Our very own MD Dale Pickles was invited to talk with the SENsible SENCO Abigail Hawkins about the Engagement Model. The aim of their conversation was to was to clarify the requirements of the Engagement Model and to help SENCOs understand what it means for their school.
Dale starts off with a question – ‘Who’s not confused by the Engagement Model?’ It has certainly caused plenty of confusion!
He then explains, here’s is a simple way of looking at it….
- For children working at the level of the national curriculum assessments, use the national curriculum assessments.
- For children working below the level of the assessments, use the pre-key stage standards.
- For children working below the level of the pre-key stage standards, use the Engagement Model.
Watch the webinar to understand how the Engagement Model should be used in your school.
What does the guidance say?
The Engagement model starts with this introduction in section 1.1…
“This guidance sets out the statutory requirements for using the engagement model to assess pupils who are working below the standard of the national curriculum assessments and not engaged in subject-specific study at key stage 1 (KS1) and key stage 2 (KS2). It describes best practice on how to use the engagement model, to support teachers and staff involved in assessing the progress of these pupils, and can be used by schools from September 2020. Schools will be required to use the engagement model from the 2021/22 academic year” Page 4, The Engagement Model
Dale highlighted the key information which tells you who it applies to, this is clarified in section 2.1…
“The engagement model must be used for pupils at KS1 and KS2 who are working below the standard of the national curriculum assessments and not engaged in subject-specific study. Subject-specific study occurs where a pupil can demonstrate recognisable and specific skills, knowledge and understanding in English language comprehension and reading, English writing and mathematics. The pre-key stage standards must be used for statutory assessment at the end of KS1 and KS2 for pupils who are working below the standard of the national curriculum assessments and engaged in subject-specific study” Page 7, The Engagement Model
Here is a simple way of looking at it….
- For children working at the level of the national curriculum assessments, use the national curriculum assessments.
- For children working below the level of the assessments, use the pre-key stage standards.
- For children working below the level of the pre-key stage standards, use the Engagement Model.
“From September 2021 the Engagement Model becomes statutory, schools will be required to:
- use the engagement model to assess pupils who are working below the standard of national curriculum assessments and not engaged in subject-specific study at the end of KS1 and KS2
- report to DfE which pupils are assessed using the engagement model for KS1 and KS2 — schools are not required to submit any other data to DfE about the progress of these pupils
- ensure that evidence relating to pupils’ achievements and progress is reported as part of the end of year academic report, which schools must provide to parents, as outlined in The Education (Pupil Information) Regulations 20054 and paragraph 6.64 of the SEND code of practice” Page 8, The Engagement Model
So, to summarise..
Bullet point 1 says “Use the Engagement Model to assess pupils”, but there is no assessment criteria, just 5 areas.
Point 2 says there is a legal requirement to report which pupils are working below pre-key stage standard 1 and therefore using the Engagement Model. Bullet point 2 is the only bullet point that has any meaning.
The third point just reinforces the SEND Code of Practice.
“Schools must provide an annual report for parents on their child’s progress” 6.64, Page 104, The SEND Code of Practice
The most interesting part of the document for me is on page 8…
“Schools will have autonomy over how they implement the engagement model, and have the freedom to decide:
- how to use the engagement model to reflect on the success of the curriculum that they provide to their pupils
- how to use the engagement model alongside their existing planning, assessment and recording systems Page 8, The Engagement Model
Schools can use the Engagement Model how they want, it does not replace their existing planning, assessment and recording system.
Read Dale’s blog for more details on the Engagement Model
Any questions…
If you have any questions about this webinar, you can contact Dale via email – dale@bsquared.co.uk. You can also book a FREE online meeting to discuss anything from this webinar. Use the link below to find a time and date that suits you…
