RE:educate by Action to Regenerate Community Trust

RE:educate

A school’s companion for citizenship education, leadership and enterprise

Companion for Schools

Introduction    Schools need to be vibrant centres of innovation that will capture the imagination  of children and families in communities and support them to take responsibility  for their future. The root cause of many of the problems we face in society today  can only be tackled through new and innovative approaches to education.    Imagine a school where the Governors and teachers are facilitators and the pupils  and their families take responsibility for their school, their learning and ultimately  their future.    RE:generate’s Companion for Schools will support schools to develop leadership,  enterprise, and engagement.  Central to this companion is the delivery of  effective active citizenship education that focuses on personal development,  action in the school and community and an interrelationship with the regional,  national and global society. Encouraging leadership and personal growth that  leads to social action based around the collective concerns and aspirations of  young people, schools and the communities that they serve is necessary if we are  to truly turn around these schools, tackle the root causes of disengagement and  ensure that young people leave school not faced by a lack of prospects but with  options, experience and leadership skills.     This companion will show schools how to:    •  Engage more effectively with learners and the wider school  community  •  Develop relationships between the school and local community that  will increase participation  •  Support the growth of leadership structures that impact on how the  school operates   •  Increase opportunities for pupils to engage with school life and have  the opportunity to develop a range of skills to be effective within  their own lives, school and the wider community.

Root SolutionTM

Companion for Schools

Listening in Schools  Transforming attitudes and behaviour – improving  relationships      Listening Matters is a system that can transform attitudes and behaviours if  applied effectively and rigorously over a significant period of time. Applied  holistically, Listening Matters will provide a system for building relationships  between all people in a community. Relationships will be built on trust, mutual  respect and understanding and will develop an open dialogue for people to  express their feelings and have a say over their lives.    Over a two year period within a school Listening Matters will develop a network  of engaged individuals from across the school and local community who will start  to take action that will impact on the way things are done.  Deep and respectful  listening about what people love about their community, what they are  concerned about and what their aspirations are for the future will develop a  dialogue of positivity and critical reflection.    This positivity and critical reflection will allow people the opportunity to think  about what they can build on and what their motivations are for change.  Catalysing people’s motivations and building on their positivity is crucial if  attitudes and behaviours are to be challenged and change is to happen.    The Listening Matters system will be delivered alongside an Active Citizenship  Scheme of work that will develop the knowledge and understanding required for  individuals to take action.     This Scheme of work will be progressive over a three year period and will  underpin the Listening Matters system through academic understanding and  practical application. This practical application will have a number of  transformative exercises that will encourage teamwork, constructive dialogue,  collective action and a desire to achieve negotiated shared outcomes.

Root SolutionTM

Companion for Schools

One child’s journey

What can I do on my own?    Year 1:     I was stopped by one of my friends who had been chosen to help with the new  project that the school was developing. I never got chosen for anything like this – I  wasn’t ‘sensible’ enough.     My friend asked me what I loved about the school and the community, what  concerned me and what I wanted to see happening.  I told him. There was nothing  going on for us that we wanted to do, no‐one ever listened to us and we had  nothing to do on an evening when school was over. I was then asked if I wanted  to be involved. Of course I said yes. It was great for me for the first time to be able  to have a say about what goes on and then to be able to do something about it.     My friend asked me if I could find some other people who could join and before  long I had met 5 new people who were keen to help me to develop the things we  wanted.    Whilst we were doing this we learned about lots of new things in the classroom  about how we could get involved and do things. It was great. We learnt about our  local area, what goes on and who makes decisions about it! It’s different to what I  was told, my parents always said that there is no point in getting involved because  nothing gets done. I learned how to speak to the local council and Councillors to  see if we can start to make the changes that we wanted to see in our area.     In class we spent a long time developing a project that was about music, theatre  and drama. We wanted to show people from our area what could be achieved if  we got together. A lot of people I know were doing campaigns about the  problems in our community; drugs, alcohol and violence.     Another group of people that I know decided that they would do some listening in  the supermarket near the school. They found out that the staff at the  supermarket were really concerned about the numbers of young people who  were stealing from the shop. The group told some of the people that I had been  working with about this and we agreed to develop a relationship with the shop to  help them develop a security system in partnership with the school to prevent  theft.     At the end of the year we decided that we would work with some of the campaign  groups and put on a show that would start to show people about the concerns of

Root SolutionTM

Companion for Schools  young people in the area. We sold tickets, invited loads of people from the  council, the school, the local authority and from the area and made money for  other people’s projects. The supermarket also donated £100 and food so that we  could prepare food for people!    It was great – we had started to get a team of people that were helping others  and really having a say over what goes on.      Year 2:    This is when it got really exciting. Everyone who had been working really hard  listening to others and developing projects were invited to come together to  develop our own leadership structure. We spent a long time developing this – we  did it in our own time; after school, during lunch and sometimes we were even  given the time off class!    We have developed a structure and we use this to listen to the new pupils in the  school. We support them to develop the things that they want to see and also use  it to tell them about the things that we all developed. It’s a great way for them to  find out and have an opportunity to get involved.    We are also working with the school governors and parents in the local  community to help the school to develop. We have started to help people to  make decisions about the things that affect us. And we know it is what people  want because we have listened to over 1000 people.      Year 3    In year 3 we had a really strong team of people from across years 7, 8 and 9. We  are all really active in doing different things that are starting to have a positive  impact on what goes on. We are working with all the local shops and some are  selling the products that we have created, we have a really good relationship with  the local sports centre who allow us to use their outdoor area for the sports  projects, we also work with the police, youth service and churches.     I never thought that I would be doing this. I was the one who didn’t get involved.  At times I was badly behaved and rebelled. Now I know the importance of being  involved and having a say. I am mentoring and supporting the younger pupils to  be engaged, have a say and most importantly get involved.     I am moving into my final two years at school now and what this whole process  has taught me is going to be really important for my exams. I am thinking of doing

Root SolutionTM

Companion for Schools  business and enterprise as one of my options. I know that I am well prepared for  this. Some of my other friends are doing history, politics and the sciences. All the  work we have done has prepared us to learn – and if we are stuck we now know  what to do…

… Get together and work with others to do something about it!

Root SolutionTM

Companion for Schools

Why engage?  What’s the point…    ‘Social Disadvantage has a huge impact on educational outcomes.’ Daniel Muijs    Engaging effectively in communities has a significant impact on the way  communities operate. Positive relationships are built, negative behaviours are  challenged and capacity is built in individuals to start to tackle some of the issues  that they face for themselves.    This is the same for schools. Engaging effectively with learners, staff and the wider  community will have a significantly positive impact on the outcomes and  achievement of the school.    Schools have a duty to promote community cohesion under the Education and  Inspections Act 2006 both within the school community and the community that  the school serves. RE:generate’s Choreography provides the necessary tools for  schools to meet their obligations towards promoting community cohesion.

OfSTED Requirements    Under OfSTED regulations, OfSTED inspectors will assess the contributions made  by the school towards promoting community cohesion through:     •  teaching, learning and curriculum – promoting common values and  understanding   •  equity and excellence – ensuring equal opportunities for all  •  engagement and ethos – promoting meaningful interactions between  people  from different backgrounds     Inspectors will be looking at the ways in which schools meet these different  challenges.  They will consider what the school knows about the communities it  serves, how it has used that knowledge to promote community cohesion and  serve the needs of its users, and how it measures the success of its strategy.   Schools’ self‐evaluation will be vital in identifying strengths and areas for  improvement.     The OfSTED guidance also places greater emphasis on: the importance of learners’  views; establishing a clear connection between a school’s analysis of needs in  their immediate communities and its subsequent actions; and the need for  evidence about the teaching and learning, for example in citizenship or religious  education will include consideration of questions relating to learners’ and/or  parents’ perceptions of community cohesion in future surveys.

Root SolutionTM

Companion for Schools    The Listening Matters system will:    •  Provide a robust and effective mechanism for the collation of people’s  needs and aspirations  •  Provide a system for data analysis and use that will inform delivery of  services  •  Create a platform for people to engage more effectively in the future

The School Governors    The school governing body is legally responsible for ensuring that the school  meets the duty to promote community cohesion, with the head teacher taking  responsibility for operational management of the duty. Governors have a key role  in supporting the school as it improves its effectiveness in promoting community  cohesion. Forging partnerships across the local community is a central part of  community cohesion work and governors can contribute to extending the school's  network of local partners.     The Education and Inspections Act 2006 requires schools in England to promote  community cohesion, whilst taking into account the local area's Children and  Young People's plan. Governors should make sure that the school's strategic plans  are informed by the local area plans. Every Child Matters (ECM) should already be  embedded in school planning and community cohesion work closely links with the  ECM outcomes.    The Listening Matters system will:    •  Help to identify new leaders who will be able to support the school to  develop its strategic vision in line with the needs and aspirations of  the local community  •  Support people to engage more effectively with leadership structures  and other partners and agencies  •  Underpin the ECM agenda by placing the child at the heart of the  community that the process helps to create.

Root SolutionTM