Why the change?
 National Numeracy and Literacy
Strategy/ School Self Evaluation
 Statistics from Australia and New Zealand
where this approach is on the national
curricula
 Very positive response from our teachers who
attended courses on Lift- off and G. R.
 Feedback from infant teachers that traditional
reading schemes had become outdated
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April 2012 … Two staff members attended a
preparation course in Marino.
May 2012 Senior Infant Teachers and one
second class agreed to pilot
June 2012 PDST training for those involved in
the pilot
Term 1 2012 …. Liftoff !!!
Pupils are tested to help with
grouping.
This testing is called Benchmarking.
 Testing is done 1:1 outside the door
using a kit
 The class teacher and/or the support
teacher benchmarks.
 Results are recorded before and after
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•
Senior Infants.
•
6 week Programme
•
Every day for 1 hour
•
•
•
•
•
•
5 Groups / 5 stations
New Reading with class teacher
Familiar reading with
SNA/parent volunteer
Phonics with support teacher 1
Writing with support teacher 2
Independent Station
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I love the stations.
We’re very busy at stations.
I can read all the words in my book.
I get to have a new book every night.
I made new friends in my group.
In a parents’ survey, following the Liftoff Pilot
100% of respondants stated that:
their child enjoyed participating in the programme
they enjoyed the daily reading session with their
child
the programme boosted their child’s confidence
they noticed an improvement in their child’s
reading
85.7 % also noticed an improvement in their child’s
writing
66.6% made an additional positive comment
Level
Before
After
1
50
4
2
20
2
3
5
6
4
1
7
5
2
11
6
2
8
7
2
11
8
0
4
9
2
12
10
1
7
11
1
4
≥12
2
12
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Senior Infants - follow-on to
Literacy Liftoff
Support teacher working in class.
Twice a week for one hour in each
Senior Infant Class