Teachers in Dundee have been working with researchers from the Robert Owen Centre at the University of Glasgow to address the barriers to learning experienced by some of their pupils.
The ‘Every Dundee Learner Matters’ strategy is Dundee City Council’s school improvement strategy, defined as a way of improving the presence, participation and progress of all children and young people in nurseries and schools by identifying and addressing contextual barriers.
Examples of work undertaken include:
- A small group of children who have a good attendance record and a positive worth ethic but are still failing to make progress were the focus of collaborative action research in a primary school
- In a nursery, a staff inquiry group addressed the question: how do we ensure that children with English as an additional language participate fully in our setting?
- Teachers in a secondary school carried out research to address low levels of engagement, enjoyment and confidence in numeracy.
Collaborative development and research
Launched early in 2021, the strategy involves many stakeholders (teachers, educational officers and psychologists, local authority staff and more) in collaborative development and research.
This is supported by staff from the Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change who are acting as partners to practitioners in the nurseries and schools, and to colleagues within the local authority.
Every Dundee Learner Matters focuses on ‘Three Ps’:
- Presence – ensuring that all pupils attend regularly and promptly
- Participation – creating a climate within schools where all pupils feel welcome and valued
- Progress – developing policies and practices that maximise the achievement and ambitions of all pupils.
International research on systems change
The project has been designed around features drawn from international research on system change. Consistent with the participatory approach adopted, these features have been negotiated with a strategy group made up of headteachers.
Every Dundee Learner Matters strategy attempts to make better use of the existing expertise of teachers and other stakeholders. This requires schools to have flexibility to determine how resources are used to address local circumstances. It also builds on research which suggests that when teachers are involved in decision-making, this can promote a stronger culture for learning within schools.
The starting point for strengthening the capacity of schools is with the sharing of ideas, knowledge and practices through collaboration amongst staff. This is intended to encourage new thinking and experimentation with alternative ways of working.
Practitioner expertise
Research shows that this can be stimulated through engagement with the views of different stakeholders, bringing together practitioners’ expertise, pupil and family insight, and knowledge from academic research.
The first year of Every Dundee Learner Matters took place during a period of unprecedented challenges, as schools and nurseries struggled to cope with the continuing impact of the Covid pandemic. Despite this, the following arrangements have been successfully introduced:
- Across the education system there is widespread awareness of Every Dundee Learner Matters and what it has set out to achieve
- All schools and nurseries have established one or more school inquiry groups (SIG)
- These groups have used collaborative action research to identify and address barriers to the presence, participation and progress of some of their pupils
- All schools and nurseries are members of a school improvement partnership (SIP) set up to share experiences and encourage innovations
- Education officers and members of the university research team have worked together to support these school-led improvement efforts
- A programme of events has taken place to provide support and advice for key people in the field.
The evidence collected so far suggests that these developments are already having an impact on the presence, participation and progress of pupils.
Over the next year, head teachers in Dundee will be taking on a more central role, using inquiry-based strategies to strengthen classroom practices, embedding collaborative action research in schools and promoting professional development.