How to Use the Engagement Model in Schools

February 2, 2022
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It is now a statutory requirement for schools to use the engagement model, to assess and support some children with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) in Key Stages 1 and 2. In this article, we will introduce the framework of the engagement model and its key principles, including when and how it should be applied, and look at some examples of the engagement model in practice. This article will be useful for anyone working in an educational setting, especially with a role to play in assessing the learning of children with SEND, who are not engaged in subject-specific study.

What is the Engagement Model?

The engagement model is an assessment tool which has been developed to help schools support children who are not working at the level of the national curriculum.  Since becoming a statutory requirement in September 2021, it has replaced what in the previous system were P-levels – one to four.

Who Should Be Assessed Using the Engagement Model?

Children not engaged in subject specific study should be assessed using the model. These will usually be children who have serious cognitive impairments and learning difficulties, which in turn lead to significant delays in reaching developmental milestones. 

The DfE defines subject specific study as ‘where a pupil can demonstrate recognisable and specific skills, knowledge and understanding in English language comprehension and reading, English writing and mathematics.’ If a child is working below the level of the national curriculum but can demonstrate such skills, then the engagement model should not be used for them. Instead they should be assessed using the Pre-Key Stage Standards.  

Principles of the Engagement Model

The Engagement Model uses a pupil-centred approach that focuses on abilities rather than disabilities, enabling the pupils’ achievements and progress to be measured over time. Used as part of the Graduated Approach that should be used to support children with SEND, the engagement model, enables teachers to assess:

  • How well these pupils are being engaged in developing new skills, knowledge, and concepts in the school’s curriculum.
  • How effective the special educational provision is, and how effectively pupils are engaging with, and making progress against, their outcomes in their Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.
  • Their achievements and progress across the four areas of need of the SEND code of practice.

Sustainable learning can occur only when there is meaningful engagement. The process of engagement is a journey which connects a child and their environment (including people, ideas, materials, and concepts) to enable learning and achievement.

Carpenter et al, 2011.

The model was based on work led by Professor Barry Carpenter which found that engagement was the single best predictor of successful learning in children with special needs and/or disabilities. Through regular observational assessment, the engagement model measures progress against five interrelated areas of engagement.  

These are:

  • Exploration.
  • Realisation.
  • Anticipation.
  • Persistence.
  • Initiation.

It aims to identify and celebrate the small steps of progress that might be made by those children with the highest levels of SEND. The areas in which each child is assessed will depend upon their individual EHC plans. The areas are not hierarchical and there is no expectation that a child will make progress in all five areas.

The engagement model does not provide the curriculum for those pupils, or provide any teaching tools or strategies. It must be used alongside, rather than in replacement of, a school’s existing planning, assessment, and reporting systems.

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Engagement Model Examples

Conducting Observations

The guidance states that when a teacher observes a pupil, they should: 

  • clearly plan and structure their observations. 
  • try to make sense of the pupil’s responses.
  • ensure all members of staff working with the pupil are able to contribute to the observation process. 

Trying to make sense of a pupil’s responses requires skill and knowledge of that individual child. You may need to be able to observe small, nuanced variations in a child’s behaviour or the way they approach an activity. These might include fleeting eye movements or pupil dilation, a change in facial expression, vocalisation, small changes in breathing patterns, momentarily freezing or ‘stilling’, or movements of the mouth, hands, or feet.

As with all SEND provision, the key is to get to know the individual child. Based on your knowledge and experience of the pupil, you must be able to establish:

  • that the pupil’s response is intentional (and not reflexive such as a startled reaction). 
  • that the pupil’s response is a direct result of the stimulus rather than to the teacher’s actions.
  • what qualities of the stimulus led to the pupil’s response. 
  • that the pupil’s response is not due to seizure activity or stereotyped movements. 

The following dropdowns look at each of the five areas of engagement, suggest questions you might ask yourself during observations, and provide examples in context.

 

Why Should Teachers Use the Engagement Model?

Using the engagement model is a statutory requirement for those children not working in subject specific study in Key Stages 1 and 2, but the engagement model can also be an effective assessment framework for young people up to 25 years old, where appropriate. It has many advantages, including.

  1. It reflects the principles of the SEND Code of Practice by putting the individual child, their interests, and learning potential at the centre of the process.
  2. It assesses both linear and lateral progress – for some children an element of progress will be consolidating their current knowledge, skills, or concepts or even preventing a decline of those.  
  3. It is based on regular observational assessment by someone who knows the child well and invites reflective pedagogy.
  4. Used regularly throughout the year, it forms a continuous cycle of ‘assess, plan, do and review’ enabling the pupils’ achievements and progress to be measured over time.
  5. It values all sources of knowledge and information provided by those supporting the pupil, including teachers, school staff, other professionals and parents or carers. Our article Supporting Pupils with SEN in the Classroom looks further at building a holistic picture of pupils’ needs and some strategies to apply.
  6.  It provides a consistent approach and common language amongst schools and people working with the pupil.
  7. It can provide an essential tool in supporting those children whose needs are most profound and complex.
  8. Acting on careful observation will allow the most relevant and motivating bespoke curriculums to be developed for these children, working towards their own individual EHC plan outcomes, by celebrating and building on their interest and engagement.

 

How to Implement the Engagement Model in Schools

Schools must report which primary-aged pupils are being assessed using the engagement model. However, they do not need to submit any attainment data.

The tool is designed to be used alongside school-specific systems of planning and assessment, and schools have autonomy over how they implement it. 

Considerations will need to include: 

  • How the engagement model will fit into their current systems for assessing and monitoring progress.
  • How they will monitor non-linear progress – there is no specific guidance as to how this should be done which could potentially lead to inconsistencies (Aidonopoulou-Read, 2021).
  • How many assessments will be completed and how regularly (again this should be driven by the needs of the individual child but schools will need to set some expectations for staff).
  • Whether or not staff will require training with regards to making the observations.
  • Who will be responsible for the assessment. As we have seen, there is an expectation that observations from several people who know the child well will be included, but the class teacher is likely to be ultimately responsible for coordinating these and collating the information.
  • What evidence will be kept, and how will observations be recorded?
  • The ways in which parents will be involved, and their observations included. There is a statutory obligation to report details of pupils’ achievements and progress to parents and carers annually. The information gathered from the application of the engagement model will feed into this. 
  • It is a potential concern that implementing the engagement model in addition to whatever current assessment and monitoring systems schools have in place could increase teacher workload (Aidonopoulou-Read, 2021). Schools should consider how time will be allocated to allow for the observations and the recording of them. In order for the benefits discussed to be gained, the observations and the opportunities to build on them need to be meaningful. 

 

The engagement model offers a framework for celebrating the successes and building on the interests of those children who have some of the most significant barriers to accessing learning opportunities. We hope this article has given you some useful insight and will help enrich your practice to benefit all learners.

 

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