Leading assessment body GL Education states that “the success of young people’s educational experience is heavily determined by the attitudes they bring to their learning”. As educators, we know this to be a universal truth. Levels of confidence, motivation and perceived learning capabilities play a huge role in students’ success and their overall experience of school.
This will be the first of a three part series on eating the PIE, and will deal with the planning phase of pupil intervention.
Nothing beats quality first teaching within safe and ordered environments, but there will be times when individual pupils require specific, tailored interventions in order to help them make progress in their learning. It is hoped that these interventions are temporary measures which will result in learners having the necessary skills to fully access the curriculum. This is completely understandable as human beings experience different life events, develop at different rates and possess their own individual characteristics and traits. Human progress does not fit neatly into straight lines on graphs. The new Y7 child who has been looked after by several foster carers will have different needs than the Y10 teenager who has only known the love and support of two parents within a secure household.
As educators, we strive to ensure that all have a fighting chance of achieving the highest levels of educational success. To ensure this, we must plan our interventions thoughtfully and carefully. The rest of this post will devote itself to this phase of the process.
Planning interventions:
Healthy people don’t need a doctor. But how do you know who’s sick when they haven’t told you or you don’t know how to diagnose!?
The GL PASS assessment works as a brilliant diagnostic tool, helping you to identify exactly who requires support. Once you have the data, the ongoing and consistent work of planning interventions begins. GL also gives some guidance about how this can be done.
I found a useful tool online which I adapted. It can support the planning of interventions for individuals. You can download it here. It’s super simple to use (systems need not be complex).
The next post in the series will be related to implementing interventions. Until then, enjoy eating the PIE!
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You can find out more about GL student interventions here.