Recent DCSF figures have shown improvements in exam results for looked after children. But just as the mountain seems scaleable, so results for non-looked after children have surged ahead, leaving the percieved gap just as wide as ever.
In 2004 a government survey of 1000 schools showed that the main problem for schools in helping looked after children to benefit from education was the unmanageable behaviour of the children. And the vast majority of the teachers surveyed recognised the origins of the behaviour in the traumatic experiences these children have lived through, but felt they did not know how to address the problems in school.
In 2008 Akamas conducted an impact evaluation of online training we provide to anyone working with vulnerable and traumatised children. This provided clear evidence that the right training delivered to the right people does make a difference to the way people work, and that makes a difference to the outcomes for children.
Just one example we discovered was a young person behaving in ways that severely disrupted school life two or three times a day and they were on the verge of exclusion. When those working most closely with the child changed the way they worked these incidents became much less severe and dropped in frequency to one or two a fortnight. The young person also became more able to manage their own behaviour, and this made for more positive outcomes during the school day.
In my view, the key to this success is that the new knowledge is not just held by one person, but is shared by as many as possible who form the network around the child. Designated teachers have a vital role in this and training will become a key element in enabling them to manage their new responsibilities successfully.
Tags: DCSF, Designated Teachers, education, looked after children
