large SEN department,
we have a large EAL department.
0058 10:03:14:23 10:03:17:13
When it comes down to it,
the real resource is time.
0059 10:03:17:13 10:03:21:21
It's time and people. And time
and people costs a lot of money.
0060 10:03:21:21 10:03:23:13
I've found out that...
0061 10:03:23:13 10:03:25:22
One support assistant
won't be in today,
0062 10:03:25:22 10:03:28:15
so I now need to cover
the child that she works with,
0063 10:03:28:15 10:03:31:17
cos the child is a child
with 25 hours support,
0064 10:03:31:17 10:03:33:09
which is full-time support.
0065 10:03:34:11 10:03:38:12
(narrator) Like most schools, they
only work with childcare agencies
0066 10:03:38:12 10:03:42:02
off-site, or as a bolt-on
to their normal school.
0067 10:03:42:02 10:03:44:17
So when a child
protection issue arises,
0068 10:03:44:17 10:03:49:02
they refer the case externally
to the Social Services.
0069 10:03:49:02 10:03:51:02
(woman) If there's
a protection issue,
0070 10:03:51:02 10:03:52:15
we will make the referral,
0071 10:03:52:15 10:03:55:08
because we feel
that there is a concern.
0072 10:03:55:08 10:03:59:21
As far as I view it,
it is then up to Social Services,
0073 10:03:59:21 10:04:02:19
or whichever other body
is involved,
0074 10:04:02:19 10:04:05:21
to prioritise that referral.
0075 10:04:05:21 10:04:10:10
And it may be that they don't see it
as something that's very important.
0076 10:04:10:10 10:04:13:20
It may be that they see it as
something that doesn't need action.
0077 10:04:13:20 10:04:16:13
Right. Boys, excuse me. Out.
0078 10:04:16:13 10:04:19:02
You know that you're not in here.
Let's go.
0079 10:04:19:02 10:04:21:19
(Rehling) The multi-agency
working is fundamental
0080 10:04:21:19 10:04:23:23
to the success
of "Every Child Matters".
0081 10:04:23:23 10:04:27:14
If we're really serious about
not getting into a situation
0082 10:04:27:14 10:04:30:22
like that of Victoria Climbie again,
0083 10:04:30:22 10:04:33:07
then we really do need a situation
0084 10:04:33:07 10:04:36:00
where people aren't
falling through the gaps.
0085 10:04:37:23 10:04:40:18
(man) Sinitta, I wanted
to have a quick chat about...
0086 10:04:40:18 10:04:42:01
Sinitta?
0087 10:04:42:01 10:04:45:05
(narrator) Pupils' needs
range from physical and emotional
0088 10:04:45:05 10:04:47:08
to social and financial,
0089 10:04:47:08 10:04:50:16
many of which are out of
the school's direct control.
0090 10:04:50:16 10:04:54:04
It's when these cases
are referred to external agencies,
0091 10:04:54:04 10:04:57:16
and schools have to work with
other childcare professionals,
0092 10:04:57:16 10:04:59:20
that the system
most often breaks down.
0093 10:04:59:20 10:05:02:12
We're trying to work out
exactly what's happening
0094 10:05:02:12 10:05:04:10
with one of our students,
Sinitta.
0095 10:05:04:10 10:05:06:23
Problem is, we haven't
heard back anything...
0096 10:05:06:23 10:05:11:03
The actual reality
of working together
0097 10:05:11:03 10:05:16:04
often produces, in the teaching
profession, a certain defensiveness,
0098 10:05:16:04 10:05:21:02
where teachers will return to what
they regard as their core task,
0099 10:05:21:02 10:05:23:19
"I am trying to educate
this young person",
0100 10:05:23:19 10:05:29:09
and use that as defence
against the different rates,
0101 10:05:29:09 10:05:32:07
the different rhythm,
the different expectation,
0102 10:05:32:07 10:05:35:16
of the intervention by Social
Services, or Mental Health.
0103 10:05:35:16 10:05:39:12
I've spoken to Social Services
this morning. It's been a nightmare.
0104 10:05:39:12 10:05:43:01
Different professionals have to find
ways of working with each other,
0105 10:05:43:01 10:05:46:12
have got to find ways
of speaking a common language,
0106 10:05:46:12 10:05:50:15
have got to find ways of being in
the same building with each other.
0107 10:05:50:15 10:05:54:01
That's a challenge, because
one of the things we're finding,
0108 10:05:54:01 10:05:58:04
even in initial discussions,
is that it can be quite hard
0109 10:05:58:04 10:06:00:14
to find a common vocabulary.
0110 10:06:04:14 10:06:08:04
(narrator) On the other side
of London is George Green's School,
0111 10:06:08:04 10:06:13:04
a school which pre-empted the "Every
Child Matters" agenda by 11 years.
0112 10:06:13:04 10:06:17:11
You've missed registration.
Straight in and get a late slip.
0113 10:06:17:11 10:06:19:18
A lot of
"Every Child Matters"
0114 10:06:19:18 10:06:23:13
are things that we've been doing
as a matter of course for years,
0115 10:06:23:13 10:06:26:05
so it's the staff
who make the difference in this.
0116 10:06:26:05 10:06:29:06
And it's about the processes
you go through to involve them.
0117 10:06:29:06 10:06:32:21
They feel part of it, and they
understand what we're trying to do,
0118 10:06:32:21 10:06:35:04
and they know what
their part is in that.
0119 10:06:35:04 10:06:38:12
(man) Trying to get them in on time.
0120 10:06:38:12 10:06:41:22
Just trying to hurry them in,
they're missing their registration.
0121 10:06:41:22 10:06:45:08
They're late already. They get
ten minutes for registration,
0122 10:06:45:08 10:06:47:01
quarter to nine to five to.
0123 10:06:47:01 10:06:51:11
So we try to lock the gates
dead on five to, but it's just gone.
0124 10:06:51:11 10:06:54:10
We've developed
people like Jabir.
0125 10:06:54:10 10:06:57:06
He came in as part of
the sports leaders' team.
0126 10:06:57:06 10:07:00:19
He trained as a teaching assistant,
trained in conflict resolution.
0127 10:07:00:19 10:07:04:04
Now, I think there'll be lots more
things for Jabir that he can do.
0128 10:07:05:00 10:07:08:03
(narrator) George Green's
has developed a relationship
0129 10:07:08:03 10:07:09:23
with external agencies,
0130 10:07:09:23 10:07:12:07
and has a team
of childcare professionals
0131 10:07:12:07 10:07:14:11
all based on the school site.
0132 10:07:14:11 10:07:17:24
Duncan Evans was previously
the local police officer,
0133 10:07:17:24 10:07:23:01
but has now joined the school's
team, and works on-site full-time.
0134 10:07:23:01 10:07:26:04
Basically, my role
is to protect victims,
0135 10:07:26:04 10:07:29:14
and also suspects, and build
relations within the school,
0136 10:07:29:14 10:07:33:08
so people know the police aren't
seen as the bad side of things.
0137 10:07:33:08 10:07:37:22
Also, reporting crime and picking up
on any child protection issues,
0138 10:07:37:22 10:07:42:04
working with Social Services, Youth
Offending teams, and Jabir as well,
0139 10:07:42:04 10:07:45:10
to try and get in
at the root cause of the problem.
0140 10:07:45:10 10:07:49:12
I was born and bred in Tower
Hamlets, I've never left the area,
0141 10:07:49:12 10:07:51:05
so when I was growing up...
0142 10:07:51:05 10:07:55:13
I mean, I never exactly had
a good relationship with the police.
0143 10:07:55:13 10:07:56:22
It's quite an eye-opener.
0144 10:07:56:22 10:07:59:18
When Duncan first started
working in the school,
0145 10:07:59:18 10:08:03:17
one of the ideas we suggested was
sort of mix-and-match his uniform.
0146 10:08:03:17 10:08:06:21
One day come in his normal clothes,
then uniform.
0147 10:08:06:21 10:08:11:01
So Duncan's quite a trendy person.
I have to tell him that.
0148 10:08:11:01 10:08:14:04
They saw the other side of Duncan,
the barrier wasn't there.
0149 10:08:14:04 10:08:17:02
"Look at Duncan's trainers,
look at Duncan's top."
0150 10:08:17:02 10:08:20:17
So it's seeing Duncan
being a human being,
0151 10:08:20:17 10:08:23:14
that's what helps towards
building up the relationship
0152 10:08:23:14 10:08:26:13
with the pupils with Duncan.
0153 10:08:26:13 10:08:30:07
(narrator) On a regular basis,
the team of health, Social Services,
0154 10:08:30:07 10:08:34:03
learning mentors, academic support,
and other professionals
0155 10:08:34:03 10:08:36:13
meet to discuss each case in turn.
0156 10:08:36:13 10:08:39:20
Jon Kelly, as head of teaching
and learning support,
0157 10:08:39:20 10:08:41:23
is in charge
of this multi-agency team.
0158 10:08:41:23 10:08:45:01
The reason we're here is
so that we can have a discussion
0159 10:08:45:01 10:08:47:04
about the multi-agency
review meeting
0160 10:08:47:04 10:08:49:16
I had on Robert last Thursday.
0161 10:08:49:16 10:08:53:16
These are the minutes, and I want to
make sure we know what's happening.
0162 10:08:53:16 10:08:57:07
The team began
out of a need within the school.
0163 10:08:57:07 10:08:59:20
There were lots of
initiatives going on,
0164 10:08:59:20 10:09:01:24
such as a behaviour support team,
0165 10:09:01:24 10:09:05:16
you have a complex needs team,
there are literacy support teams.
0166 10:09:05:16 10:09:07:04
Various other initiatives,
0167 10:09:07:04 10:09:10:11
so you might have two or three
professionals working with someone.
0168 10:09:10:11 10:09:12:22
And there wasn't
joined-up thinking going on.
0169 10:09:12:22 10:09:15:16
In terms of health, Mary,
tell us what's happening
0170 10:09:15:16 10:09:19:02
re Robert's medication,
and the health concerns we've had.
0171 10:09:19:02 10:09:22:07
He's got new medication that
the parents are administering.
0172 10:09:22:07 10:09:25:24
They'd like us to administer it,
but his attendance is too erratic.
0173 10:09:25:24 10:09:28:20
(Kelly) Are we concerned
it isn't being administered?
0174 10:09:28:20 10:09:32:23
Our administering medicine policy
says that we are allowed
0175 10:09:32:23 10:09:35:04
to give out this kind of tablet.
0176 10:09:35:04 10:09:38:12
I think we should work towards that
quickly, cos it's much safer.
0177 10:09:38:12 10:09:40:17
In terms of Social Services
intervention,
0178 10:09:40:17 10:09:43:19
- is there any news on that at all?
- No.
0179 10:09:43:19 10:09:46:24
We're still waiting for
their appraisal? OK, fair enough.
0180 10:09:46:24 10:09:50:17
(Kelly) The network of professionals
works with education leading,
0181 10:09:50:17 10:09:53:09
and when it works successfully,
the school is the hub
0182 10:09:53:09 10:09:55:14
of the network
for an individual child.
0183 10:09:55:14 10:09:59:02
The reason that that works the best
is the school is usually the place
0184 10:09:59:02 10:10:01:02
that has the contact
with the family,
0185 10:10:01:02 10:10:04:18
so in an ideal situation, a child
will attend the school every day.
0186 10:10:04:18 10:10:06:21
This means as a community hub,
0187 10:10:06:21 10:10:09:10
it's a better place
to draw in professionals,
0188 10:10:09:10 10:10:13:24
rather than an occasional visit
to the hospital or the psychiatrist.
0189 10:10:13:24 10:10:17:07
How about Rennett? Obviously,
a lot of the time he's in school,
0190 10:10:17:07 10:10:20:09
Robert's been working with you.
How's that going?
0191 10:10:20:09 10:10:23:05
I think his whole attitude
has changed, you know?
0192 10:10:23:05 10:10:24:22
He's really positive now,
0193 10:10:24:22 10:10:28:08
and I think we can start integrating
him back into classes soon.
0194 10:10:28:08 10:10:30:14
Sorry, but my concern
with that is,
0195 10:10:30:14 10:10:32:16
every time
we've extended the provision
0196 10:10:32:16 10:10:35:18
or reintegrated him back
into class it's gone pear-shaped.
0197 10:10:35:18 10:10:38:07
But I think if we stay
in the class with him,
0198 10:10:38:07 10:10:40:09
I think he will learn and do OK.
0199 10:10:40:09 10:10:43:23
What's your sense of this? Cos
you know him as well as any of us.
0200 10:10:43:23 10:10:47:15
I think, judging from the way
I've seen him conduct himself,
0201 10:10:47:15 10:10:48:21
within the school,
0202 10:10:48:21 10:10:53:00
he seems a lot more subdued and
a lot quieter, a lot more focused.
0203 10:10:53:00 10:10:56:01
Perhaps carry on
for a bit as we are now,
0204 10:10:56:01 10:11:00:16
see how that goes, and then perhaps
even if it's just one lesson a week,
0205 10:11:00:16 10:11:02:22
you know,
out of that period that he's in,
0206 10:11:02:22 10:11:05:05
that he does that
and see how it goes.
0207 10:11:05:05 10:11:08:19
- That'd be excellent.
- It's going to be small steps...
0208 10:11:08:19 10:11:11:24
There's a good example
of how the service within school
0209 10:11:11:24 10:11:14:09
has actually helped us
to resolve crises
0210 10:11:14:09 10:11:17:08
in children's lives very quickly.
0211 10:11:18:04 10:11:21:06
Recently, two members
of my team did a home visit,
0212 10:11:21:06 10:11:24:17
because a lad was schoolphobic
and refusing to come to school.
0213 10:11:24:17 10:11:27:17
When they got there,
the house was filthy,
0214 10:11:27:17 10:11:29:21
the electricity
had been cut off,
0215 10:11:29:21 10:11:31:24
there was a dog
sleeping in a child's cot,
0216 10:11:31:24 10:11:34:06
and there was dog mess
all over the carpet.
0217 10:11:34:06 10:11:37:21
They returned to school and
spoke to the school social worker.
0218 10:11:37:21 10:11:41:05
He was able to make a visit the
next day with the school policeman,
0219 10:11:41:05 10:11:46:09
gain access, and the child has been
placed in the care of other people.
0220 10:11:46:09 10:11:48:02
He's now back in school,
0221 10:11:48:02 10:11:51:04
and he's being included
for a couple of hours a morning.
0222 10:11:51:04 10:11:55:04
Had this happened before the social
worker and policeman were on-site,
0223 10:11:55:04 10:11:58:07
we'd have had to go through
a very long referral process,
0224 10:11:58:07 10:12:01:11
whereby whatever went on
in that house would have continued
0225 10:12:01:11 10:12:03:11
for weeks and possibly months.
0226 10:12:03:11 10:12:06:20
Social Services would have
made a judgement from our referral
0227 10:12:06:20 10:12:11:04
against all the other referrals
as to whether they acted on it.
0228 10:12:12:21 10:12:16:06
(narrator) Inclusion is a large part
of "Every Child Matters".
0229 10:12:16:06 10:12:21:20
It's driving schools to try
and accommodate every child's needs.
0230 10:12:21:20 10:12:25:14
Mayfield School has
a hugely mobile population.
0231 10:12:25:14 10:12:30:17
In any one week, they could have
up to 20 pupils arrive or leave.
0232 10:12:30:17 10:12:34:02
One of the biggest issues that
we have is the sheer scale of it,
0233 10:12:34:02 10:12:36:15
where you have...
An individual teacher here
0234 10:12:36:15 10:12:40:18
may see upwards of 100
different students a day.
0235 10:12:40:18 10:12:43:17
For them to be able
to identify every single need
0236 10:12:43:17 10:12:48:02
and to be able to intervene
with every student is a tall order.
0237 10:12:48:02 10:12:50:19
So we have a large
number of professionals
0238 10:12:50:19 10:12:52:21
who work with students.
0239 10:12:52:21 10:12:55:11
So what two words do you think
are gonna go there?
0240 10:12:55:11 10:12:58:01
(narrator) One of the key
initiatives is providing
0241 10:12:58:01 10:13:00:23
additional English lessons
to refugee children
0242 10:13:00:23 10:13:04:00
who have very basic English skills.
0243 10:13:04:00 10:13:06:13
- (boy) Football.
- Football. OK.
0244 10:13:06:13 10:13:08:24
One of the big issues
at the moment
0245 10:13:08:24 10:13:13:04
is that around 12% of our
student population are refugees.
0246 10:13:13:04 10:13:15:24
And if you imagine
the difficulty of being a refugee,
0247 10:13:15:24 10:13:20:00
having come from goodness knows what
in your home country,
0248 10:13:20:00 10:13:23:15
suddenly finding yourself in
a school in Dagenham, in London,
0249 10:13:23:15 10:13:27:06
it could be a pretty
frightening prospect for anybody.
0250 10:13:27:06 10:13:30:03
So we put a lot of work
into developing
0251 10:13:30:03 10:13:34:02
integration and induction
programmes for these students,
0252 10:13:34:02 10:13:37:19
so that they can at least have some
sort of access to the curriculum
0253 10:13:37:19 10:13:39:05
as quickly as possible.
0254 10:13:39:05 10:13:43:06
What question are you gonna ask me?
What's the first question?
0255 10:13:43:06 10:13:45:20
Do you like play football?
0256 10:13:45:20 10:13:47:24
OK. Yes, I do.
0257 10:13:47:24 10:13:51:01
Some of the children
didn't speak English at all,
0258 10:13:51:01 10:13:54:18
and so we had to start with
"yes" and "no", really,
0259 10:13:54:18 10:13:56:23
and also starting with writing.
0260 10:13:56:23 10:14:01:00
Some didn't write, they'd never had
education in their own countries.
0261 10:14:01:00 10:14:04:15
The lesson's finished, but what
you're gonna do for homework,
0262 10:14:04:15 10:14:05:19
very easy...
0263 10:14:05:19 10:14:08:18
(Rehling) One issue facing
schools is having the courage
0264 10:14:08:18 10:14:13:04
to go for a fully inclusive
"Every Child Matters" agenda,
0265 10:14:13:04 10:14:16:10
because there is a risk when
you start alternative courses
0266 10:14:16:10 10:14:19:16
that if you haven't got students
on a straight diet of GCSEs,
0267 10:14:19:16 10:14:22:01
if you haven't got
a pure A-level sixth form,
0268 10:14:22:01 10:14:24:05
then points scores might suffer.
0269 10:14:24:05 10:14:28:07
I think we have the children that we
have, their needs are what they are,
0270 10:14:28:07 10:14:33:17
their aspirations are what they are,
and our job is to create aspiration
0271 10:14:33:17 10:14:36:03
within those children
for whom it's difficult,
0272 10:14:36:03 10:14:39:20
to give them self-confidence and
to give them avenues for success,
0273 10:14:39:20 10:14:41:16
whatever those avenues are.
0274 10:14:41:16 10:14:46:09
Because whatever we can do is going
to engage those children more fully,
0275 10:14:46:09 10:14:48:19
which is going to reduce
problems elsewhere,
0276 10:14:48:19 10:14:53:17
is going to make them people
who are confident learners,
0277 10:14:53:17 10:14:56:23
and confident to go out
in society and make a difference.
0278 10:14:56:23 10:15:00:01
What's the problem?
Is it the amount you have to do?
0279 10:15:00:01 10:15:03:17
Is it, for example, you're
finding it hard to spell, or...
0280 10:15:03:17 10:15:07:04
(narrator) George Green's School
reviews pupils' progress
0281 10:15:07:04 10:15:09:09
to make sure
they fulfil their potential.
0282 10:15:09:09 10:15:12:05
- Won't give us a lot of time.
- (Grove) Not enough time.
0283 10:15:12:05 10:15:15:23
There is a connection
between inclusion and attainment.
0284 10:15:15:23 10:15:20:09
If you're trying to include
youngsters of every ability,
0285 10:15:20:09 10:15:24:05
which we have in this school,
we're a true comprehensive school.
0286 10:15:24:05 10:15:27:13
So our job is to meet the needs
of the more able and talented,
0287 10:15:27:13 10:15:29:18
of the sort of
average ones in the middle,
0288 10:15:29:18 10:15:33:13
those with the SEN difficulties,
and those with additional needs.
0289 10:15:33:13 10:15:38:09
We've got all sorts here. Now,
every child there matters to us,
0290 10:15:38:09 10:15:42:07
and as long as we can show progress
for each individual child,
0291 10:15:42:07 10:15:44:09
that's what makes a difference.
0292 10:15:48:19 10:15:51:20
(narrator) The fear for schools
is that the effort needed
0293 10:15:51:20 10:15:56:16
to treat pupils as individuals won't
be reflected in the league tables.
0294 10:15:56:16 10:15:58:14
But the DfES are proposing
0295 10:15:58:14 10:16:01:17
a new way for schools
to highlight the work they do.
0296 10:16:01:17 10:16:05:19
The new school profiles
give schools the opportunity
0297 10:16:05:19 10:16:08:14
to explain
in a more individualised way
0298 10:16:08:14 10:16:11:06
how they go about
helping support children.
0299 10:16:13:00 10:16:17:02
And interestingly, one of the clear
responses we got back from parents
0300 10:16:17:02 10:16:19:15
was that they were
interested in understanding
0301 10:16:19:15 10:16:22:10
not just what
the school did to support
0302 10:16:22:10 10:16:25:01
the educational
achievement of pupils,
0303 10:16:25:01 10:16:27:09
but also the other ways
0304 10:16:27:09 10:16:30:24
in which schools helped
their children to be happy -
0305 10:16:30:24 10:16:34:09
not to be bullied,
to eat well at school -
0306 10:16:34:09 10:16:37:09
and all of those things
are what parents want to see
0307 10:16:37:09 10:16:39:09
in school profiles.
0308 10:16:42:03 10:16:46:21
(narrator) At George Green's School,
their team's ability to act quickly
0309 10:16:46:21 10:16:51:14
improves their capacity to include
pupils at risk of being excluded,
0310 10:16:51:14 10:16:56:02
and more who would otherwise have
been placed in special schools.
0311 10:16:56:02 10:16:58:02
We have a sixth-form
entry provision
0312 10:16:58:02 10:17:00:14
for young people with
learning disabilities,
0313 10:17:00:14 10:17:03:15
and often combined with
physical disabilities as well.
0314 10:17:03:15 10:17:07:19
There's a few kids, for example,
with Down's syndrome in there.
0315 10:17:07:19 10:17:12:20
That's a very good example
of the need to integrate services.
0316 10:17:12:20 10:17:17:03
The vast majority of them
have their own social worker,
0317 10:17:17:03 10:17:21:05
the vast majority of them have
quite complex medical needs as well,
0318 10:17:21:05 10:17:23:10
so when you review
the kids it's essential
0319 10:17:23:10 10:17:25:24
there are professionals
from Social Services
0320 10:17:25:24 10:17:28:16
and from the health
professions as well,
0321 10:17:28:16 10:17:31:17
so that we can follow
a joined-up approach with them.
0322 10:17:31:17 10:17:34:24
(Straw) What kind of things do you
think we'll be doing in Devon?
0323 10:17:34:24 10:17:38:05
- It's my first time...
- You've not been before.