Headteachers talk about their experiences of Poverty Proofing

Summary

The 'Poverty Proofing the School Day' program, developed by Children Northeast, aims to combat educational barriers faced by disadvantaged students. It encourages schools to implement changes based on student feedback to ensure no child is excluded due to economic status. The process has led to significant improvements in attendance and staff attitudes, creating a more equitable and supportive environment for all students, regardless of their background.

Takeaways

• 🏫 The 'Poverty Proofing the School Day' program has been developed by Children Northeast to combat barriers to learning faced by disadvantaged students.
• 🌟 The mission of the program is to ensure that no school activity should identify, exclude, or treat children differently based on their household income.
• 🗣️ The process involves speaking to every student and using their feedback to facilitate change in the school environment.
• 👶 It addresses the increase in deprivation and hardship faced by families, aiming to challenge and change the school's thinking on basic day-to-day issues.
• 💧 Practical changes include providing every student with a water bottle and changing the policy on bags to ensure equality.
• 📈 The program has led to improvements in attendance, with one school reporting a four percentage point increase.
• 👣 The experience of 'walking in somebody else's shoes' was revealing and challenged the professional mindset of educators.
• 🎓 The head teacher emphasizes the importance of being more creative and supportive to ensure no child is disadvantaged due to their economic background.
• 📉 Feedback from the process was difficult for some, as it highlighted the impact of seemingly simple behaviors on disadvantaged children.
• 🔑 The program has resulted in a change in staff attitudes and practices, making the school day less of a strain and stress for parents.
• 📝 The suggestions from the poverty proofing process are not judgments but are aimed at improving the school to be more equitable for all students.
• 👥 The program has impacted the school's day-to-day life, including the approach to lessons and structural changes like the split lunch.
• 📈 There has been a reduction in behavioral issues and an increase in attendance figures, which is believed to be linked to the awareness and changes brought by the poverty proofing.
• 💌 The script encourages other schools to consider poverty proofing, emphasizing its transformative potential and the benefits it brings to creating an equitable educational environment.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the 'Poverty Proofing the School Day' program?

The main purpose is to combat barriers to learning that disadvantaged students face, ensuring no activity in school excludes, treats differently, or makes assumptions about children from lower-income households.

How does the 'Poverty Proofing the School Day' process involve students?

The process involves speaking to every single student and using their feedback, or 'student voice,' to facilitate change within the school.

What was the initial reaction of the head teachers and senior leaders to the poverty proofing process?

Initially, they found it fascinating but a bit scary to hear the perspectives and words of the children, as it challenged their thinking on basic day-to-day aspects of school life.

What practical changes were implemented in the school as a result of poverty proofing?

Practical changes included providing everyone with the same kind of water bottle and changing the policy on bags to ensure no child felt excluded due to their economic background.

How did the school's attendance improve after implementing poverty proofing measures?

Attendance improved significantly, with one school reporting an increase of four percentage points, by addressing the reasons behind poor attendance and making the school more inclusive.

What impact did the poverty proofing process have on the staff's approach to planning?

The staff became more creative and supportive, always considering the perspective of the most disadvantaged child when planning activities, both in the short and long term.

What was the hardest part of the poverty proofing process for the staff?

The hardest part was receiving feedback that revealed the impact of seemingly simple questions and behaviors on disadvantaged children, which was difficult to hear.

How did the head teacher's perspective change after going through the poverty proofing process?

The head teacher was able to articulate their mission to make a difference in social mobility more clearly, realizing the deep impact that small daily actions can have on disadvantaged students.

What was the staff's reaction to the feedback received during the poverty proofing process?

The feedback was less comfortable, requiring the staff to look at things from a different perspective and be prepared to change their attitudes and behaviors.

How did the poverty proofing process change the school's approach to daily school life and lessons?

The process led to a change in staff attitudes and behaviors, making them more considerate of the needs of the most disadvantaged students in all aspects of school life, including lessons and lunch arrangements.

What advice would the head teacher give to other schools considering poverty proofing?

The head teacher would advise other schools to go for it, as it has been transformative in creating an equitable environment where every child has the opportunity to reach their potential.

Outlines

00:00

🏫 Poverty Proofing for Inclusive Education

The script discusses a program called 'Poverty Proofing the School Day' developed by Children Northeast to address the learning barriers faced by disadvantaged students. The mission is to prevent any school activities from excluding or treating children differently based on their household income. The process includes engaging with every student to facilitate change using their feedback. The script shares experiences from head teachers who have seen improvements in attendance and student behavior after implementing poverty proofing. It emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing the needs of students from all backgrounds to create a more equitable and supportive school environment.

05:02

🌟 Transforming School Culture Through Poverty Proofing

This paragraph highlights the transformative impact of poverty proofing on school culture and daily operations. It describes how the process involves non-invasive interactions with students during assemblies, lunchtimes, and playtimes, as well as meetings with parents and governors. The paragraph emphasizes the personal commitment of educators to ensure no child is disadvantaged due to financial constraints and encourages other schools to adopt poverty proofing. It concludes with a call to action for schools to get in touch for more information, reflecting on the positive behavioral and attendance outcomes linked to a more aware and inclusive school culture.

Keywords

💡Poverty Proofing

Poverty Proofing is a program developed to address and combat the barriers to learning faced by disadvantaged students. It aims to ensure that no school activities exclude or treat children differently based on their household income. In the video, it is described as a process involving student feedback to facilitate change, which has led to practical changes in school policies and attitudes, such as providing water bottles to all students and changing bag policies to be more inclusive.

💡Disadvantaged Students

Disadvantaged students refer to children whose household income is lower than others, and who may face additional barriers to learning. The video emphasizes the mission of the Poverty Proofing program to ensure that these students are not identified, excluded, or treated differently in school activities. The impact of the program is seen in improved attendance and a more equitable school environment for these students.

💡Student Voice

Student Voice in the context of the video refers to the active involvement and feedback of students in the Poverty Proofing process. It is described as 'rich' and 'powerful,' highlighting its importance in driving change within the school. The video mentions that the process involves speaking to every single student, using their perspectives to inform and improve school policies.

💡Head Teachers

Head Teachers, as mentioned in the video, are school leaders who have been through the Poverty Proofing process and have witnessed its impact on their schools. They are key figures in implementing changes and ensuring that the program's goals are met, as they are responsible for the overall direction and policies of the school.

💡Deprivation

Deprivation in the video script refers to the state of being in need or lacking necessary resources, particularly in the context of families facing financial hardship. The school noticed an increase in deprivation among their families, which was a catalyst for exploring solutions like Poverty Proofing to address the challenges faced by these families and their children.

💡Attendance

Attendance in the video is highlighted as a significant issue for disadvantaged students, with poor attendance being linked to the hardships faced by their families. The Poverty Proofing program has led to an improvement in attendance, suggesting that the changes implemented have made school a more welcoming and inclusive place for all students.

💡Social Mobility

Social Mobility is the ability of individuals to improve their social status, typically in terms of income, occupation, or education. The video mentions that the head teacher entered the profession with the aim of making a difference in terms of social mobility, and the Poverty Proofing program has provided a clear pathway to articulate and achieve this goal.

💡Pupil Voice

Pupil Voice is a concept in the video that emphasizes the importance of students asking each other questions and sharing their experiences. This approach is contrasted with the more traditional teacher-student interaction and is seen as a valuable method for gathering insights into the students' experiences and needs.

💡Staff Training

Staff Training in the context of the video refers to the professional development provided to teachers and other school staff as part of the Poverty Proofing process. This training gives staff insight into the students' experiences and helps them understand the impact of their actions and policies on the students, which is described as 'priceless' in terms of its value.

💡Equity

Equity in the video is about creating a school environment where every child has the opportunity to participate and succeed, regardless of their socio-economic background. The Poverty Proofing program aims to transform the school into an equitable place, ensuring that financial constraints do not limit any child's opportunities.

💡Behavior Figures

Behavior Figures in the script refer to the statistics related to student conduct and discipline within the school. The video mentions a reduction in behavior issues as a result of the Poverty Proofing program, suggesting that creating a more inclusive and understanding environment can have positive effects on student behavior.

Highlights

Poverty proofing is a program developed by Children Northeast to combat barriers to learning faced by disadvantaged students.

The mission is to ensure no school activity excludes or treats children from lower-income households differently.

The process involves speaking to every student and using their input to facilitate change.

Head teachers and senior leaders share their experiences with the poverty proofing process and its impact on schools.

Schools noticed an increase in deprivation and implemented practical changes like providing water bottles and changing bag policies.

Attendance improved significantly after considering the perspectives of disadvantaged students.

The process challenges basic assumptions and day-to-day practices in schools.

Teachers are encouraged to 'walk in somebody else's shoes' to understand the impact of their actions.

Feedback from the process was difficult but crucial for understanding the impact of simple behaviors on disadvantaged children.

Teachers are now more aware of the importance of social mobility and the role they play in it.

The poverty proofing process has led to a change in staff attitudes and practices.

The school aims to remove financial stress for parents, ensuring there is no cost to attend.

Poverty proofing is not an inspection but provides suggestions for improving the school environment.

The audit is a significant pupil voice activity, enhancing staff understanding of student experiences.

Poverty proofing has impacted school life, including lesson approaches and structural changes like split lunch.

The process is non-invasive, with team members interacting with students and parents in various school settings.

Personal reflections from staff highlight the realization of unintentional barriers created by well-intentioned actions.

The ultimate goal is to ensure no child is disadvantaged due to financial constraints and to allow them to reach their potential.

The speaker strongly recommends poverty proofing to other schools for its transformative effects.

There has been a noticeable reduction in behavioral issues and an increase in attendance figures linked to the process.

The school culture has become more aware of the challenges children face when living in poverty.

Encouragement for schools to consider poverty proofing for its potential benefits and the ease of implementation.

Transcripts

poverty proofing the school day is a

program that's been developed by

children northeast over the last six

years to look at ways to combat the

barriers to learning that are

disadvantaged students are facing our

mission is to ensure that no activity or

planned activity in school should

identify exclude treat differently or

make assumptions about children whose

household income is lower than others

the process of poverty proofing the

school day involves speaking to every

single student and using that rich

student voice and that powerful student

voice to facilitate change this is an

account of head teachers and senior

leaders who have been through the

poverty proofing process and seen the

impact that it has in their schools as a

school we've been noticing an increase

in deprivation and hardship for our

families and we found out about poverty

proofing through the deals teaching

school aligns it was fascinating but it

was a little bit scary to hear the

perspectives and the words of our

children it very much challenged our

thinking and on some very basic

day-to-day things we absolutely did the

practical things we provide everybody

with a water bottle now the same kind of

water bottle and we changed the policy

on bags we looked at what school looked

like for them and why they did why

attendance was poor why they didn't want

to come into school and attendance has

improved out of all recognition I think

our decide run a children's attendance

has gone up by four percentage points to

walk in somebody else's shoes was very

revealing and so for me professionally

we have that in the back of our mind all

the time when we are planning at the

short medium and long term we're not

cutting down on things we're trying to

offer things but we're trying to be more

creative and more supportive with over

1,800 students so we've got very

advantage students and we also have

children from very disadvantaged areas

too

I think for me that the hardest part of

the whole process was the feedback

realizing the impact of some simple

questions and some simple behaviors can

have on a child in a disadvantage that

was really hard to hear and I think for

me person that was the biggest impact

that the tiny little things that we do

incorrectly each day that can have such

deep impact on disadvantaged students as

a teacher I want I came into the

profession to make a difference I came

into the profession to make a difference

in terms of social mobility but I think

it's been allowed me now as a head

teacher to articulate that far more

clearly we have quite high levels of

disadvantage in the area also quite high

levels of things of children need and

children and try protection things like

that June and the poverty proof in

August on some levels it was really

excellent because this stuff was lovely

they fit right into the school and the

children enjoyed the experience they

enjoyed being talked to the governor's

enjoyed it they were very interested

they came in the feedback itself was

less comfortable and I think that that's

something that me you know what people

need to be prepared for it's almost as

if we sort of have to peel off our Rose

tinted glasses in a way and look at

things in a different perspective and in

a different way the impact that poverty

proof has had on our school is a change

in stuff attitudes and everything that

the staff do now I don't even have to

say to them think about that from the

perspective of the purest child in the

school because they automatically do

that I feel that our school day isn't a

strain and a stress for parents they're

not thinking of the cost there isn't

there isn't a cost to come into this

school which is right that's what we're

aiming for and I do think that that is

the case now what you get with poverty

proofing it's not an Ofsted it's not an

inspection it's not even a judgment you

get a list of suggestions about how we

could make our already great school

better we're a relatively small school

of about 530 pupils and our catchment is

quite diverse and we have pupils that

come from towns we have people that come

from villages so they bring with them

quite a different experience quite a

diverse experience the audit itself was

a huge pupil voice activity but the

staff training give staff a real insight

into what the pupils were experiencing

in the poverty proofing week when we do

pupil voice it tends to be teachers

asking pupils poverty proofing is not

like that poverty proofing is pupils

asking pupils questions and for teachers

to have that knowledge and in terms of

staff training it's priceless

poverty proofing has impacted our school

massively and I suppose the biggest ways

and its impact this is in our day to day

school life the way that we approach

lessons and after the split lunch which

is a a structural change to our day the

impact of poverty proofing is felt

across all aspects in all subjects of

our provision from the little things are

the big things we have 7 to 11 year old

children and a significant portion of

our children come from and the super out

the area which is very high decoration

and what people premium is almost double

the national average during the poverty

proofing our day it was really

non-invasive and with the book that not

seen anyone here through a lot of the

time announcing the team spent time in

in assemblies they spent trying

with the children at lunchtime they have

that have the lunches with them they

went out to play time they met with

parents before and after school less

about two governors who dropped into

school as they usually do and spoke to

staff around the school as well you

think you doing things in the right way

and you do things for purpose but then

realize when you're published proof that

actually creating another barrier

personally I don't want any child in our

school to ever be disowned from church

because they haven't got any money and I

don't want them to miss out on any

opportunities I want them to be able to

reach their potential what I would say

to any school that was considering or

wavering whether they should or

shouldn't do the poverty proofing and

hold it is absolutely go for it

this implore audit transform to your

school into an equitable place where

every child gets the opportunity to do

anything that they want to do I would

totally recommend it to all schools you

are absolutely nothing to lose

poverty proof and has been the best

thing that we've done though I've seen a

real reduction in behavior figures and a

real increase in our tendin figures and

I do think that's directly linked to the

work the culture and the school be more

aware of how how children have to call

when they live in poverty undoubtedly if

you think it's the right thing for your

school go for it because it has been

probably one of the most cathartic

things that we've done at this school

for a long time

get in touch drop an email have a quick

conversation see what you think it's not

complicated it's not hard now you have

heard an account of what it's like to go

through the poverty proofing process at

your school to find out more please do

get in touch at poverty proofing co uk

and we look forward to hearing from you

you

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