1st Edition

Breaking Barriers to Learning in Primary Schools An Integrated Approach to Children's Services

By Pat Hughes Copyright 2010
    288 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by David Fulton Publishers

    288 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by David Fulton Publishers

    288 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by David Fulton Publishers

    Breaking Barriers to Learning in Primary Schools takes an expert and informative look at the integrated children’s services agenda in practice in today’s primary schools. Examining the ways in which an increasing number of different professionals help to improve children’s life chances, the author examines the roles of those employed directly by the schools themselves, for instance Learning Mentors, HLTAs and Teaching Assistants, and those employed by health/social and other agencies, such as school nurses, Educational social workers, study support workers, school attendance workers and Educational Psychologists.

    Through an exploration of how each individual helps break down barriers to children’s learning, this book:

    • examines the growth and development of the children’s workforce
    • provides a broad and integrated view of the wider school network
    • explores the roles of individuals within the school workforce
    • makes links to Every Child Matters and Extended Schools initiatives
    • provides evidences of breaking down barriers, through interviews and studies with those working at the heart of integrated schools
    • presents an analysis of recent statistics relating to children’s lives
    • gives practical advice for good practice throughout.

    An essential text for all those working in education and in training to become part of this wider school network, this book takes into account the findings of the recent Primary Reviews, government data and original research to fully explain how to build, maintain and successfully work with today’s primary children. It is an excellent text for Foundation Degree students as well as those studying Education Studies and those training to be teachers.

    Acknowledgements  Abbreviations  Introduction  1. The Wider Children’s Workforce  2. Setting the Scene: Differential Performance in Primary Schools  3. Tackling Poverty: From Beveridge to ECM  4. Learning and Concepts of Childhood  5. Identifying and lifting hidden curriculum barriers for children  6. Challenges for Primary Schools  Part 2  Introduction to Part 2  7. Teaching Assistants  8. Mentors  9. ‘An Exceptional Pastoral Care Team’: A Case Study  10. Attendance, Health and Study Support  11. Case Study – LA Integrated Working  12. Public Services: Police and Fire  13. Charity, Consultants and Volunteers  14. ‘Believe in Children’  Bibliography

    Biography

    Pat Hughes is Senior Lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, teaching on undergraduate and post-graduate initial teacher training courses as well as more generic undergraduate and post graduate Education Studies courses. She is a course leader for a Master’s Level Course in Integrated Children’s Services and is also a Non-Executive Director of a Primary Care Trust (NHS), which operates in a local authority where both health and social care share budgets. The authority is recognised nationally as a leader in this field of partnership.