book reviews

Achievement for All in International Classrooms

Sonia Blandford Bloomsbury Academic, London (2017) Reviewed by Nicholas Forde

Professor Sonia Blandford is a distinguished educator and foremost expert on improving outcomes for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND). She is CEO of Achievement for All, as well as visiting professor at University College London Institute of Education. The AFA initiative is underpinned by the principles of ‘aspiration, access and achievement’ (the ‘3As’), committed to closing the gap at every level of the education system with professionals and parents working in partnership. Internationally, with OECD PISA rankings dominating the educational agenda for many countries, Achievement for All in International Classrooms provides an overview of the implementation and evaluation of the AFA framework in a variety of contexts, as a way of improving outcomes for all children.

Achievement for All is an educational charity which has developed the 3As framework and successfully tendered for the delivery of the programme in England via expert coaches and staff training programmes in schools. Since 2011, AFA has had significant impact, reaching three million children in seven countries. For international educators, the terminology used in the text (SEND) is one which reflects the context of England and Wales from where the AFA framework originates. That said, the approach is inclusive, and is grounded on raising aspiration and achievement for all.

The book is divided into seven parts. Throughout, it demonstrates the importance of the AFA framework, and how one or more of the four elements (leadership, teaching and learning, parent and carer engagement, wider outcomes and opportunities) can be operationalised. Part 1 describes the AFA framework, the four principles and the programme practices and expected evidence via a ‘virtuous circle’ of activity within schools. It also focuses on the differences in interpretation and implementation that exist internationally towards SEND, and proposes AFA as a way of providing leadership for inclusion. In Part 2, the background to implementation of AFA in England and Wales is useful for those who wish to see the impact of the initiative at a national level, sharpening the focus on aspiration and access, but also developing a whole community approach and culture of engagement.

Parts 3 and 4 broaden the focus of AFA internationally, to consider leadership in Lithuania through the Time for Leaders project, in addition to the Teaching and Learning for All project in Norway. In Part 5 the focus is upon parent and carer engagement in the USA, and distinguishing between engagement and parental involvement. This is then evaluated in Part 6, with a final case study which considers the impact of middle leadership on outcomes in South Korea. Part 7 returns to the central thrust of the book – to bring SEND into the classroom – and considers a number of recommendations for both policy and practice.

Although implementation of the framework is deeply contextual, throughout the text the application of part or all of the AFA framework to unique country settings demonstrates its huge potential for application. One of the key strengths of this book for educators working internationally is that the context is described in detail, and evidence for implementation of part or all of the 3As programme is evaluated, with narrative on the impact of the programme and further questions for consideration. Interestingly, a range of methodologies have been used in the evaluation of implementation, including ethnography along with more mainstream quantitative and qualitative evaluation. This helps bring the school settings to life for the reader.

Blandford concludes the book by returning to her opening comments about the need for a change in approach towards SEND, bringing it into the classroom. For this to happen, she recommends that school leaders have a strong vision for all students, backed by strong values with aspiration, access and achievement at the heart of leadership and professional development. Rather than viewing SEND as a ‘specialist’ area, Blandford challenges the notion that it concerns the needs of the few. In developing both policy and practice related to inclusion, schools need to examine their own definition and understanding of SEND, part of which may stem from statutory guidance, and to challenge all stakeholders’ practices and attitudes.