Pupil Mobility

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Montgomery County Junior School, Essex

Context

At Montgomery Junior School about 95% of the 221 pupils are from families of service personnel based at the local garrison. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (9%) is broadly in line with the national average, as is the percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs. The percentage of pupils speaking English as an additional language is higher than the national average.

Type of mobility

Because a tour of duty for service personnel is usually three years or less, most pupils move on within two years and in 2000, using the JPL formula, the school had a very high mobility factor of 95%.

The headteacher, Graham Eskell, says: "The exceptional staff here do well for children who only stay for a relatively short period, for three main reasons:

• we have good target setting arrangements;
  
• the ethos of the school is positive; and
  
• we settle pupils in quickly and effectively."

Target setting

Graham Eskell continues: "The targets that are most meaningful for us are the end of year and even shorter-term targets. Of course, the school sets statutory targets with the LEA. The only way to do that is to base them on the cohort in the school at the time, even though most of those pupils will not be there at the end of Key Stage 2. We set a range, the LEA takes the mid-point, and as the pupils coming in generally balance the pupils leaving, the range is usually met. "

In order to set the shorter-term, end of year targets, teachers use a wide range of information including:

• the previous school's records;
  
• statutory tests;
  
• QCA Optional tests for Years 3, 4 & 5;
  
• Salford Reading Test, NFER Mathematics; and
  
• regular teacher assessment.

In October, the teachers set end of year targets for each pupil in the expectation of two thirds of a level progress in the year plus an element of challenge based on the teacher's assessment.

Teachers also set short-term targets for behaviour and social skills. These targets link to the school's rewards policy. Short-term targets for work are also set and are written into exercise books by teachers.

Ethos and activities to achieve good progress in a school with high mobility

For Graham there are three keys features of the school's ethos:

• we are flexible;
  
• we absorb pupils and parents into the school; and
  
• our teachers are restlessly impatient for the children to make progress, however short or long their stay may be.

"Teachers expect to have to break off and welcome new pupils into their classes on almost a daily basis, to fit in additional assessments, to update records for onwards forwarding, to fix up 'buddies', to speak to new and leaving parents, to rearrange choirs and football teams at the drop of a hat. They do this cheerfully with not a whiff of resentment as their plans and arrangements are changed."

The school considers itself to be a very important part of the services community. Parents are welcomed in to help, in paid and unpaid capacities. The accommodation is loaned to parents' groups for social occasions. "If the parents settle in quickly, then this helps the children. If the children settle in quickly, this helps the parents."

On arrival 'buddies' are arranged for new children. These may be children the new arrivals have known previously or a new potential friend.

Budget issues

The LEA has a formula for schools with high levels of pupil mobility. This is triggered if there is a mobility factor of 10% and is stepped depending on rates. Montgomery Junior School receives £22,000 on this basis. The school targets these funds on the provision of additional administrative staff (administration demands are high when pupils are moving in and out at a high rate), keeping class sizes down (classes are usually under 26) and funding the SEN department at a high level.

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