News
7 May 10
Raising aspirations to boost attainment
A positive attitude to learning and high aspirations can be key to pupil success. The importance of high aspirations has recently been emphasised in the findings of research carried out by the DCSF into the causes of attainment gaps. Whilst variations in attainment are often the result of a combination of factors, aspirations were found to have a significant relationship with attainment, even after controlling for other factors. The final report, Identifying Components of Attainment Gaps, suggested that variations in pupil aspirations can explain some of the differences in attainment which are otherwise attributed to gender or ethnicity.
Low aspirations and poor attitudes and behaviour were also identified as key to understanding why children from poorer backgrounds typically do worse at school in a report published in March 2010 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The report, Poorer children’s educational attainment: how important are attitudes and behaviour?, recommended that schools should be doing more to raise the aspirations of their pupils in order to improve the performance of poorer children and help to narrow the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils.
It has been shown that enabling all pupils to achieve their full potential requires the cooperation and input of the whole school community. Attitudes to Learning is an exciting new resource for schools, in both primary and secondary phases, which offers practical advice on how the whole school can contribute to improving attitudes. It considers how schools can develop a strategic approach to raising expectations, engage all stakeholders and embed positive attitudes to learning into school life.
For more information on Attitudes to Learning, use the link below or ring 01223 350555.