- “The sharpest eyes in education”
Jeevan Vasagar - Education Editor- The Guardian - “Timely, collaborative and effective”
Social Impact Report 2012 - “The ability to get our team excited about stats!”
Social Impact Report 2012 - “Readiness to share; enthusiasm for learning and commitment to young people"
Social Impact Survey 2011 - “A remarkable way of keeping us focused on what's really important”
Nikki Coupe- City Gateway - “Fantastic support, unquestionable knowledge delivered consistently"
Matt Skaife - City Gateway - “Kindness, understanding, intelligence, honesty and openness”
Jane Chiodi- Head of Yr, St. George’s RC School - “The sharpest eyes in education”
Jeevan Vasagar - Education Editor- The Guardian - "Sophisticated understanding of the field”
Social Impact Report 2012 - "Thorough, supportive, interested and knowledgeable”
Social Impact Report 2012 - “Informed, honest, pragmatic, evidence-led & challenging, a breath of fresh air”
Social Impact Report 2012 - “Foundational to our Ofsted success”
David Howard - City Gateway - “The sharpest eyes in education”
Jeevan Vasagar - Education Editor- The Guardian - “A measurable improvement in Teaching and Learning”
Jon Skaife- City Gateway - "A strong bridge between people working on the ground and current ideas in policy”
Social Impact Survey 2011 - “Excellent education professionals who share best practice”
Social Impact Survey 2012 - “Tireless commitment”
Jane Chiodi - Head of Yr 9, St. George’s RC School - “Great staff who are incredibly friendly and know lots”
Social Impact Survey 2012 - “Adaptability and can-do attitude”
Social Impact Survey 2011
Educational Aspirations and Parental Engagement
Schools and policy-makers in England put a lot of effort into ‘raising aspirations’ to increase achievement among disadvantaged pupils. However, this is based on false assumptions about low aspirations – the real challenge for disadvantaged young people is achieving their aspirations.
In this "Viewpoint" report for the Joseph Rowntree I share examples of how schools are focusing on this area.
Click here to download the report
The crux of my argument is that we should shift from Model A to Model B:
We should engage with parents to help them understand what their children’s aspirations involve and what will help achieve them.
Engagement is most effective when:
- It is collaborative, builds strong relationships and focuses on learning.
- Schools meet parents on their own terms by tapping into their needs and interests, creating environments that feel comfortable to them and involving other members of their community.
Where other interventions are used, they should focus on keeping pupils’ aspirations on track rather than just ‘inspiring’ them. Such strategies might include:
- High-quality careers advice, work experience and work-related learning.
- Skilled, learning-focused mentoring.
I have also written a blog for The New Statesman cautioning against using the myth of "poverty of aspirations" to explain away poverty.
