PLYMOUTH LITERACY NETWORK CONFERENCE - SEPTEMBER 2014

1. PLYMOUTH LITERACY NETWORK CONFERENCE - SEPTEMBER 2014 WELCOME - PLEASE SIGN INTO EACH WORKSHOP AND GET YOURSELF A DRINK

2. AGENDA: 9:00 - 9:30 am - Arrival and welcome refreshments 9:30 am - Plymouth Literacy Network presentation • Introduction to the Network • The New Curriculum • Enterprise Education in the New Curriculum 10:30am - Break: refreshments 11:00am - Workshop 1 12:00pm - Buffet lunch 1:00pm - Workshop 2 2:00pm - Comfort break 2:10pm - Workshop 3 3:15pm - Q&A and evaluation

3. PLYMOUTH LITERACY NETWORK • We are a team of SLEs and PLEs from Plymouth Teaching School Alliance who provide a forum for coordinators and teachers to network, share ideas and develop literacy across the city. • We develop working groups and can provide training, INSET and school to school support through links with PTSA - see website for CPD opportunities. • ALL termly hub meetings for the network are free and open to any school. • Next hub meeting is Friday 26th September @ High View Primary school: 4-5pm.

4. THE NEW ENGLISH CURRICULUMSEPTEMBER 2014

5. WHAT PEOPLE THINK... The curriculum is a return to ‘old fashioned teaching.’ It is a much harder curriculum. There is not enough time to teach what is now expected. How can we track/ensure progress without levels? How can teachers be responsible for reading for pleasure?

6. IS THIS TRUE? • Film

7. WRITING • Perhaps the most significant change is the approach to writing composition in the new curriculum. The writing process breaks down into a number of steps: • Planning • Drafting and Writing • Evaluating and Editing • Proof-Reading • Reading Aloud and Sharing • Is this really a change?

8. Planning- Phase 1- imitation- reading and learning a text through retelling. Set expectations. Begin success criteria construction. • Drafting and writing- Phase 2 – innovation- where we practise the writing elements we will need to use in the invention. Add success criteria. • Evaluating and editing- Phase 3- independent application- edit and improve towards expectations. Use success criteria. • Proof-reading- Phase 3- check off success criteria- peer marking-improving. Assess against success criteria • Reading aloud and sharing- Phase 3- final version to publish or perform.

9. WRITING 2014 is not principally driven by children learning to write different text types. Instead there is a focus on children learning to tailor their writing for audience and purpose, and there is anemphasis on children using grammar and punctuation accurately in their writing. Purpose and Audience • Who and why? • Developing the writer’s voice through awareness of the reader. • Use your learning wall. • PIE

10. GSAP • You will have to ensure this is embedded in your teaching • You must have a progression map • Timetabled time? • Regular assessment is essential • What happens to children who are not meeting expectations? • Adult skill level

11. SPOKEN LANGUAGE The spoken language element of English is embedded throughout the body of the programme of study. The content for all year groups is summarised in a brief table at the beginning. Focus on vocabulary development and the importance of spoken language is not just in English, but also across the wider curriculum. Spoken language isn’t presented as just an aspect of one subject , it’s the medium through which children explore ideas and ultimately learn in the curriculum. ‘reading and writing float on a sea of talk.’ (James Britton)

12. READINGREADINGIS TREATED AS TWO INTERLINKED ELEMENTS: WORD READING AND COMPREHENSION. Phonics Statutory in English schools, this is the aspect of the newNC that the schools have prepared best. How? RWI Schools own system for progression in synthetic phonics Learning to read will be supported by practice in reading books consistent with their developing phonic knowledge and skill and their knowledge of common exception words.’ 2014 National Curriculum

13. COMPREHENSION MYTH Teaching should start with literal comprehension, building to inference and finally ending with the holy grail of evaluation FACT • Teaching reading comprehension is not hierarchical • Even the youngest children are capable of inferring information from the books they read or hear. • Appropriately, progression in comprehension in the new National Curriculum is provided primarily through the increasing challenge of the texts children read. It is a mastery curriculum. Key message given to teachers is that in addition to the difficulty of the text, the level of challenge also comes from the complexity of the questions a teacher asks or the tasks set, and the quality of the answers they’re willing to accept.

14. QUESTIONS AS TOOLS

15. ENSURE YOU HAVE NOTICED AND PLACED IN YOUR CURRICULUM: • Far less prominence is given to non-fiction genres. They are still present in the English curriculum but there is a much greater emphasis on the use of information texts across the curriculum. • You can continue as before, it depends on your school but the freedom to choose is great. • GSP must be planned for- the expectations will not just happen they have to be taught and assessed rigorously • Performance is expected

16. READING CHECKLIST • Phonics scheme- tracked closely any child falling behind has immediate intervention • Books to support teaching of phonic skills for children • Wide range of quality texts for children to choose books • Motivational tool to encourage reading for pleasure • Technology • Skilled staff who can listen to readers regularly without over scaffolding • A well stocked library • Current children’s books • Celebration of reading in EVERY classroom • Obvious whole school passion for reading • Effective assessment system to ensure rapid progress or identification of problems

17. WHERE ARE WE? The new Curriculum should be being taught now to all year groups except for Year 2 and Year 6 Where are you?

18. Reading for pleasure – ideas to think about..... Pupils should be taught to read fluently, understand extended prose, both fiction and non-fiction, and be encouraged to read for pleasure. Schools should do everything to promote wider reading… [Pupils] should be reading widely and frequently, outside as well as in school, for pleasure and information.’ 2014 National Curriculum http://por.clpe.org.uk/ The Power of Reading website

19. ENTERPRISE EDUCATION IN THE NEW CURRICULUM

20. THE NEW CURRICULUM… The release of the new primary curriculum poses a number of challenges for teachers. One of the significant foci of these new guidelines is AT1 or contextual learning. It states (2013, p4) that all schools must provide a curriculum that, ‘prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life’

21. SPIRITUAL, MORAL, SOCIAL & CULTURAL EDUCATION… Recent changes to the way OFSTED evaluate performance means that we should now be considering SMSC for EVERY lesson. They tell us that the consideration of this will enable us to have a value-driven curriculum that will ultimately support achievement (Lipson Community College OFSTED case study). This should not mean more work for us, we are already doing this. We just need to spend more time verbalising this to our children. Year 6 have loved it! taking responsibility = 100% quality homework Contextual learning = increase in motivation Children can talk about the point of school (Guy Claxton – What’s the point of school?)

22. CURRENT ENTERPRISE LITERATURE… Enterprise Education, as defined in our school’s Enterprise Policy after consultation with the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ ‘A Guide to Enterprise Education’ of 2010, includes any activity or approach which encourages a ‘can do’ attitude while giving young people more control over their own learning and the environment in which it takes place. It provides opportunities for pupils to develop core enterprise skills such as communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others and problem solving, as well as contributing to pupils’ personal and social development. Why should this be just a one-off project? As a school we ALREADY tackle many of these skills across the curriculum (The Learning Powered School – Guy Claxton)

23. According to Graham Paton, Education Editor of The Telegraph (14 Aug 2013), many businesses are concerned that today’s education system is so exam focussed that ‘children fail to develop basic skills, including the ability to hold a conversation, display a good work ethic, turn up on time and apply basic literacy and numeracy’ (www.telegraph.co.uk); he claims that this culture has ‘robbed children’ of the chance to develop the core skills they will need to be successful in the world of work when they leave education.

25. ENTERPRISE AT HYDE PARK… Historically many children at Hyde Park viewed Enterprise education as a oneoff project but we have worked hard to change this and it has been really successful! National Primary Enterprise Conference Robert Canniff, Director of Enterprise Education spoke about the need for Enterprise to have a greater priority in schools; where the core Enterprise skills are embedded across the curriculum. Canniff reminded me that we need to invest in these skills so our future work force is equipped to contribute to the global market and economy. He talked of the necessity for today’s children to be highly skilled, so that as a country we can compete and grow. He emphasised that we have an obligation to provide our children with skills to be more resilient so that, in an ever evolving world, they can succeed in all areas of life, including business (15th October 2013, BIC London).

26. RESOURCES… http://www.tesguide.eu/tool-method/creative-cards.htm Lots of ways to integrate Enterprise into Literacy – pop up museums, letter writing, performing plays, making books for the library. Give children a purpose and an audience for their work Need ideas? jenniegottwald82@gmail.com

27. PLYMOUTH STREET CHILD PROJECT charitable project aimed at initially primary (leading onto secondary) schools to raise awareness of life in a developing country, develop enterprise skills and understanding of global citizenship and the rights of the child. aims to send teachers to Sierra Leone to support their teacher training program, closely shadowing the PTSA ethos of developing practitioners and sharing skills, knowledge and understanding. A curriculum package to support multiple aspects of the new curriculum – lots of contextual literacy opportunities INSET opportunities delivered by returning teachers to promote and engage other practitioners Creation of community and business links that have the potential to support schools in other ways Research on the benefits and impact of enterprise on pupil and teacher motivation to engage with the curriculum and achieve positive learning outcomes. Questionnaires…