Breaking Barriers to Learning in Primary Schools: An Integrated Approach to Children's Services

Breaking Barriers to Learning in Primary Schools takes an expert and informative look at the integrated children’s services agenda in practice in today’s primary schools. Examining the ways in which an increasing number of different professionals help to improve children’s life chances, the author examines the roles of those employed directly by the schools themselves, for instance Learning Mentors, HLTAs and Teaching Assistants, and those employed by health/social and other agencies, such as school nurses, Educational social workers, study support workers, school attendance workers and Educational Psychologists.
Through an exploration of how each individual helps break down barriers to children’s learning, this book:


examines the growth and development of the children’s workforce
provides a broad and integrated view of the wider school network
explores the roles of individuals within the school workforce
makes links to Every Child Matters and Extended Schools initiatives
provides evidences of breaking down barriers, through interviews and studies with those working at the heart of integrated schools
presents an analysis of recent statistics relating to children’s lives
gives practical advice for good practice throughout.

An essential text for all those working in education and in training to become part of this wider school network, this book takes into account the findings of the recent Primary Reviews, government data and original research to fully explain how to build, maintain and successfully work with today’s primary children. It is an excellent text for Foundation Degree students as well as those studying Education Studies and those training to be teachers.

Pat Hughes is Senior Lecturer at Liverpool Hope University, teaching on undergraduate and post-graduate initial teacher training courses as well as more generic undergraduate and post graduate Education Studies courses. She is a course leader for a Master’s Level Course in Integrated Children’s Services and is also a Non-Executive Director of a Primary Care Trust (NHS), which operates in a local authority where both health and social care share budgets. The authority is recognised nationally as a leader in this field of partnership.

Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Wider Children’s Workforce 2. Setting the Scene: Differential Performance in Primary Schools 3. Tackling Poverty: From Beveridge to ECM 4. Learning and Concepts of Childhood 5. Identifying and lifting hidden curriculum barriers for children 6. Challenges for Primary Schools Part 2 Introduction to Part 2 7. Teaching Assistants 8. Mentors 9. ‘An Exceptional Pastoral Care Team’: A Case Study 10. Attendance, Health and Study Support 11. Case Study – LA Integrated Working 12. Public Services: Police and Fire 13. Charity, Consultants and Volunteers 14. ‘Believe in Children’ Bibliography