Is There a Tension Between the Theory and Practice of Every Child Matters in Secondary School?

5644 Words23 Pages
Is there a tension between the theory and practice of Every Child Matters in Secondary School? Introduction In 2003 the Government produced a Green Paper entitled Every Child Matters (ECM) in response to the tragic death of an eight year old girl, Victoria Climbié, who regrettably died in 2000 due to injuries sustained following months of abuse. Reports found that the death of Victoria Climbié was due to gross failure of the systems used by the public agencies involved. These agencies are responsible for the protection of young vulnerable children, under the age of 18, from deliberate or premeditated harm. In recent times this document has become much publicised as it has now been introduced into all services involved with the care of children and, in particular, schools. The paper identifies five important outcomes for children and young people; 1) Be healthy 2) Stay safe 3) Enjoy and achieve 4) Make a positive contribution 5) Achieve economic well-being These aims have been introduced in order to increase the learning potential for children, attempting to offer any necessary support at a young age in order to ensure and provide opportunities for success in later life. For the purpose of this assignment, the one aspect of ECM which will be focused on in more depth, including looking at how this theory is implemented and put into practice, will be the third specific aim, enjoy and achieve. In conjunction with this, a further aspect of the school environment will be considered, especially how this particular factor impacts on the ECM aim. I will discuss specifically how the ECM aim of enjoy and achieve is affected by behaviour management strategies, how these are approached and implemented by full-time teachers at the school and by supply teachers visiting the school within those teachers’ lessons. In addition, throughout the course
Open Document