Literacy – The Current Situation
Swansea SENCOs
March 2011
The International, national and local drivers
•PISA
• The School Effectiveness framework
• Estyn
• Local directive
PISA
• 65 countries;
• Mean score of 476 in reading below and significantly different
from OECD average of 493;
• 3 processes
- Access and retrieve information (472)
- Integrate and interpret information (472)
- Reflect and evaluate form, features and purpose (483)
In practical terms this means:
780,000 children, young people and adults in Wales have
literacy and numeracy problems.
The implications of this:
- they are up to 5x more likely to be unemployed;
- they are over-represented in prisons and young
offenders institutions;
- they are more likely to have children who also struggle
with basic skills.
‘PISA test the skills that should be at the core of the curriculum. The
failure in Wales even to maintain what was a disappointing position
in the results of the 2006 assessment raise many questions about
our education system.’
Anne Keane – Chief Inspector Estyn
‘These results are disappointing. They show an unacceptable fall
in our overall performance – everyone involved in the education
sector in Wales should be alarmed…
These results have made it clear that schools in Wales are simply
not delivering well enough for students of all levels of ability…
The young people of Wales have the same potential as young
people across the world. We need to refocus on higher standards,
set our ambitions and expectations high and look for
improvement in every aspect of our system.
Let me be clear – we need to address this as a matter of absolute
urgency.’
The Minister for Children, Education Lifelong learning and skills December 7th. 2010
‘These results cannot be argued away or excused. We need to face
up to the hard truth: the education system in Wales is not
delivering the outcomes that our young people need and
deserve… PISA I’m afraid, is a wake-up call to a complacent
system. There are no alibis or excuses. It is evidence of systematic
failure. But, as I always say, never waste a crisis.’
The Minister for Children, Education Lifelong learning and skills December 7th. 2010
The School Effectiveness Framework
The SEF is the overarching policy framework that seeks to
transform educational standards and provision in Wales through
the next decade and beyond. It is Wales’ key policy for education
reform and the one to which all other education policies are
aligned.
www.sefcymru.org
The School Effectiveness framework – Aims and Objectives
• Achieving better learner outcomes and wellbeing for all
children and young people regardless of their socio-economic
background;
• Reducing the variation in learning outcomes within and
between classrooms, schools and local authorities.
The three national priorities on which the SEF is focused:
• improved literacy levels;
• improved numeracy levels;
• reducing the impact of poverty on educational
attainment.
Recommendations
• Increase PLCs – focus on SEF targets; Literacy, Numeracy
and reducing child poverty
• Data empowers people – family comparisons are
important, we should learn from each other;
• Robust Monitoring
• All teachers are teachers of literacy;
• More prescriptive ITT;
•Top 20 PISA scores by 2015;
• Ours is not a good system aiming to become great.
Ours is a fair system aiming to be good.
• Standards unit to be created;
• Baseline assessment in F.Ph;
• Address variability in teachers’ practice in F.Ph;
• National reading test for 7s – 11s from September 2011;
• Catch up programmes and programmes to stretch the highest
ability;
• LEAs to ensure robust assessment, particularly at the end of
KS2;
• All teachers to demonstrate appropriate levels of literacy and
numeracy;
• 2 years masters course for ITT – required to pass a literacy and
numeracy test;
• One INSET day per year to focus on literacy and numeracy
assessment for all teachers;
• Grading of schools;
• All pupils to make at least 1 calendar year’s progress in a
school year;
• School development plan to be endorsed by governors should
have aspirational targets;
• Failing schools will be closed;
• There will be statutory training for governors;
• No school will pass the inspection process unless they prove
that governors have discussed data;
• There will be a change in performance management to
ensure closer monitoring of standards;
• Teacher induction – the first 3 years will focus on literacy,
numeracy and behaviour management;
• CPD will be linked to 3 priorities - literacy, numeracy and
tackling the effects of poverty;
Estyn – Evaluating and Tracking
• In evaluating skills, we need to focus on whether all pupils
have the skills in communication, numeracy and ICT needed
to access the whole curriculum, and how well the wider
curriculum itself develops pupils’ skills. Overall, we need to
give the most weight to literacy skills, particularly reading and
writing, as these are likely to have the greatest impact on
improving access to all areas of the curriculum;
• We need to consider outcomes from the results of relevant
assessments, such as those of pupils’ reading ability, where
available.
Estyn – Skills Provision
Questions we should consider about pupils’ skills:
1. Do all pupils, including those with English as an additional
language, have the skills in communication, numeracy and
ICT needed to access the whole curriculum?
2. Do pupils develop skills well in the wider curriculum?
3. Do pupils achieve well in other relevant assessments, such as
those of their reading ability?
4. Do pupils apply their skills without support?
5. Do pupils who are involved in ‘Catch up’ programmes achieve
well?
Estyn – Skills Provision
Questions we should consider about how well we provide for
skills:
1. To what extent do learning activities across the curriculum
meet pupils’ needs in gaining and using skills, particularly the
literacy skills of reading and writing?
2. Do we make sure pupils’ development of skills takes place
equally well in Welsh and/or English?
3. Is the provision for skills properly co-ordinated so that there is
coherence in pupils’ experiences across the curriculum?
4. Is the provision for skills monitored and evaluated across the
curriculum?
Estyn – Thinking about under-attainers
Questions we should consider about how well we meet the needs
of pupils who under-attain:
1. Do we have effective arrangements for the identification and
monitoring of under-attainers?
2. Do these pupils receive the short-term or long-term support
that they need?
3. Do grouping and support systems meet the range of pupils’
needs without adversely affecting the breadth, balance and
continuity of the pupils’ curriculum?
Wave One
Tailored teaching in class
• Involves all staff
• High quality teaching, supported by effective whole
school policies and frameworks, targeting pupils’
needs
• Derives from Scheme of work
• Informed by transition data and tracking
• Focuses on inclusive, interactive and varied teaching
strategies
• Involves AFL
Wave Two
Targeted Intervention Support Programmes
• Additional intervention
• Time limited
• Appropriate support
• Monitored and adapted as necessary
• Aims to accelerate progress, catch up and secure learning
• Puts pupils back on track quickly
• Carefully targeted
• Supported additional to lessons or small group work within
class
Wave Three
Wave One and Individualised Support
• One-to-one
• Focused and intensive – more than once a
week
• Carefully monitored
• Regularly assessed and modified
• Based on diagnostic assessment of learner’s
needs
Role of the Literacy Coordinator
Involves
• Analysis of Core Data with colleagues
• Identification of trends in data
• Identification of areas for development in
Literacy
• Action Planning – target setting for
improvement
Task - Core Data
•
•
•
•
Consider the data
Are you happy?
What are the problem areas?
Where will you start? Prioritise the needs of
your pupils
• What will you do?
Drilling down beneath the data
Stage 2
Monitoring
Looking closely at the teaching and
learning in the focus area
Stage 1/Stage 8
Core Data Analysis
Stage 3
Reflection
•Impact of previous action
Define areas for development
Stage 7
Periodic Review Meetings
•Reflecting on the evidence
Clarifying the types of issues
presenting
DRILLING DOWN
BENEATH THE DATA
•Sharing developments
Supporting one another
Checking progress of action
Stage 4
Create Action Plan
•Define the objectives/targets
Feed into SDP
Stage 6
Training and Preparation
Stage 5
Dissemination
•Issue staff with all necessary
documents
Address any training needs
•Share action plan with all staff
Conduct needs analysis
Stage 1
Analysis of Core Data set
• Involvement of all teaching staff.
• Collaboration - shared understanding of standards within
school, county, family and national contexts.
• Reach conclusions – interpreting trends, curves, dips etc.
1. Acknowledgement and evaluation of impact of previous
school action.
2. Identification of areas for improvement e.g Oracy, Reading
or Writing
Stage 2
Drilling down – Monitoring literacy with
attention on focus area e.g. Writing.
• Monitoring to include analysis of teaching and
learning provision relating to focus area at
each stage within Foundation Phase. (Also see
“Effective Monitoring Model”)
Stage 3
Reflection on Monitoring exercise.
• Drawing conclusions and defining the types of
writing issues presenting in school e.g.
Evidence shows little or no punctuation used in
any class or story writing is an issue across the
whole phase.
Stage 4
Development of Action Plan to set targets for
improvement.
• Defining the aims, action steps, success
criteria, costs, resource/training implications
and timescale.
• In collaboration with SMT, action plan for
Literacy to feature in school development
plan.
Stage 5
Dissemination of Action Plan
• Share plan with all teachers and support staff
• Ensure all personnel are aware of their role in
working towards achieving objectives
• Needs analysis?
Stage 6
Tackling needs to overcome barriers to success
• Ensure even distribution of all relevant materials and
documentation (no gaps for new
teachers/NQTs/teachers returning from long-term
absences etc)
• Staff training
• Peer mentoring to share good practice
• Audit/Purchase resources to support action
Stage 7
Periodic Review meetings
• Staff to share work from their classes
• Review progress
• Colleagues to engage in professional dialogue
to support and guide one another
Stage 8
Analysis of Core Data set
• Involvement of all teaching staff.
• Collaboration - shared understanding of standards within
school, county, family and national contexts.
• Reach conclusions – interpreting trends, curves, dips etc.
1. Acknowledgement and evaluation of impact of previous
school action.
2. Identification of areas for improvement e.g Oracy, Reading
or Writing
Points to consider
• Data should inform target setting
• Literacy should feature annually on school
development plan
• All staff should know and understand the
targets
• Monitoring and evaluation – gradual but
constant process (cycle)
Is there really a boy problem?
Is the problem new?
There can scarce be a greater defect in
a gentleman, than not to express
himself well either in writing or in
speaking…yet there are a great
many…who cannot so much tell a story
as they should, much less speak clearly
and persuasively in any business
Girls come to
you to learn;
boys have to
be driven.
1868 – Schools
Inquiry Commission
1693 – John Locke ‘Some thoughts concerning education
It is well known that most
boys, especially at the
period of adolescence, have
a habit of healthy idleness
1923 – Board of Education Report
Girls on the whole are
more conscientious in
their attitude towards
their work. Many girls will
work on a subject they
dislike. No healthy boy
ever does!
1930 – Modern language teaching
What is the problem?
Differences in development
• The gap in language skills between boys and girls exists
even before they begin school;
• Girls have better levels of social development than boys
especially in relation to cooperation, conformity,
independence and concentration;
• Girls have higher attainment than boys on all cognitive
outcomes;
• Girls make greater gains in pre-reading skills, early
number concepts and non verbal reasoning than boys
over the pre-school period.
Estyn: Closing the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment in schools March 2008
Attitudes to learning
• Girls are far more likely than boys to adapt to learning
which is based on large amounts of listening, reading
and writing;
• Girls are less likely than boys to become restless if they
have to sit and listen for long periods;
• Girls often respond better than boys to activities that
involve extended writing ;
• More girls than boys are prepared to tackle lengthy
pieces of work and persevere with them, even without
regular feedback from teachers.
Estyn: Closing the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment in schools March 2008
Behavioural factors
• Greater numbers of boys are likely to be affected by
negative peer pressure than girls, making them more
willing to react against authority and engage in
disruptive behaviour;
• Many more boys than girls experience criticism and a
sense of failure in school. This, in turn, generates low self
esteem;
• Girls are more likely to give high status to hard –working,
high achieving pupils;
• Many more boys than girls have serious, but usually
unrealistic ambitions to be famous sportsmen, rock stars
or simply ‘rich and famous’;
Estyn: Closing the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment in schools March 2008
• Boys are much more confident and relaxed about
their ability to cope with tests and examinations;
• Boys are much more prominent among underachieving pupils. They frequently show poor study
skills, a lack of organisation and negative attitudes
to work.
Estyn: Closing the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment in schools March 2008
Home Learning Environment
• Reading to children;
• Teaching children songs and
nursery rhymes;
• Playing with letters and
numbers;
• Painting and drawing;
• Taking children to libraries;
• Creating regular opportunities
for playing with friends.
Social factors
• There is some evidence that parents interact differently
with boys and girls
• Many observers also feel that the significant economic
decline since the early 1980s of heavy and
manufacturing industries, has had a negative impact on
the aspirations and motivations of a significant minority
of boys in those areas most affected.
Estyn: Closing the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment in schools March 2008
Role models
• Only about 15% of primary school teachers are male,
and recruitment figures suggest that this percentage
will decline further;
• A significant minority of boys have little or no contact
with their fathers, and many have little contact with
males at home.
‘ …role models from the wider world have always affected
children’s behaviour and aspirations
When 5,000 parents were asked which fictional character
they felt influenced the way their children behaved, top
of the list, rather depressingly, was Bart Simpson.’
Bart’s most famous quote, according to The Simpsons
quotes web site, is
“I’m through with working, working is for chumps.”
Response from Homer: ‘Son, I’m proud of you. I was twice
your age before I figured that one out.’
From ‘Toxic Childhood’ Sue Palmer
What can Schools do?
•
•
•
•
Define the problem
Create a plan and implement
Monitor and check against objectives
Evaluate the impact