previously revealed plans<\/a> to move away \u201cfrom a central view\u201d of education and temporarily stop taking on the toughest schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nNow, speaking exclusively to Schools Week<\/em>, he has announced the MAT will roll out a framework across its 41 schools to make them more \u201cemotionally aware and intelligent\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSuspensions tumble<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve got to make sure children want to come to school because they feel that school is part of their extended family,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[We\u2019ve got to make sure] they can talk about why they\u2019re finding certain challenges in school, rather than \u2018you haven\u2019t met the expectations, [and] there\u2019s a consequence\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Figures shared by the trust show it made 98 suspensions per 100 pupils in 2023-24. That fell to 68 a year later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wilson, who replaced current Ofsted boss Sir Martyn Oliver at the head of the trust in 2024, expects the rate to fall a further 30 per cent \u201cat least\u201d by the end of this year. So far in 2025-26, the rate stands at 21 suspensions per 100 pupils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In comparison, the rate nationally was 11.31 in 2023-24, the latest year government data is available for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New framework<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWilson believes Outwood\u2019s gains will be aided by the launch of the framework. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The document will contain an \u201caudit tool\u201d that will ask heads, among other things, how they offer \u201ca safe space for children to have conversations they might want to have [about what happened] at home that day\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will also pose questions about \u201cthe language teachers use around the school\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Examples from across the trust \u201cthat have been particularly successful\u201d will also be given. Wilson hopes this will help heads to draw up their own programmes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The change in approach signals a shift from a \u201cturnaround mindset\u201d to one where it will achieve \u201csustained success\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat this is about for me \u2026 [is] to make these schools not just national average schools \u2026 [but] exceptional schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to empower the group of heads to say when you look at the reasons why children aren\u2019t attending school and \u2026 why suspensions happen in your school, the best place for you to have that knowledge is in your school, not in the trust to centrally dictate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scripts and welcome areas<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWilson says the framework will \u201cconsolidate\u201d what his schools\u2019 have so far learned from local initiatives and build a set of \u201ccommon principles\u201d to \u201cguide a more consistent strategy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the trust\u2019s schools have already been working \u201cwith local educational psychologist services or [the] NHS\u201d. Others have \u201creally invested in emotion coaching\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This has resulted in some \u201cscripting conversations\u201d for situations that could result in conflict. One example Wilson gives is a child arriving in class late being \u201cwelcomed\u201d into the lesson, rather than being \u201cquestioned\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of this push, Outwood Academy Ormesby in Middlesbrough recently opened a \u201cwelcome hub\u201d in which pupils can collect uniform they may need, eat breakfast and receive support from pastoral staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility \u2013 which is open every morning \u2013 has also partnered with a charity to give parents, carers and children toiletries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But standards \u2018the same\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWilson stresses that the trust isn\u2019t going soft. Expectations of children will \u201cremain exactly the same\u201d, and so will its behaviour policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s much more about \u2018how can we support you to meet the expectation\u2019,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heads also won\u2019t be issued with suspension targets as Wilson does not want \u201cto tie [their] hands behind [their] back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all agree that the best place for children to be in terms of life chances \u2026 is to be in a full and successful day in school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the challenge we\u2019ve got to set for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Influential turnaround trust criticised for high suspensions bidding to cut exclusions and ‘keep children in school’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311204,"featured_media":240252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32,28,239,582],"post-theme":[2381],"class_list":["post-240384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-academies","tag-dfe","tag-education-policy","tag-exclusions","post-theme-academies"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t