HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Children’s Services and corporate parenting
cabinet Panel
wednesday 7 November 2007 at 2.30pm
THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF CHILDREN IN CARE
Report of the Director of Children, Schools and Families
[Author: Felicity Evans, Corporate Parenting Officer
Tel: 01992 555926]
Executive Member: Jane Pitman (Children’s Services)
- Purpose of the report
1.1To summarise Hertfordshire’s performance in the academic year 2006/7 in relation to the government targets to improve the educational attainment of children in care.
- Summary
2.1This report provides details and analysis of performance in relation to end of Key Stage attainment and incidence of special educational need, with regard to national targets for children in care.
2.2The report provides details of the participation in education, training and employment of care leavers and provides information on the care leavers who are undergraduates at university.
2.3The report also analyses the school attendance data on children in care and outlines the plan for improvement.
- Conclusions
3.1Hertfordshire’s performance in relation to the educational attainment of children in care, reported annually in the Annual Performance Assessment continues to present a picture of largely above national average performance with some areas of concern.There is a steady but slow level of improvement in performance and level of participation across all Key Stages and once again this year Hertfordshire has exceeded the floor target in relation to English and maths for 11 year olds at Key Stage 2.
3.2There has been sustained improvement above the national average in relation to the target for care leavers to achieve a minimum of 1 A* to G at GCSE rising from 60% last year to 61.3% this year(statistical neighbours 54.3%) and the target to achieve 5 A* to C also rose this year to 11.3% from 10.9% the previous year (statistical neighbours 8.2%)
3.3Of continuing concern is the number of children in care missing school for 25 days for any reason (falling from 18.5% in 2005/06 to 16.3% in 2006/7 – provisional data).Non-attendance at school by children in care is subject to particular data analysis and continued targeted action in 2007/8. The work to reduce the number of children in care who disengage from education in Key Stage 4 has had animpact both on the overall attainment for these young people and also their continuing involvement in education post 16.
3.4Analysis of the number of children in care of school age who have a statement of special educational need(30%) is ongoing contributing to the action plan to support schools in meeting additional need and the development of the supported learning programme to increase the attainment of these children.
3.5Educational attainment for children in care is inextricably linked to the quality and stability of care placements.The proposals published in the White Paper ‘Care Matters – Time for Change’ and other statutory drivers plan to reduce the looked after populationby investing in more preventative action for children on the edge of care. As a result the cohort of children in care may be populated by children with more complex needs who may be less likely to reach high standards of attainment. More able and secure children may also leave care as a result of the Special Guardianship Order.
3.6However, much high quality work is being done to raise achievement and aspirations of children in care in Hertfordshire, working across the department and increasingly with schools. The duty within the Children Act 2004 is being implemented and the dedicated Education Support Service for children in and leaving care has developed a broad range of additional learning opportunities for children, the results of which can be seen in improved performance and in how children and young people feel supported in their education
3.7Improved performance for this vulnerable group of children requires a collaborative and strategic approach across CSF and schools and much joint planning and collaboration is in progress to ensure that the particular and additional needs of children in care are addressed within the SEN and Inclusion Strategy, the Code of Practice on Admissions, the Hertfordshire Learning Partnership, and theChildren and Young People’s Plan.
4.Background
4.1The educational attainment of looked after children is regarded as a key indicator of the effectiveness of integrated children’s services. The drive to improve standards of achievement is underpinned by the statutory duty enshrined in Section 52 of the Children Act 2004 to promote the educational achievement of children in care in the role of corporate parent. A range of support measures were identified and promoted in the Social Exclusion Unit report ‘A Better Education for Children in Care’ published in September 2003, complementing the ‘Every Child Matters’ strategy. Higher expectations were also outlined in the White Paper, ‘Higher Standards – Better Schools for All’, published in October 2005, and confirmed in the Education and Inspections Act 2006. The White Paper, ‘Care Matters – Time for Change’ published in June 2007 sets out a package of significant change designed to secure radical improvements in the outcomes for children and young people in care that will narrow the gap in outcome between children in care and their peers. The Children in Care Bill which will be based on the core elements in the White Paper is expected to be passed in November 2007 and will further strengthen the legislative framework for this area of work
4.2Statutory guidance to support local authorities to implement the Section 52 duty was issued in December 2005. Further guidance entitled ‘Supporting Looked after Learners’ was published in March 2006to assist school governors in their responsibilities towards looked after children. The Ofsted Inspection framework has a focus on vulnerable children with children in care as the priority within that group. The School Improvement Partners (SIPs) will support and challenge schools on how well they support children in care and for the targets they set to improve educational outcomes at pupil level. The Education and Inspections Act 2006, gives local authorities the power to direct schools to admit children in care even when the school is fully subscribed. Together with the wide-raging reform detailed in the White Paper – Care Matters it is the Government’s intention to put into place the right statutory framework for the care system that will drive improvements in the effective delivery of services and that give local authorities and partner agencies flexibility to respond to local need and enable children and young people to receive high quality care and education.
4.3Good quality data has been collected over the past 6 years illustrating the emerging trend in the achievement of children in care in Hertfordshire. Whilst Hertfordshire’s performance reflects the gap in achievement of children in care compared to all children that may also be seen in the national statistics, our strategy to improve educational attainment has resulted in an overall upward trend in attainment over the past five years and importantly, excellent improvement in numbers of care leavers gaining access to a university education.
4.4Statistically the cohort of children in care at the end of each Key Stage is very small and sensitive to fluctuation in numbers. Variation from year to year in the percentage of children in each cohort with statements of special educational need has a disproportionate impact, making realistic comparison with all Hertfordshire children difficult. The government targets for children in care include those children with severe learning difficulties who are disapplied from the National Curriculum unlike published data from schools which discounts those children by virtue of their special educational need.
4.5A proposal is currently being considered to re-organise the Education Support Service for Children in and Leaving Care to provide a greater focus on ‘standards’ within school and to perceive the in-care cohort as a ‘virtual school’ within the authority. This proposal would implement the Government’s priority for a ‘Virtual’ Head teacher in every local authority to work with schools within and beyond the local authority to promote the attainment of children in care. The plan to restructure the service hopes to introduce more direct support for schools and personal education planning (PEP) by increasing the workforce who work directly with young people in school. The PEP will be the vehicle for education planning and access to additional support and learning opportunities. The number and quality of PEPs has improved with 77% of children with a PEP reviewed in time, as of September 2007
5The educational attainment of children in care2006/2007
5.1The following tables and commentaries provide data and analysis on the attainment and participation in education of children in care at each end of Key Stage in the academic year 2006/2007. This data does not reflect the progress made since entry to care as there is no reference to the individual baseline for each child. The proposal for future analysis will reflect how many children have made two levels of progress within the Key Stage to ascertain the ‘value-added’of educational support. This will measure impact and progress in a far more meaningful context. The ‘value added’ nature of additional learning opportunities and the greater focus by schools on children in care will apply to every key stage and by having a baseline, the efficacy of intervention and the benefit of the care experience will be measured.
5.2 End of Key Stage 1 attainment
(a)Table 1: Summary of end of Key Stage 1 attainmentof seven year olds.
KS1 / 2004/05 / 2005/6 / 2006/7Size of cohort / 29 / 100% / 34 / 100% / 29 / 100%
Total achieved at least level 2 in the reading test or at least level 3 in comprehension test / 17 / 59% / 16 / 47% / 14 / 48%
Total achieved at least level 2 in the writing test / 13 / 45% / 11 / 32% / 15 / 52%
Total achieved at least level 2 in the maths test / 16 / 55% / 15 / 44% / 17 / 59%
(b)Table 2: participation analysis
Key Stage 1
/ 2004/5 / 2005/6 / 2006/7Total Cohort / 29 / 100% / 34 / 100% / 29 / 100%
Total achieving national average grade in at least one of the tests / 18 / 62% / 18 / 52% / 17 / 59%
Total achieving national average grade in all 3 tests / 12 / 41% / 11 / 32% / 14 / 48%
Total achieving above national average in all three tests / Not
known / Not
known / 2 / 6% / 1 / 3%
Total who were disapplied from the tests / 1 / 3% / 6 / 18% / 1 / 3%
Total who were absent for all the tests / 1 / 3% / 0 / 0% / 2 / 7%
Total who are working towards NC Level 1 but not disapplied / 7% / 4 / 12% / 4 / 14%
(c)Table 3 Achievement by gender
Cohort by Gender 29 / Boys 15 / Girls 14Total achieving national average grade reading / 8 / 6
Total achieving national average grade in writing / 8 / 7
Total achieving national average grade in maths / 9 / 8
(d)Commentary
i)The performance in all the Key Stage 1 tests shows some improvement over the performance last year, with more children achieving the national average in their results in writing and maths. In Appendix 1 these results are compared with all Hertfordshire children and the volatility of outcome for this group of children is evident.
ii)The action plan continues to focus carers and schools on the need to improve outcome at this key stage. These include: -
- A rigorous interrogation of the data for this key stage to understand measurable impact and progress and where to target resources effectively for this group
- Annual training for pre-school providers, developed in collaboration with the Early Years Unit, on promoting the educational achievement of children in care;
- An Early Years section within the revised Personal Education Plan to promote educational planning for pre-school children within care planning;
- A training programme, conferences and specific workshops for carers to raise awareness of the importance of reading and to develop skills to support school work in the home;
- Continuation and roll outacross the county of the project to improve reading skillsfor children and their carers, developed by the area based educational psychologist for looked after children and the Education Support Service. Children on the intensive pilot project improved results in reading tests by up to 3 years over a 10 month period
- A specific training course for Education Support Service staff and carers to help children ’catch-up’ in reading The ‘Catch-Up’ literacy programme is an intervention for struggling readers and will be used to complement the reading project in 2007/8
5.3 End of Key Stage 2 attainment
(a)Table 4: Summary of end of Key Stage 2 achievement for 11 year olds.
KS2 / 2004/05 / 2005/06 / 2006/07Size of cohort / 46 / 100% / 48 / 100% / 55 / 100%
Total who achieved at least level 4 in the English test / 22 / 48% / 27 / 56% / 30 / 55%
Total who achieved at least level 4 in the Maths test / 21 / 46% / 23 / 48% / 28 / 50%
Total who achieved at least level 4 in the Science test / 28 / 63% / 34 / 71% / 33 / 60%
(b)Table 5: participation analysis
Key Stage 2
/ 2004/05 / 2005/6 / 2006/7Total Cohort / 46 / 100% / 48 / 100% / 55 / 100%
Total achieving national average grade in at least one of the tests / 30 / 63% / 36 / 75% / 34 / 61%
Total achieving national average grade in all 3 tests / 16 / 35% / 19 / 40% / 28 / 50%
Total who were disapplied from the tests / 4 / 9% / 2 / 4% / 3 / 5%
Total who achieved above national average in all 3 tests / Not
known / Not known / 4 / 8% / 1 / 2%
Total who were absent for all the tests / 0 / 0 / 1 / 2% / 0 / 0%
(c)Table 6 Achievement by gender
Cohort by gender 55 / Boys 34 / Girls 21Total achieving national average grade in English / 18 / 12
Total achieving national average grade in Maths / 18 / 9
Total achieving national average grade in Science / 22 / 11
(d)Commentary
i)The data shows a largely consistent level of attainment with last year maintaining the underlying level of improvement gained in English, maths and science for the academic year 2005/06.
ii)The SALT (Schools and Local Authority Target) performance indicator for Key Stage 2 sets a ratio with performance for all children of 60%. This year our outcome is 65% andonce again exceeds the floor target.
iii)The Educational Support Service has worked in partnership with the Watford Learning Centre ‘Playing for Success’ (PFS) programme specifically for children in care in Key Stage 2 over the past three years and this targeted work has made a contribution to the overall rise in achievement. The expansion of the PFS centres to theHitchinTown training ground site in Baldock has provided additional learning opportunities for children in the East of the county. The Education Support Service in conjunction with PfS have developed specific courses for children in care that included a transition project for children in Year 6 transferring to secondary school in September.
iv)In the spring term 2008 a course based on the Penn Resilience Programme will be taught to a group of Year 6 students as a peripheral part of the research study carried out in Hemel Hempstead during this academic year. This course will examine the value of delivery of the resilience programme for vulnerable children and it is hoped, prepare looked after children to make a more successful transition to secondary school. Research indicates that as a group children in care find transition to secondary school problematic with grave impact on performance
5.4End of Key Stage 3 attainment
(a)Table 7: Summary of end of Key Stage 3 achievement for 14 year olds.
KS3 / 2004/05 / 2005/06 / 2006/7Size of cohort / 65 / 100% / 63 / 100% / 75 / 100%
Total who achieved at least level 5 in the English test / 17 / 22% / 21 / 33% / 22 / 29%
Total who achieved at least level 5 in the Maths test / 17 / 27% / 23 / 37% / 20 / 27%
Total who achieved at least level 5 in the Science test / 16 / 25% / 22 / 35% / 18 / 24%
(b)Table 8: Participation analysis
Key Stage 3
/ 2004/05 / 2005/06 / 2006/7Total Cohort / 65 / 100% / 63 / 100% / 75 / 100%
Total achieving national average grade in at least one of the tests / 21 / 32% / 31 / 49% / 26 / 35%
Total achieving national average grade in all 3 tests / 11 / 17% / 15 / 24% / 12 / 16%
Total achieving above the national average in all 3 tests / Not
known / Not known / 5 / 8% / 1 / .75%
Total who were disapplied from the tests due to SEN / 4 / 6% / 10 / 25% / 11 / 14%
Total who were absent for all the tests or at establishments that do not take SATs / 8 / 12% / 9 / 5% / 7 / 12%
(c)Table 8: Achievement by gender
Total cohort by Gender / Girls 30 / Boys 45Total achieving national average at KS 3 in English / 13 / 9
Total achieving national average at KS 3 in Maths / 8 / 12
Total achieving national average at KS 3 in Science / 10 / 8
(d)Commentary
i)The data shows a drop in attainment at Key Stage 3 across English, maths and science. However, this is within the context of a small cohort with a high number who are either disapplied due to SEN or by attendance at an educational provision that does not take the SATs.
ii)The data continues to show a considerable reduction in participation when compared with Key Stages 1 and 2. Analysis of the cohort in Key stage3 and 4 indicates that a significant number of children enter care at this point. These children come into the care system with very poor educational experiences and are frequently either already excluded from school or have a history of chronic disaffection or truancy from education. Attainment at national average in SATs therefore may not reflect the true ability of these children or chart the progress that they make in real terms once within the care system. The adverse affect of their pre-care experience has implications for targeted support to those children who enter the care system in early adolescence and whose needs are more difficult to meet both in the care and educational systems with the result that more sustained support post 16 is needed to enable these children to achieve.
iii)Of those 11children who passed all tests at level 5 and above, 20 children passed at least one of the tests at level 6 or 7. There is a correlation between passing at national average and above and achievement of 5 good GCSE passes at key stage 4 and these children will be targeted for additional learning opportunities in the forthcoming year.
iv)Non-participation in the Key Stage 3 test remains a concern. Investigation of the reasons why children did not sit the tests reveals that 7 were absent from school for at least one of the tests. All other young people were either in interim education provision or were resident at specialist residential resources that do not participate in the national tests. One young person was in secure training and did not take the tests. Critical to improving performance at this Key Stage is to ensure that all children have the opportunity to take the tests within the full range of educational provision.
v)The data indicates that 14 students (14%) in this group are working below the national attainment level 5 in all three tests at Key Stage 3. To improve the outcome for this key stage it will be important to support and advise schools to focus on competence, preparation, practice and attainment for this group. Carers also need to be encouraged by schools to participate in this process.