National Quality Indicators
HGIOS? (third edition) has updated the national quality indicators (QIs) in recognition of the positive developments in Scottish education in relation to self evaluation. One important difference between this edition of How good is our school? and previous editions, is the increased focus on impact and outcomes, particularly the broad outcomes for learners within A Curriculum for Excellence1 and the vision statement for Scotland’s children.2
HGIOS? (third edition) has evolved by adopting a framework for self-evaluation common to all public services. The framework of indicators is based on six high-level questions:
The first two questions are particularly important because they focus on the achievements of services in relation to their key purpose, and the overall impact of services on children and young people, parents and the community at large. Used in conjunction with the framework for self-evaluation, the QIs along with selected National Care Standards (NCSs), provide an integrated and comprehensive approach for residential special schools and secure care accommodation services to use when evaluating the effectiveness of their provision.
National Quality Indicators, National Care Standards and focused themes
Residential special schools, or school care accommodation services and secure care accommodation services, are regulated by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (‘the Care Commission’) following the introduction of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. The Act included the power to make regulations imposing requirements in relation to all care services. In regulating these services, Care Commission officers and staff in the schools use National Care Standards for School Care Accommodation Services to evaluate the quality of their provision. The standards are based on a set of principles, dignity, privacy, choice, safety, realising potential and equality and diversity. In addition, Care Commission officers evaluate specific themes, such as approaches to care planning and child protection.
During integrated inspections of services in the sector HM Inspectors and Care Commission officers use QIs, NCSs and specific areas of focus to reach a shared decision about their evaluation of the quality of provision and practice across care and education for each establishment. The framework for inspection shows how QIs, NCSs and any specific focus for inspection have been brought together to ensure that there is close scrutiny around the critical interface between care and education. For example, areas of QI 5.4 ‘meeting learning needs’ and NCS 6 ‘support arrangements’ must be considered together in order that the evaluation takes account of the links across targets set within plans for care, health and learning. This process helps to inform those who are making the evaluation to know how well staff are working together to meet the holistic needs of children and young people. Evaluations of the NCS 7, ‘Management and staffing’ and the QI 9.1, ‘Leadership’, when taken together, give a clear picture of how well approaches to care and education are given equitable status by leaders of the service at all levels.
A Curriculum for Excellence (ACE) within residential special schools and secure care accommodation services
The paper produced in May 2006 by the secure forum sub-group Towards A Curriculum for Excellence within Secure Accommodation3 summarises the context and key features of residential special and secure services as follows:
In evaluating the quality of services across care and education, staff must give careful consideration to these key features.
The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004
This Act introduced a new framework to provide for children and young people who require additional support with their learning. The definition of additional support needs (ASN) provided in the Act is a broad one. The definition includes children and young people in residential special schools and secure services because they require additional support to that which would normally be provided in a school to ensure that they make progress in their learning. The Scottish Executive’s Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice (2005)4 provides helpful guidance for agencies on the implementation of the terms of the Act. For those children and young people whose needs require significant additional support from more than one agency, local authorities have a duty to prepare a coordinated support plan (CSP). Many children and young people in residential special schools and secure accommodation services will be eligible for a CSP. Because the quality of transition is of key importance to all young people in this sector, all agencies should have regard to the relevant code of practice guidance on good practice in relation to transition.
No time to Lose: A Manifesto for children and young people looked after away from home (SIRCC 2006)
The Manifesto describes the real challenges faced by children and young people who are looked after away from home. It states that "Scottish society will reap the benefits if it invests in young people who are looked after away from home". The Manifesto seeks to ensure that looked after children and young people are provided with education services which can ensure that they have the best possible start in life, "Children and young people who have lived in care must have the same life chances as all children in Scotland". Clearly residential special schools and secure care accommodation services have a duty to ensure they provide the best possible opportunities to some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Scotland.
Extraordinary Lives (SWIA 2006)
In his foreword to ‘Extraordinary Lives’ the Minister for Education and Young People states "I want to make sure that looked after children are part of the vision for all Scotland’s children: that is to be successful learners, responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals who are safe, nurtured, healthy and active, achieving, respected and responsible and included." One young person (Carrie) referring to the differences that particular teachers could make to the lives of looked after children is quoted in the document as saying: "She said to me ‘It’s only you that can change your future". The girl went on to say that the statement "sort of hit me … And it changed things somehow and I’ve never forgotten it." Staff in residential special schools and secure care accommodation services must be both professionally developed and prepared to help young people make these positive changes to their lives.
21st Century Social Work Review
In June 2004, Scottish Ministers initiated a fundamental review of social work services in the light of the increasing complexity and demand for services and as well as repeated messages arising from case reviews.
"What is driving this process is an absolute determination to change lives for the better. We are determined to make sure modern Scotland has social work services of the highest quality. That means a fundamental look. That means we will rule nothing in and nothing out." (Euan Robson, Deputy Minister for Education and Young People)
The report ‘Changing Lives’ made 13 recommendations which set a new direction for social work services in Scotland. The report focused on the need for a multi-agency approach, driven by committed and imaginative leadership across the public, voluntary and private sectors to implement fully the recommendations. There were three over-riding conclusions which called for the development of:
Residential special schools and secure accommodation services should recognise these recommendations and in particular, ensure a commitment to continuous professional development and an improvement in the quality of collaborative work. Through the use of this guide they should also know how to evaluate their services sufficiently well enough to engage in a high level of professional dialogue during inspection activity.
Looked after children and young people: we can and must do better (SEED 2007)
The report published in 2007 by the Ministerial working group, ‘Looked after children: we can and we must do better’ highlights the following notable messages. In the effective support of looked after children and young people, these are:
Effective residential special schools are already highly committed to working towards meeting all of these important elements. The outcomes in relation to education show clearly that children and young people who are looked after and educated in residential schools and secure accommodation services have access to a stable and generally broad curriculum, and achieve and attain better in relation to other groups of children and young people who are looked after. Clearly, attendance is no longer an issue for such children. They access a full-time curriculum, participate in a good range of extra curricular activities and have good opportunities to make appropriate relationships within a stable group of staff, trained to meet their complex needs. Importantly, these schools have understood the need to develop a broad range of programmes within a positive ethos which promote the personal, social, emotional and behavioural needs of looked after and looked after and accommodated children and young people. In many residential schools and secure units there is an increasing commitment to undertake sophisticated individualised assessments to identify and respond to the mental health needs of children and young people. Most schools are developing a robust key worker/teacher/team system which helps to ensure clarity of role and responsibility, particularly in relation to integrated planning and monitoring of progress, along with each young person. These developments are completely in line with the principles of ‘Getting it Right for Every Child’5. Residential special schools and secure accommodation services are now working towards achieving a better understanding of what these roles mean in relation to the delivering of ACE across 24 hours. Through-care and after-care is a growing area of work which, in best practice, links to work in classrooms to do with preparation for work, partnership with Careers Scotland and links with colleges of education. Many residential schools are at the stage of developing the underlying processes which can lead to a positive impact on the quality of life for looked after children and young people. This guide will support them to improve their approaches and, in particular, disseminate good practice and ensure consistently very good practice. However, the quality of the nature of partnership between the sector and the corporate parent, that is the placing authority, requires considerable improvement. The tool-kit in this guide takes account of all of the issues raised in the Ministerial report.
How good is our school?: The Journey to Excellence (2006)
In March 2006, HMIE published practical advice to those schools which are aspirinig to achieve excellence. This publication, How good is our school? The Journey to Excellence, uses ten dimensions which describe the features of an excellent school. It makes reference to several aspects of best practice in the residential and secure sector. For example, it describes home-school partnership (that is learning opportunities in the evenings) in one school as follows: ‘One residential school provided additional learning experiences on three nights per week to allow students to pursue practical craft activities and gardening. Pupils attended these classes enthusiastically. This enhanced the school’s daytime curriculum, increased opportunities for accreditation and also developed specific interests and strengths in some pupils.’ The ten dimensions described in The Journey to Excellence focus on the key contributory factors which help children and young people to learn and to achieve success. Appendix 3 in this document guides services to relevant chapters in The Journey to Excellence as one means of taking forward the quality of their service following comprehensive self-evaluation.
Conclusion
There is much support and agreement that children and young people placed in school care accommodation services and secure services should have the best quality of provision. Given the concern expressed in Care and Education and Improving Scottish Education about the poor quality of self-evaluation in this sector this guide has been written to help these services and placing authorities to continue to improve practice and achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. The sources of advice and the strategies presented later in the guide will support services to make improvements so that they can take the sector further along the road on its journey to excellence.