Adam Lancaster

1. Adam Lancaster CPD for secondary school librarians in Staffordshire aln@monkswalk.herts.sch.uk www.adamlancaster.co.uk

2. Who am I? • Librarian • Assistant Headteacher • SLA School Librarian of the Year 2012/13 • Libraries, Literacy & Reading Consultant • Save the Child • Civitas • Unesco • Secondary schools • Primary schools • MLS • Past Chairman FCBG • Founder National Non-Fiction Day • Organiser Hatfield House Bookfest • Founder Illustr8or • FCBG project coordinator • SSAT Lead Practitioner • Past SLS advisory resource librarian • Educational writer

3. What do I in school? • Lead on literacy and information literacy (prep) • Collapsed timetable coordinator (extended learning days) • QiSS coordinator • Cultural Diversity Award coordinator • Trust Partner • Governor • Governor Mark coordinator • Reading Partners founder/coordinator • Secondary school librarians CPD coordinator • MPS trainer • Middle managers training programme • Charity coordinator

4. KEY POINTS • KNOW THE GAME AND PLAY IT • MAKE IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND THE LIBRARY • LINK WHAT YOU DO TO WHAT EVERYONE DOES • US, NOT THEM AND ME • MAP YOUR AIMS AGAINST KEY POLICIES • DON’T BE OR BE PERCEIVED TO BE A VICTIM • BELIEVE IN THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT YOU DO • DELIVER AND OVER DELIVER ON YOUR COMITTMENTS

5. Opportunities for school libraries in the new Ofsted Framework CPD for secondary school librarians in Staffordshire

6. Barriers that stop you promoting the library on a whole school basis?

7. What are the barriers in your school? • Time • Budget • Attitudes • Staffing • Line manager

8. What do you know concerning reading? • With the person next to you jot down • What you think the government’s priorities are • What you think Ofsted’s priorities are & • What Ofsted will be looking for when they go into schools

9. Government Direction

10. White Paper Importance of Teaching 2010 • Reform ITT to focus on key skills incl reading • Focus on synthetic phonics (primary) • Ensure new standards have focus on teaching early reading (primary) • Chance to follow enriching curriculum by getting reading early (primary) • Reading check at age 6 (primary) • Reading tracking • Importance of PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment • FSM students intervention in reading

11. Ofsted’s focus

12. How does Ofsted define literacy? ‘Literacy includes the key skills of reading, writing and oral communication that enable pupils to access different areas of the curriculum.’ The school inspection handbook 2012, paragraph 39 12

13. The recent White Paper says: ‘When young people compete for jobs and enter the workplace, they will be expected to communicate precisely and effectively.’ (Para. 4.50) There is a clear expectation, that young people leaving the education system at 16, or more likely 19, will have the requisite literacy and communication skills to be employable and to be effective in that employment. 13

14. The challenge

15. Nearly one in eight pupils in 2012 did not reach the expected Level 4 in reading at the end of Year 6Discuss what the impact of thisin school would be…

16. Teacher’s standards 2012 All teachers should: • demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject • if teaching early reading, demonstrate a clear understanding of systematic synthetic phonics.

18. Raising expectations of pupils and teachers Our analysis of inspection reports of schools that have become good provided a broadly similar picture: • more consistency across the school and high quality subject leadership • better understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses • high levels of accountability and strong performance management • stronger commitment to raise standards and team approach to achieve this • no inadequate teaching tolerated with significant investment in coaching and developing staff • sustained action to improve learning focussing on reading, writing and mathematical skills.

19. What is the impact of teachers being graded on this more?

20. Secondary schools - what’s the issue? • Not all pupils gaining Level 4 in English and maths go on to gain 5 A*-C at GCSE • Schools overly focused on GCSE D/C borderline • GL Assessment and York University study (YARC) • Transition at Year 7

21. What do inspectors look for? • Older students may well need to be supported to comprehend increasingly challenging texts across a range of subjects. • Grammar (e.g. passive voice, more complex sentences), vocabulary and new or unfamiliar content in school subjects will all pose challenges for comprehension.

22. What do inspectors look for? • While teaching is mostly good, the teaching of reading requires improvement particularly in subjects other than English. • What does the school need to do to improve further? • Teachers of all subjects should take every opportunity to help students to improve their reading skills, including through the use of phonics. • The George Eliot School URN 137079

23. The purpose of listening to reading • enthusiastic readers • able to use technical language to discuss their reading – genre, alliteration, metaphor • gaining confidence and presentational skills from preparing and reading aloud • showing stamina as readers (The wreck of the Zanzibar) • using extended sentences in this discussion – a reflection of their experience as readers that feeds into their oral language.   • School displays around the walls reinforce a focus on reading and the range of reading and authors.

24. What are we expecting to learn about the teaching and learning of reading from listening to lower-attaining readers? • Is the text well chosen to match pupils’ reading levels? • What is the level of their phonic knowledge and skill and are they able to apply this learning to decode unknown words? • What specific additional support and practice do these pupils receive? • Are the parents involved?

25. The Framework for School Inspections 2012 • Focus on the low levels of reading pupils leave primary school at • How reading skills are applied across the curriculum • How well teachers enable reading skills

26. Reading, Writing and Communication (literacy) 2011 • Part 2 • Promote reading skills i.e. skim & scan • Reading tracking and intervention • A well stocked library important • Strong attitudes of teachers towards reading • Enthusiastic librarian raises profile of reading • Share views on books (literacy driven) • Reading skills across the board

27. Cont… • Inspectors to visit activities indentified in schools as developing literacy • When looking at data • Progress made in reading • Attainment in reading

28. Moving English forward 2012 • Develop policies to promote reading throughout the school • Raise issues of declining reading levels • Reading for pleasure • Good library based evidence

29. The Inspector • Still down to interpretation of Inspector • As well as the themes of the visit

30. Revisit those points… • Promote reading skills i.e. skim & scan • Reading tracking and intervention • A well stocked library important • Strong attitudes of teachers towards reading • Enthusiastic librarian raises profile of reading • Share views on books (literacy driven) • Reading skills across the board • Inspectors to visit activities indentified in schools as developing literacy • Progress made in reading • Attainment in reading (data driven) • Develop policies to promote reading throughout the school • Raise issues of declining reading levels • Reading for pleasure • Good library based evidence

31. What do you do? Report priorities grid • Look at the areas & pick 4 areas to start filling in It is of vital importance that you are aware of the issues surrounding Ofsted and their priorities

32. How can you have an impact on Ofsted then?

33. To impact on Ofsted you need to • Have an impact on the important documents in your school • Raise Online • SEF • SIP • FFT data • LAT • Data Dashboard • PANDA • Website

34. Self Evaluation Form This is a vital document in an Ofsted visit • Achievement • Teaching • Leadership • Behaviour & Safety • SMSC

35. Sections your work could be included in • How well are pupils doing • How well do pupils contribute to school and wider community • Student Librarians • Work in the community with student groups • Extend pupils develop workplace & other skills contribute to future economic well being • Information literacy • Literacy Development • Peace Child • Crisis Point

36. Extent pupils spiritual, moral and cultural development • Charity Work • International/twinning links • How effective is provision • How does the curriculum meet needs including through partnerships • Curriculum links to primary schools • Additional literacy sessions • Leadership & Management • Effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well being • Primary school links • Outside providers • Community cohesion • International links etc School Inspection handbook Pg 29- Look at what inspectors are looking for

37. What are your schools priorities? • Look at your school’s Improvement/Development plan • Jot down the ¾ most important areas in your school • Look at your library’s Improvement/Development plan • Jot down the ¾ most important areas in your library

38. SIP/SGP This is vitally important to the direction of the school • Understand SIP and how your work supports this • Make sure your LIP matches key features • Share this with your SLT link and everyone else

39. Rewrite your LIP based on what you know about your SIP • Using the template start to rewrite your LIP • Don’t put more than 4 points for each section • Rigour and quality count more than quantity

40. Key words • Impact • Attainment • Achievement • What is the impact of what you are doing – how can you show this? • How do you affect the attainment and achievement of students and how can you show this

41. If you can do this… • Schools are looking for evidence to prove the impact they have • This can come from anywhere • The new framework provides the best opportunity to show what you do as it’s a new direction there will be little people are already doing • Remember to prove your impact and shout about what you are doing

42. The key is to… • Utilise your knowledge of Ofsted and government priorities • Link the work that you do into these priorities • Understand the schools priorities • Make sure your priorities link in to these • Make sure your line manager sees this

43. Literacy & the library • Teaching of reading strategies • Involving parents • Partnerships with primaries • Targeting weak readers • Running reading intervention

44. Key words • Impact • Attainment • Achievement • What is the impact of what you are doing – how can you show this? • How do you affect the attainment and achievement of students and how can you show this

45. KEY POINTS • KNOW THE GAME AND PLAY IT • MAKE IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND THE LIBRARY • LINK WHAT YOU DO TO WHAT EVERYONE DOES • US, NOT THEM AND ME • MAP YOUR AIMS AGAINST KEY POLICIES • DON’T BE OR BE PERCEIVED TO BE A VICTIM • BELIEVE IN THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT YOU DO • DELIVER AND OVER DELIVER ON YOUR COMITTMENTS