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Posted on December 18th 2018
HBAED Contributes to National Research on Education
Students and staff at HBAED have worked closely with research company LKMco to help them gain an insight into how to tackle under-performance in certain groups of boys.
The academy was chosen after another year of outstanding GCSE outcomes for its students. Through staff interviews and student panels at HBAED and a small group of other schools the research team were able to come up with clear national strategies to help improve underperformance for boys from black Caribbean backgrounds and white boys eligible for free school meals.
"We hope that our contribution to this research might help students up and down the country to have the same support and quality of teaching and learning that our students have," said Mr Brett.
Research shows that boys from black Caribbean backgrounds and white boys eligible for free school meals are more likely than many of their peers to experience exclusion and/or involvement in the criminal justice system. This can make it more difficult for them to find employment.
Strategies that work
The seven key strategies the research suggested to combat underperformance were:
- Enhancing pupils’ emotional wellbeing and mental health
- Working with parents and families and involving them in their children’s education
- Securing access to high quality early years provision
- Raising teachers’ expectations and addressing their biases
- Recruiting and retaining a more diverse teaching workforce
- Enhancing access to work experience opportunities, careers guidance, and support into employment
- Encouraging peer support among young people.
Download the report to read the full findings. There are some excellent practical ideas which schools can adopt to support these students and ensure they have the best life chances available.
The reason for the research was simple: pupils in London are more likely to achieve better outcomes at the end of both their primary and secondary schooling than pupils elsewhere in the country, according to research published by the Greater London Authority. However, by the age of 16, attainment among London’s most disadvantaged young people lags an average of 12 months behind their more advantaged peers, say researchers. This has an adverse effect on these young Londoners’ life chances.
