How early intervention helps boys who fall behind not stand out
Emily Rogers
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Project prevents four- and five-year-old boys under-achieving at school, reduces behavioural problems and boosts learning.
Project
Stand Out Boys
Funding
£30,000 from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation to deliver the project to 31 children in its evaluation year
Background
Social enterprise the Boys' Development Project has worked with primary schools to raise boys' achievement for more than 10 years. It found increasing numbers were entering school struggling with issues such as compliance and poor language and social skills, and leaving with fewer skills and abilities. So it launched Stand Out Boys in an effort to tackle problems early on. "We're working on the basis many of the boys that stand out in reception will require an intervention if not now, then later," says project worker Trefor Lloyd. "So our view is: why wait?"
Action
The project started in a primary school in the London borough of Lewisham in September 2009. Lloyd begins by observing reception classes and talking to teachers to assess who is "standing out". A child might attract attention by ignoring the teacher, coming into conflict with peers or not engaging with other children.
By the end of the third week of term, Lloyd has a list of three children to work with in each class. He observes them in the classroom and playground, assessing them in four areas: discipline and ability to take instructions, relationship with adults, relationship with other children and communication skills.
He then works with teachers, parents and the children themselves. This could involve helping parents with appropriate methods of discipline, teaching the boys self-control techniques and giving teachers strategies to ensure boys understand what is expected of them.
He arranges a meeting with the parents of each child to build up a picture of what goes on at home. He gives them advice and practical strategies designed to change their children's patterns of behaviour and asks for weekly progress reports. "We want to raise parents' awareness enough so they can address any issues, without over-concerning them that there's 'something wrong' with their son," Lloyd explains.
He continues to observe the children at school regularly, discussing their progress with teachers. "The important thing we say to schools is we're aiming to change behaviour, rather than just manage it," he says. "Primaries have got very good at managing difficult behaviour, so there are lots of stickers, behaviour charts, reward charts and different kinds of incentives and punishments.
"But managing behaviour does not change it and, if anything, makes it more difficult, because the moment that structure is removed, there's a risk the challenging behaviour returns."
On entering reception, the children Lloyd works with are generally behind their peers when it comes to basic skills such as communication. His aim is to get them to at least the class average standard by the end of the year, working with them for about a term.
The project is now working in 13 reception classes across five schools. It is also running courses for school staff to enable them to deliver the programme themselves.
Outcome
An evaluation of the project published in January found evidence that boys who took part were performing much better than expected. The analysis by Boys' Development Project consultant Simon Forrest, looking at the first year of the scheme, included detailed data on 16 children.
Before the project, 43.8 per cent met or exceeded expectations for their age when it came to self-confidence and self-awareness, but that had increased to 100 per cent by the end of the year. All boys were also found to be meeting or exceeding targets for understanding, when previously just 31.3 per cent were on track. The same was true of speaking, when before just 37.5 per cent were at the expected level.
The biggest improvement was in "managing feelings and behaviour". Only 12.5 per cent met expectations in this area before intervention. But afterwards, that rose to 78.6 per cent.
Children who participated in Stand Out Boys ended up exceeding their peers' average scores in six out of eight areas: self-confidence; managing feelings and behaviour; listening and attention; speaking; moving and handling; and physical development.
Of the 31 reception children worked with in the evaluation year, only two were still "standing out" at the beginning of year one.
Project helps male pupils to catch up
Before and after results for 16 children who took part in Stand Out Boys in the scheme's first year
Percentage meeting or exceeding expectations for their age
Self-confidence and self-awareness
Before 43.8
After 100
Managing feelings and behaviour
Before 12.5
After 78.6
Source: Boys' Development Project
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