What specific curriculum area, subject or aspect did you intend to have impact on?
- Assessment and target setting
- English - writing
How did you intend to impact on pupil learning?
The Project's aim is to:-
- Ensure faster progress in writing at the beginning of Key Stage 2 with expectations of
- Securing Level 3 in writing at the end of year 4
- Pupils making two levels of progress in writing across the key stage
- Provide a three tier model for all children through:
- Improving quality first teaching for the whole class
- Improving guided writing to meet group needs
- 1-to-1 intervention for 6 children
- Draw on ECaW Specialist Teacher support to demonstrate the process at all tiers
- Target the areas in writing that children find the hardest – especially sentence construction and text cohesion
What were your success criteria?
ECaW Specialist Teacher support:
Establishing a new cadre of 11 leading teachers with excellent practice in improving writing, to focus specifically on raising attainment in writing and supporting teachers in Years 3 and 4 in order to secure shared and guided teaching approaches;
ECaW Partnership Schools:
Identifying 33 schools, including the Specialist Teacher schools, with Years 3 and 4 to take part in the programme based on given criteria.
Improving quality first teaching: Ensuring Year 3 and 4 teachers make effective use of the Primary framework and the new range of writing related materials and interventions available throughout Years 3 and 4;
Improved standards of Teaching & Learning
Developing pedagogy for one to one intervention in writing, through testing different models and approaches
National Strategies target for at least 70% Y3 or/and Y4 children to make at least 2 sub levels progress during the year.
PLEASE NOTE this page has three tabs - click 'Next tab' below or use tabs above to see Teaching approaches and CPD approaches
What information or data did you use to measure progress towards your success criteria?
- CVA data
- Data comparison of cohorts
- Learning walks / study visits
- Observation outcomes
- Periodic teacher assessment
- Pupils' work
What did you do? What teaching approaches (pedagogy) did you use to achieve the intended impact?
- Assessment for Learning (AfL)
- Collaborative group work
- Independent learning
- Learning how to learn
- Peer coaching
- Self assessment and peer assessment
- Teaching sequences
- Use of pupil talk for whole-class teaching
Describe the teaching approaches you used
The launch meeting in March 2009 provided by National Strategies introduced local authorities (LAs) to the core elements of 'Every Child a Writer' (ECaW). It became evident at the meeting that the LA consultant would be working to a tight deadline in order to advertise and recruit the specialist teachers, enlist schools and plan and implement the launch by the beginning of July 2009. Having attended the National launch a detailed LA action plan was completed by the ECaW lead consultant and subsequently monitored and updated as the programme proceeded. (See attachment)
The first priority was to recruit 10 Specialist Teachers, so advertisements were prepared and distributed across Kent's consultant teams; Primary Excellence Project Headteachers (PEPs) and School Improvement Partners (SIPs). The programme was also promoted at Literacy Subject Leader meetings across Kent and via our e-bulletins. The key assessment criteria for the Specialist Teacher role were set out, with clear expectations of the core elements of the ECaW programme. Formal applications were invited from teachers who wished to become a Specialist Teacher for ECaW, and examples of planning and an accompanying headteacher's support statement were also requested. These were then processed and followed up by consultant visits to each applicant's school. Each visit included interviews, lesson observations and discussions with Headteachers and Specialist Teachers to ensure that everyone knew the core elements of the programme and exactly what they were 'signing up' to. Specialist Teacher schools were also able to access the same support for their Year 3 and 4 teachers. It was initially expected that schools might be reluctant to allow their 'best' teachers to be out of class for 26 days over the year, but this was not the case and an overwhelming number of quality applicants were received from across Kent. Although funded by National Strategies for up to 10 Specialist Teachers, due to the calibre, number of applicants and the size of the LA, Kent agreed to recruit and fund 11 Specialist Teachers, thus extending the programme to 33 schools for the pilot year. Happily, many of the applicants who were unsuccessful in joining the ECaW project become part of Kent's Leading Teacher programme and have been supporting schools and colleagues through that programme instead. Some of these leading teachers are now Specialist Teachers for our second cohort of schools
Once the Specialist Teachers were in place, partnership schools were invited to join the programme. Their selection was based on strict criteria, looking at conversion rates in writing from L2c to L4 by end of KS2, the capacity of the school to support the programme and their locality to the Specialist Teacher schools. Each Specialist Teacher was partnered with two local schools. The personal telephone conversations and school visits from the consultant were important to ensure that all the core elements of the programme were transparent from the start. As the project addresses the key areas of writing that pupils find most difficult, many schools had already identified this as a priority focus area in their school improvement plans. ECaW was therefore welcomed as an excellent model of support to help schools raise pupil attainment, so practically every school that was approached to join the project came on board. The programme has therefore now become a part of school improvement plans and has featured in many SEFs, SIP notes of visit and Ofsted reports during the year.
Kent's ECaW launch for all the schools in the programme was organised and held during July 2009 to ensure that the core elements and expectations of the programme were known and explicit; to allow schools time to start thinking about implementation of support from September 2009 and to provide the opportunity for schools to meet their partnership colleagues. Specialist Teachers, Headteachers, Literacy Subject Leaders, SMTs and Year 3 and 4 teachers were all invited as it was important that the same message was given and understood by all stakeholders; findings from pilot LAs had proved that the most successful schools were those where everyone involved was clear of their roles and responsibilities and moved good practice beyond the Year 3 and 4 supported classes to the whole school. It was also necessary to ensure that the Year 3 and 4 supported teachers knew that it was a unique opportunity to develop practice, trial new approaches and initiatives collaboratively and was not a programme that was to be 'done to them' as they were in some way failing.
National Strategies provided a CPD day for the Specialist Teachers in July 2009 to introduce them to the programme's materials. This was a helpful start to the project, as it allowed everyone to meet colleagues from other LAs and spend time together as a team, building confidence and knowledge of the programme and an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all the stakeholders involved. It was important to develop a team environment of trust and respect where questions could be asked, problems shared and achievements celebrated in confidence. Two further CPD days were provided by National Strategy throughout the next academic year, the resources and training supplied focused on:-
- Quality First Teaching strategies in order to secure shared and guided teaching approaches;
- Assessing Pupil Progress
- Support for Writing
- Guided Writing
- 1-1 tuition materials and pedagogies
The consultant attended each national meeting with the Specialist Teachers and was therefore able to disseminate messages and provide further support back in the LA.
In addition to National training, Kent LA provided their own CPD for the Specialist Teachers, one full day per season, to revisit materials and to develop CPD areas identified by them as the programme and support developed. LA CPD extended the NS training and covered 1-1 tuition, APP, Support for writing, writing targets, steps in learning, progression, text types, guided writing; Primary Framework units, the teaching sequence, planning through the reading into writing phases; Talk for Writing and demonstration and teacher modelling of the writing process. It was also an aim for the LA to provide professional development for Specialist Teachers. Therefore training on working protocols, organisation of and leading the termly twilight meetings for the three partnership schools, analysis of data to inform next action steps of support, completion of notes of visit and CPD training to develop coaching and mentoring skills were also provided.
Colleagues were able to share experiences and resources during these meetings with consultants, talk in confidence about what had worked well and develop strategies to deal with elements that had not worked as well. They were learning together as a collaborative group of expert practitioners and were relishing the opportunities and time provided by the programme to work alongside partnership teachers and consultants, reflect on existing practices and hold regular quality dialogues to move learning forward. Specialist Teachers' confidence grew as they recognised strengths that they had taken for granted in their own classroom and extended their learning beyond the confines of their own school. Each Specialist Teacher had a 'buddy' set up from the beginning that they used for support in between meetings and had a link consultant to use as a trouble shooter and critical friend whenever needed.The lead consultant's role was extensive and covered a range of responsibilities:
- Ensuring that the schools completed all baseline data assessments of pupil attainment prior to the start of the programme and continued to submit and analyse termly progress data from Year 3 and 4 classes.
- Ensuring that the Specialist Teachers were supported in their role both by the senior management team of their home school and by the LA, for example, ensuring guaranteed release time to facilitate the programme.
- Provide Literacy Consultant support to Specialist Teachers as trainer, mentor, coach and facilitator.
- Actively promoting and securing the appointment of tutors and quality-assuring tuition sessions.
- Monitoring and evaluating impact of the programme on pupil attainment and teaching and learning standards:
- Establishing systems for termly review of pupil progress drawing on the Assessing Pupils' Progress (APP) materials.
- Gathering and reviewing termly progress data from ECaW classes on a termly basis.
- Facilitating monitoring visits to schools and the LA from National Strategy and external evaluation provider.
It was agreed that shadow visits from the LA consultant would not take place until Specialist Teachers had made the initial visits to each school and started to form working relationships with their partnership colleagues. An overview Calendar of Visits was maintained centrally showing all ECaW visits across Kent and a programme of termly support visits from the LA consultant was planned and put in place. Completed notes of visit were sent for quality assurance to the link consultant before distribution to headteachers to keep them informed; teachers so actions agreed could take place; and SIPs to inform part of their discussions with the school. These were also used to build a picture of school progress and commitment to the programme. Specialist Teachers had received training on working protocols and so were confident to alert their link consultant if any 'shadow' visits might be 'beneficial' to support the process and ensure that the core elements were adhered to.
Specialist Teacher training days were planned to coincide with termly progress data submissions so that progress could be celebrated, analysed and monitored for each school and strategies put in place for future support visits.
Although National Strategy offered a training day for tutors in London during February, the response was minimal. As the training was specific to ECaW materials with the aim of accelerating progress in writing, schools were approached by lead consultant to see whether local training, if provided, would be supported. There was a high demand so Tutor CPD was provided by LA consultant, using ECaW tutor materials. Having completed the first year in the programme, we have looked at what has worked well and now recommend that tuition is not undertaken until Spring Term when teachers know their pupils well. It is important that teachers identify possible pupils in the Autumn Term, but remain flexible as once the quality first teaching was in place and guided writing established children progressed and were often no longer the children who would benefit most from 1-1 tuition in later terms. Tutor CPD has already been organised by lead consultant to take place in November 2010 so that the new cohort of schools will be ready to implement tuition in January 2012.
What did you do? What approaches to CPD and learning for adults were used?
- Classroom enquiry
- Learning conversation
- Lesson observation
- Lesson study
- Partnership teaching
Describe the CPD approaches you used
- All Specialist Teachers attended CPD provided by National Strategies
- LA provided training on ECaW practices and materials, working protocols and peer support
- Literacy Regional Adviser provided training on coaching
- Specialist Teachers worked closely with lead consultant to identify their CPD needs as the programme developed and these were planned and provided by consultant at LA ECaW team days across the year
- Each Specialist Teacher was allocated a link consultant to act as trouble-shooter and critical friend
- Specialist Teachers had a working buddy to provide support between LA meetings
- Specialist Teachers used a range of strategies to support teachers:-
- - coaching, mentoring, facilitating, providing CPD in schools, team planning and teaching in classrooms, modelling and demonstrating particular teaching approaches for colleagues to observe impact on pupil learning, modelling good teaching practices, supporting teacher assessment and planning and many more!
What CPD materials, research or expertise have you drawn on?
- National Strategy Advisers
- Line manager
- 'Improving Writing with a Focus on Guided Writing' Ref: 00618-2007BKT-EN; http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/64444
- Support for Writing http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/102688
- Text Types
- Progression documents
- Pupil Writing Targets
- Steps in Learning
- Assessing Pupils' Progress materials -writing guidelines and grids DFES-03957-2006
- Assessing Pupils' Progress in the Primary phase http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/20005
- The Assessment for Learning Strategy DCSF-00341-2008.pdf
- Primary Framework http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primary/primaryframework
- Reading into Writing phases of the teaching sequence
- Talk for Writing Ref: 00467-2008DVD -EN http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/154519
- 'Improving Practice and Progression through Lesson Study: a handbook for headteachers, leading teachers and subject leaders' Ref:00887-2007DWO-EN http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/64364
- 1- 1 tuition materials – ECaW website http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/ecaw
- Working protocol pack from Kent LA
- CPD on completion of Notes of Visit
- Improving Practice and Progression through Lesson Study
- NS ref num: 00508-2008
- Coaching and mentoring CPD provided by Literacy RA
- Tutor CPD
- Year 3 teacher CPD
- Year 4 teacher CPD
Who provided you with support?
- Local authority staff
- Senior management
How were you supported?
National Strategies provided resources and CPD training on the key elements of the programme
Meetings with consultant's line manager to review progress, share ideas and reflect on next actions