The Learning Exchange Library

Extra-curricular and extended services staff make essential contributions to closing the attainment gap. Growing and integrating their professional input into whole-school capacity is essential.

Seven vital ingredients for closing the achievement gap   This article by John West-Burnham looks at the essential things that are needed in leaders if they are to close the attainment gap. At its most basic, he says, school leadership should be driven by ‘personal values that focus on enhancing achievement and well-being, irrespective of personal circumstances.’

In the article above, John West-Burnham outlines seven vital ingredients that must be present, within the complex mix of school leadership strategies and education strategies, if the attainment gap is ever to close. One of these is:

‘Growing leadership that is widely distributed across the school community and works through collective capacity rather than personal status. The focus is on middle leaders whose primary function is to model, monitor and secure effective learning and teaching.’

The learning Exchange would like to add an eighth ingredient:
Ensuring that leadership qualities and skills of those who develop and run extra-curricular activities and extended services programmes, be they school staff, outside agencies, local authority staff, are always considered to be an essential part of the collective capacity within schools. 

Please explore the contents of this section of the library for documents and resources connected to addressing disadvantage and narrowing the attainment gap.