ERIC Number: EJ1009134
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jan
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1741-1432
EISSN: N/A
The Impact of "Achievement for All" on School Leadership
Blandford, Sonia
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, v41 n1 p45-62 Jan 2013
The "Achievement for All" (AfA) pilot initiative, delivered in partnership by the Department for Education (DfE), (formerly the Department for Children, Schools and Families [DCSF]), National Strategies and the National College (NCSL), aims to increase the attainment and progress of children in schools with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND); improve the engagement of their parents with the school and improve wider outcomes for this group of children. Introduced in September 2009 as a two year pilot in 454 primary, secondary and special schools and Pupil Referral Units across 10 Local Authorities in England, AfA, with a particular focus on inclusive leadership practice, takes a whole school approach to school improvement. The population included pupils in Years 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 identified with SEND on School Action, School Action Plus or holding Statements; 85 per cent of the participating schools are primary. Guided by government documentation (DCSF, 2009a) and local authority advisers, schools have implemented the initiative around three distinct but integrated strands: assessment, tracking and interventions; structured conversations with parents and provision for developing wider outcomes. By considering focus group data evidence from headteachers/school project leaders across the participating local authorities, this article will explore the impact of AfA on inclusive leadership practices in schools. Findings suggest that although vision, commitment, collaboration and communication remain self evident for the majority of leaders, within the context of AfA, these characteristics of effective inclusive leadership along with pupil learning have been enhanced. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Educational Attainment, Special Education, Special Needs Students, Parent Participation, Academic Achievement, Foreign Countries, Elementary Secondary Education, Pilot Projects, Inclusion, Instructional Leadership, Program Evaluation, Intervention, Focus Groups, Structured Interviews, Disabilities, Goal Orientation, Parent School Relationship, Principals, Leadership Effectiveness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A