The Catch Up Programme

1. The Catch Up Programme Training for Teaching Assistants

2. Outline of session • Introduction, aims and background • Target pupils • The Catch Up Box - contents • Delivering the programme • Management of programme • Additional activities and resources • Summary

3. Introduction –What is Catch Up? • A literacy intervention programme • For struggling/reluctant readers in Y2 – 6 • Delivered once or preferably twice a week to individual pupils • Each session 10 or 15 minutes long • Can be delivered by a Teaching Assistant

4. The Catch Up Programme • Complements the Primary National Strategy (ELS, ALS, FLS) • Integrates reading and writing • Is recognised by the DfES as a Wave 3 intervention programme

5. The Three Waves of Intervention • Wave 1: The effective inclusion of all children in high quality learning and teaching • Wave 2: Additional time-limited provision in the form of small-group intervention to enable children to work at age-related expectations • Wave 3: Additional time-limited provision to enhance the progress of children working well below their chronological age

6. The Catch Up ProgrammeAims Aims to: • develop skills in • Word recognition • Phonic knowledge • Spelling • Comprehension • close the gap between Reading Age and Chronological Age, to double the rate of progress and to maintain these gains

7. Background • Started as research project in1995 • Developed in response to research • Piloted across 3 LEAs in 1997 • Launched in 1998 • Refined after further research 1999-2003 • Introduced to Ealing in Sept 2004 • Materials and training provided by LA for all SENCOs and one TA per school

8. Target pupils • The 18% of pupils who are behind in reading (average of 5 per class) • Pupils whose Reading Age is 12 months or more behind their Chronological Age • Struggling readers who cope better with individual support • Pupils who only achieved L1/2c at end of KS1 • Mainly Years 2 – 4 (but additional materials for Years 5 and 6)

9. Target Pupils Catch-Up works best with pupils who have a made a start with reading, and who – • Know that print is read from left to right • Recognise some high frequency words • Can spell some high frequency words • Have some knowledge of phonemes and use this to attempt to read words • Can form many letters correctly

10. Benefits Research data shows: • Average RA gains of 14 – 20 months in 9 month period • Pupils continued to make age appropriate gains following intervention • Improvements in pupils’ self-esteem and motivation

11. What’s in the Catch Up Box? • Management Guide • Video • Teaching Manuals • Graded fiction and non-fiction booklists • Pupil progress booklets • Book of games and activities Plus 2 CD-ROMs with reading and spelling games

12. Delivering the Programme For each pupil identified as suitable for the Programme:- The 4 stages of the Catch Up Programme are: 1. Diagnostic assessments and setting of targets 2. Selecting the appropriate level of book for the pupil to read 3. One or two weekly 10 minute individual teaching sessions 4. Monitoring and assessment of progress

13. Stage 1: Diagnostic assessments • Reading interview • Sight word knowledge • Phonological knowledge • Letter name knowledge • Letter formation knowledge • Spelling knowledge Reading Age and Spelling Age tests should also be administered NB: The assessments can then be used to set targets

14. Catch Up Levels Books in programme graded into 10 levels with gradual increase in difficulty in terms of: • Number of words on line • Number of lines on page • Number of high frequency words used • Degree of repetition • Print size • Complexity of sentences

15. Books • Books should be at a level which is accessible to child • There should only be a small selection of words which the child cannot read successfully • This promotes self-esteem and helps to build confidence • It also promotes good comprehension

16. Selecting appropriate books Books which are too difficult will: • Prevent fluency • Prevent access to meaning • Create negative attitudes Struggling readers need: • Books they have not previously encountered • Texts appropriate to age and interest • Texts which are sufficiently challenging but not frustrating

17. Stage 2: Selecting the appropriate level The aim is to select books which the pupil can read with at least 90% success. Use flow chart: Catch Up 2 books ADMINISTER CATCH UP ASSESSMENTS Can read all words on list 1 Catch Up 4 books Can read all words on Lists 1 and 2 Catch Up 6 books Can read all words on lists 1, 2 and 3

18. Stage 3: The Individual Teaching session Each teaching session consists of: • 2(or 3) minutes - Prepared reading • 4(or 6) minutes - Pupil reads • Teacher/Teaching Assistant observes, praises specifics, prompts, discusses text and records miscues • Follow up focus identified • 4 (or 6) minutes - Linked writing activity

19. The Individual Teaching Session For each session you will need: • Book - chosen by you from appropriate level • Pupil Progress booklet • Pen or pencil for you and pupil

20. 2/3 MINUTES: PREPARED READING Share the whole book together in the following way: • Go through the book • Use key words from the text • Ask pupil to predict the ending of the story

21. PREPARE READING: PURPOSE • It gives the pupil an overview of the story so that s/he can concentrate on reading for meaning • It prepares the pupil for unfamiliar vocabulary enabling them to read with 95% success • It gives the pupil more confidence to tackle the text

22. 4/6 MINUTES: THE PUPIL READS • PAUSE (for 6 - 8 seconds) when reader hesitates or makes a mistake • PROMPT after the pause, if reader has not correctly identified the word • PRAISE the reader for progress and self-corrections • Record miscues and strategies • Ask one or two questions at appropriate points

23. PUPIL READS: PURPOSE Pupil’s reading is monitored and text discussed because • It gives an opportunity to identify whichstrategies the pupil uses • It encourages the pupil to take responsibility for tackling any less familiar words • It provides an opportunity to ensure that the pupil understands the content, can infer meaning and make personal judgements

24. 4/6 MINUTES: LINKED WRITING • Appropriate word selected for teaching • Pupil practises to reinforce learning • Use the Practice and Final Draft boxes

25. LINKED WRITING: PURPOSE • To provide focused teaching based on observed miscues • To enable the pupil to benefit from the reciprocal gains of reading and spelling

26. LINKED WRITING: PROCEDURE • Select a miscue to be the focus word from the Miscues box • Decide whether the focus word has a common letter pattern or whether it is a high frequency sight word Eg Jack wason the hill. Jack was on the hill. • Choose a sentence from the book (or make up one) • Write the sentence in the Selected letter pattern or word box and underline the focus word • Go through strategies to learn word with pupil • Pupil writes sentence in Final draft box

27. FOLLOW-UP FOCUS 1:Common letter patterns Selected letter pattern from miscues (example): hill What to do: • Break ‘hill’ into three phonemes to make the word – ask pupil to write the word • Tell the pupil that if they can write ‘hill’ they can spell many other words which have the same ‘ill’ pattern, eg ‘fill’ • Help the pupil to generate other words with the letter pattern ‘ill’, eg mill, pill, will • Ask the pupil to write the whole sentence in the Final draft box

28. FOLLOW-UP FOCUS 2High frequency sight words Selected high frequency word from miscues eg ‘was’ What to do: • Tell pupil to study the word ‘was’ and to memorise it by saying the letter names • Tell the pupil to close their eyes and visualise the whole word, saying the letter names again • Ask pupil to practise using finger on desk or in the air (saying letters again), then to write the word from memory • Tell pupil to check if they have spelled the word correctly. Then cover the word and ask pupil to spell it again. NB The pupil always writes the word from memory • Ask pupil to write whole sentence in the Final draft box • Praise pupil if focus word is written correctly

29. Stage 4: Monitoring and assessment of pupil progress • Continuous monitoring of pupil progress during the individual sessions • Initial assessments repeated (using same assessments) mid-year and at end of year

30. Management and co-ordination of Programme Programme managed and co-ordinated by SENCO, delivered by TAs (and sometimes SENCO) • SENCO responsible for: • Selection of pupils • Communicating to teaching staff about programme • Specific training for TAs • Timetabling and room allocation • Preparation of resources: • Books at different levels • Pupil progress booklets • Games • Monitoring delivery of Programme • Monitoring and evaluating success of Programme • TAs responsible for • Assessmentsof pupils • Delivery of Programme • Communicating re any relevant issues with SENCO and classteacher

31. Follow up Activities Group reading session • Optional 20 minute session once a week • Focus on fluency and understanding Games and activities • Give opportunities to practise reading and writing words in informal and enjoyable way • Highly motivating

32. Additional resources • Year 5/6: Teaching Manual, booklists and Pupil Progress booklet • CD ROMs – reading and spelling games • Catch Up website: www.catchup.org.uk

33. Summary The Catch Up programme is designed to: • Be delivered as a short-term, focused, Wave 3 literacy intervention programme • Improve the reading skills of struggling readers in Y2 and KS2 and to double the rate of RA progress • Improve comprehension and spelling • Be delivered by a TA in 1 -1 withdrawal sessions lasting 10 or 15 minutes, once or preferably twice a week