Working With Others
31 Vale Road
Portslade
Brighton BN41 1GD
Phone 07817 363193

Family groups of schools across the south have successfully secured network money from inclusion, extended schools and deprivation funding to pay for both WWO membership and associated supply costs.

Schools within networks still have tailor-made training and support programmes and are able to top up with additional consultancy and places on our Basic Training Course.

Additional benefits to network membership include:

• locally based out of school training and support in your area
• basic training courses and co-ordinator meetings just for your network group
• builds closer network links among practitioners in your local area
• individual school evaluation as well as general network evaluation included

Looking to apply for funding for your network?

• Please feel free to get in touch - we are happy to meet with you to discuss this further
• we can put you in contact with networks who have successfully secured funding
• we can provide evidence, statistics and further information to assist you with your bidding process.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION IN RELATION TO LOCALITY GROUP INCLUSION PROJECTS

The following information highlights how WWO training and support can be used to promote inclusion across a family group of schools.

Rationale

Working With Others offers schools a personalised training and support structure for schools and staff teams.

Sustained training and support for staff teams offers a practitioner-focused, practical toolkit for understanding group processes.  Training and support from qualified WWO trainers enables practitioner understanding and confidence in the planning, composing and structuring of group tasks.  Practitioners are also supported in developing techniques to support pupils in joint problem solving, conflict resolution and behaviour management.

Grounded in research across foundation and all key stages, WWO’s evidence based process builds reflective, motivated and cohesive pupil groups and staff teams; it improves pupil learning, motivation, inclusion and social skills and builds stronger and more supportive inclusive staff teams.

WWO builds skills for life to whole school communities and locality groups.  The Working With Others team at the University of Brighton consists of Dr Cathy Ota (Director and Senior Research Fellow) and 5 full time qualified trainers.   Its approach to developing group work in schools is grounded in 6 years of extensive research across all age groups in foundation stage, primary, secondary and special schools.

Area of Focus
Developing effective groupwork skills for pupils and staff teams

Aims

• To build network links among headteachers, teachers and teaching assistants
• To develop communication skills in pupils and staff
• To develop effective groupwork skills To enable reflective practice among staff so as to develop their practice and relationships in their school
• To equip staff with practical strategies for working with whole classes and all groups of pupils
• To develop a whole school approach to exploring the potential of developing inclusive groupwork skills with children for their learning, behaviour and relationships with each other, both in and out of the classroom.

Targets and Target Groups

• Research evidence base indicates that the Working With Others approach can impact positively on
  • raising attainment and standards
  • pupil motivation
  • pupil relationships
  • pupil inclusion, specifically in relation to SEN, isolates and self-excluding pupils

Project Methodology

In signing up for one year membership to WWO schools receive a year of sustained training and support at different levels for all staff.

Informed by 6 years of research at the University of Brighton its approach to developing groupwork skills in schools utilises an action research model where a team of qualified WWO trainers work closely with staff across the year.

Membership packages are tailor-made in consultation with each school’s Headteacher and Senior Management Team.  Consultancy packages are focused specifically on the areas for development for each school.

Project monitoring and evaluation

School membership to WWO includes the following monitoring and evaluation:

• School and network reports - each school receives an interim (mid-year) and end of year report.  Networks receive a general report.
• Basic training course – practitioners on this course (minimum of two from each school) will be supported in noting thumbnail sketches of pupil skills across the year in order to monitor and evaluate impact of approach on pupils
• Co-ordinators – each school nominates WWO co-ordinator and at half-termly meetings with other wwo co-ordinators this person will be supported in monitoring and evaluating motivation and staff team responses to implementing the WWO approach in their school.
• Evaluations – from all courses and INSET delivery monitors quality of training and specific training and support needs of practitioners
• Consultancy packages incorporate a model of audit, implementation and evaluation
• Pupils – the WWO approach supports practitioners in developing pupil reflection and evaluation of their own and group learning.  In developing the WWO processes of pre- and de-briefing with their pupils, practitioners encourage pupil voice and participation in their own learning as well as greater awareness and sensitivity to supporting the learning of their peers.  Pupil interviews can be arranged at the beginning and end of year to provide further evidence of impact.

Associated risks

• WWO pull out working with the school: this is a low risk as membership to WWO is a contractual agreement between each school and the University of Brighton
• Practitioners move schools – schools have whole school membership.  Support and training is offered to the whole staff team instead of focused on one member of staff.  If a member of staff on a course leaves the school, another member of staff can take up their place.

Sustainability

• Pupils Research evidence from pupils and schools implementing a WWO approach demonstrates that pupils retain the skills they learn as they move into new classes and transition to new schools.
• Where a whole school implements this approach pupil skills are reinforced and deepened through consistency of approach across year groups and key stages.

Practitioners

• WWO training and support is delivered across the school year.  This ongoing support from WWO trainers, together with space for reflection and joint problem solving with other practitioners enables teachers and TAs to implement new ideas and develop confidence in incorporating this new approach in their practice.
• Practitioners meet regularly with their staff team and also with practitioners from other schools to problem solve challenges together and identify ways forward in implementing the approach with their pupils; this creates a peer support system to further embed and support practitioners.

Whole school

• Impact on pupils and practitioners is most effective where there is sustained training and support across a period of time.  This encourages consistency of approach across all year groups and supports practitioners in developing their practice.
• Where a whole school implements the approach there is a greater opportunity for positive impact even where there are changes to staffing and pupil intake and numbers change.

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