We believe in an innovative approach in involving parents/carers to achieve our goals.

With schools face increasing funding difficulties, and reports suggest an increasing decline in literacy standards we propose a radical approach to raising standards and, equally importantly, to encouraging children’s love of reading.  Evidence from the Reading Recovery programme suggests that children can, and do, recover their reading abilities and continue to make progress at the same rates as their peers.  However, the Silkstone Fellowship project is intended to act as a high intensity preventative strategy, in order that Reading Recovery will not be needed for any child.

The research we are undertaking considers how parents/carers can be empowered, through highly motivating, structured training, to contribute much more effectively to reading within school.  The aim is to ensure all children become keen, confident and proficient readers.  Within the school we understand how to teach reading well, however, we lack adult support to implement this fully. The research will not follow the traditional model of parent reading support as we believe that parents/carers represent a huge under used potential resource. The project will ensure that parents/carers bring massively increased time, skill and energy into the reading journeys our children undertake.

We believe that in addition to daily, systematic high-frequency phonics, reading progress can be increased substantially if, a) parents/carers understand exactly how this is taught and can be supported at home, and b) that additional small-group reading sessions are provided for every child, every day.

The training for parents/carers will include strategies to engage and motivate their children.
Training will be practical in nature and will involve parents and carers being introduced to the resources used, having a reading session modelled, giving each of them the chance to lead a session with a coach supporting, and providing opportunities to extend their understanding and skills through ongoing, targeted support.

The project will:

• Offer free training for parents/carers to support them at home whilst also equipping them to lead regular, high-quality reading groups in school.
• Parents will be trained to undertake small-group structured, fast-paced phonic warm-ups that will include grapheme recognition, high-frequency word recognition, and blending prior to leading guided reading sessions focussed on level appropriate learning objectives derived from daily assessment for learning.
• The project will develop a bank of e-resources that will be available free of charge to other practitioners via our website.  This will include integrated short-term units of work, based on Letters and Sounds.  Each unit will include differentiated planning, flip charts, progressive sound mats and high frequency word mats, simplified assessment sheets and success criteria stickers.
• We are also planning to make a video of a reading session as a model to show schools what can be achieved within a short time period.

Impact of the project will be measured at the start and end, through:

• Progress in reading, broken down by gender, birth date, ethnicity, SEN status and FSM.
• Attitudes to reading as ascertained through structured reading interviews.
• Confidence of parents/carers in supporting reading at home and in school taken from before and after questionnaires.
• Numbers of parents/carers regularly supporting reading in the school.
• Number of downloads of materials from website.

• Low level disruption linked to a lack of challenge.
• Infrequent use of structured learning activities.
• Wide ranging quality of planning for progression.

As a result of this review, the school improvement plan was adjusted to consider the possible mechanisms for developing the key areas above. It was felt that a decision to re-structure the school day into three 100-minute periods of learning would provide a vehicle for addressing the inadequacies in planning at long, medium and short-term levels. It is expected that restructuring learning will lead to improved outcomes for all learners and as a result, improve their educational experience.

At the start of the summer term, all senior and middle leaders were trained in the fundamentals of long and medium term planning. Time has been provided for faculties to spend significant amounts of time planning collaboratively for the introduction of 100-minute lessons. Staff needed clarification of what 100-minute lessons look like and further opportunities to observe colleagues in partner schools.

The Project

There is recognition of the risk element in changing the ‘blueprint’ of the school. However, the school feels that this is the most appropriate mechanism for improving pupil outcomes and, as such, believes that measuring and evaluating the impact of the change, is fundamental to informing future decisions about the structuring of the curriculum.

The project will address the following questions:

• How are learning episodes structured to maximise the learning and progress within lessons?
• As a result of 100-minute lessons, are teachers better positioned to meet the needs of all pupils through: improved planning of differentiated learning activities; strategic grouping of abilities and planned sequences of higher-order questioning?
• Have 100-minute lessons allowed for the greater use of independent and collaborative learning?
• Have 100-minute lessons required a more planned and better deployment of other adults?
• What has been the impact on the management of pupil behaviour within lessons?
• What now characterises a good 100-minute lesson?
• What is the best way of disseminating good practice in order to secure further improvement?

The following proposed sequence of investigation to be undertaken:

• A staff and pupil survey to establish a base line of perception in respect to 100-minute lessons.
• Advocates to support other colleagues in the transition to 100-minute lessons.
• Termly staff and pupil surveys to gauge perception and measure impact.
• Initial assessment of the impact of 100-minutes over the first four weeks of the new academic year.
• Identification of coaching required for those who feel that greater support is necessary.
• A number of 20 minute lesson drop-ins to establish the quality of learning and behaviour following the change to 100-minutes.

Sharing of good practise
• As a result of lesson observations and staff voice surveys, provide opportunities for good practice to be shared through video clips, case-studies, ‘Top Tips’, coaching partnerships.

Lesson observations of a longer duration
• Use of lesson observations to identify the features of 100-minute lessons and to judge the quality of provision for learners.

Use of data
• Termly analysis of data to measure rates of progress in comparison to previous years.

Considering further curriculum change
• As a result of this project, consideration will be given to possible future changes to the curriculum and learning opportunities.

Many children and adults are not confident mathematicians; they do not understand some important key ideas and do not enjoy studying the subject. The current concept of moving quickly through mathematical strategies in order for children to start using ‘standard written’ methods appears to be highly flawed.  The Woodingdean project will ensure mathematical investigation and exploration is supported by appropriate apparatus and images in order to develop understanding, creative thinking, confidant collaboration and inspired learning
The project rationale has been influenced by Bruner, Dienes and their investigative models for teaching and learning in mathematics, together with the Japanese model of lesson study, on which ours is based,.  The project utilises both Bruner’s theory that we use enactive [doing], iconic and symbolic models to ‘translate experience into a model of the world’ (Bruner, 1966, p 10), and Dienes’ belief that each mathematical concept should be explored using many different models to enable flexible thinking. The importance of making connections has been repeated by more recent thinkers including Anghileri and Askew.

The initial goals are to improve learning in mathematics and enjoyment by persuading KS2 colleagues at two form entry primary schools to use apparatus with their classes and for all of us to increase the range of the resources we use within an investigative approach.  This has taken place to varying degrees.  Apparatus has been used more fully in most of the KS2 classes, some borrowing from the infant classrooms combined with a few classes buying Cuisenaire rods from their budgets.

During recent group interviews with KS2 children the following messages emerged:

• apparatus supports their learning
• investigations are sometimes hard but fun
• greater confidence and increased enjoyment rather than having to find the answer
• annoyance when told the solution by a classmate before getting there themselves

We will continue to develop these investigational experiences as a team.  We will also explore with children and teachers the uses of questioning for learning by prompting, extending and clarifying by allowing more opportunities for children to explain their thinking and summarise their ideas at the end of sessions.

The project will run more lesson study projects with other teachers throughout the primary school with the focus of:

• continuing to develop a teaching and learning curriculum based upon an investigative and resource-rich approach in KS2
• developing the frequent use of focused investigations supported by a wide range of apparatus and images in the Foundation Stage and KS1
• developing our use of questions to prompt, extend and clarify children’s thinking during investigations in collaboration with all teaching colleagues
• working towards making frequent opportunities for children to summarise their ideas and evaluate the strategies used by themselves and their classmates.

The project will build a bank of rich, tested and appropriate investigations together with developing a system for evaluating them.

• Teaching in a diagnostic manner by establishing pupils existing understanding at the start of each mathematical topic, identifying pupils’ needs and putting targeted interventions into place.
• Using assessment points throughout each lesson to give teachers feedback on pupils’ comprehension of the new concepts under investigation.
• Utilising devices with individual screens to allow differentiated questions to be used in mixed ability teaching groups.

We considered and evaluated pupil response systems and came to the decision that these were a poor investment in teaching and learning terms.  In addition, these devices were unable to support complex mathematical formulae and diagrams.  Following discussions, we became aware that pupils had access to smartphones, iPod touch, tablets and laptops with a colour screens capable of:

• displaying graphics, diagrams, complex formulae
• interactive touch screens or trackball
• connecting to the school’s wireless network
• photographing pupils’ work

As there were no existing software programmes that met our teaching needs we developed our own which delivers questions directly to pupils electronic devices and is capable of providing diagnostic information.  Teachers have found the assessment data this provides enables them to focus their teaching to where pupils have shown weak understanding.  The next stage of the project is to allow pupils to take photographs of their written workings as part of their response to questions.  This will enable us to focus on, and strengthen the focus of pupils, on their written solutions, rather than just on the answer.

At the heart of the project is the enhancing of pupil learning, and we will investigate how this system improves the mathematical understanding and attitudes of our pupils.  Through teacher observations we intend to develop a set of best-practice guidelines in order to structure effective lessons for using the electronic delivery system.  In addition, joint planning and assessment development will allow us to consider pupils misconceptions.  Finally, we will capture pupils’ attitudes towards this model of teaching and incorporate their views into the ongoing development of the delivery system.

The CCF is used as a vehicle to deliver the BTEC in Public Services in KS 4 (Level 2) and KS 5 (Level 3).  This is done in partnership with the Cadet Vocational Qualification Organisation (CVQO). Pupils complete the Level 2 qualification in Public Services through the CVQO in their sixth form.  There are plans to deliver the Level 1 qualification in KS 3 and to introduce a BTEC Level 2 in Music that will be delivered through the Cadet Corps of Drums.

The school and CCF featured in a Panorama programme Troops to Teachers broadcast in February 2011.  The programme clearly identified the anecdotal evidence that delivering a vocational curriculum in this way has a whole school impact, not just in terms of achievement, but also in terms of raised aspirations, pupil leadership, and behaviour.  It is also clear that for some pupils this is one of the few areas in which they can engage and complete. Our CCF Contingent also works in partnership with three other schools to offer pupils the wider opportunities available through the cadet movement.  One of these is Selly Oak Trust School, a large secondary special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties.

The aim of the 21^st Century Learning Alliance Fellowship is to investigate the development of a cadet-based vocational curriculum to drive whole school improvement.  The project will look at integrating other subject areas into the delivery of the syllabus where there is common ground (for example, geography and physical education (PE) for map skills, PE for fitness assessments and expedition skills etc).  The project will also look at how the programme could be linked to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme and how whole school pupil leadership can be developed.  Examining different models of delivery, including how a tailored programme could be used to engage some disaffected pupils, the project will study best practice from the United States where schools have been running similar projects, instigated in response to the Los Angeles riots, since the early 1990’s. The US system has always seen cadet activity as being integrated as a curriculum option, whereas in the UK, it has been largely viewed as an extra curricula activity.

Headteachers Eileen Heaphy, Glenys Jones, Jude Gibbon and Tracy Evans have master-minded the design and development of this conference, working with BEST Director, Patrick White, and Tracy Slater.  It’s all a part of BEST’s vision for a Basildon Challenge – a challenge that will improve achievement in local schools.

The conference aims to examine the achievements of BEST pupils and to look at the research evidence around this; to identify barriers to learning and reasons for underachievement; and to share strategies for raising achievement.

Key speakers include:

• Brenda Bigland CBE, recently retired headteacher of Lent Rise Primary School.  Brenda will report on the journey she went through to transform achievement in her school.
• Professor Denis Mongon, Visiting Professorial Fellow at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning at the Institute of Education.
• Christopher Nye HMI will offer Ofsted’s views on what works in raising the achievement of working class pupils.

The conference includes 15 related workshops: Targeted Support for Working Class Children (Alan Jacobs): Raising Self-Esteem (Dr Dave Anderson); Focussing on Underachievement and low aspirations in numeracy (Sharon Victory); Engaging ways to teach writing (Theresa Mullane)…the full programme is at the foot of this page.

The conference has been many months in the making, and is the fruits of a successful collaboration between the 21st Century Learning Alliance and BEST.

Click here to link to the conference papers and background research on raising achievements of working class pupils.

The full programme for the day is as follows.

Sir Michael Wilshaw will be our first guest speaker at the Thinking Aloud dinner.  The title of Sir Michael’s speech is Where Principals Dare.  Further details can be found here.

In a relatively short time a diversity of teaching styles and types of schools has emerged in this country and public discussion on what constitutes a good educational experience has become controversial.

The 21^st Century Learning Alliance continues to act as a unique and influential forum able to influence the debate on what constitutes good teaching and learning.  In November the Alliance will hold the first of a series of Thinking Aloud dinner discussions opened by influential educators.  We are delighted that Sir Michael Wilshaw has agreed to act as our speaker at this first dinner.  Sir Michael, the Executive Principal of Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney, has achieved remarkable examination and performance results for his inner city pupils through his sustainable management methods.  The text of Sir Michael’s opening speech and the outcomes of the dinner will be posted on the website shortly after the event.