NewsletterNovember 2016
Welcome
The 2016/2017 academic yearis in full swingand University life is as busy asever! It was lovely to welcome our 1st Year BEd and PGCE students to Plymouth in Septemberand I can report that they have settled down well and are excited to beon the first rung of the teaching ladder. But life doesn't stand still and the recruitment cycle for 2017/2018 is already underway. Our NCTL allocation is 194 for the BEd and 75 for the PGCE (university-led pathway), so we are keen to hear of any events (including secondary school career evenings) that we could attend. Details of our Open Days / Evenings can be found on the website. Our motto for this year has been borrowed from the successful British Cycling team: "1% better in everything we do" - it's recognition that we areproud of what we do in Primary ITE, but that attention to detail will make things even better. Thank you for playing such an important part in our quest to support our trainees in becoming the very best teachers they can be.
Liz Taplin, Programme Leader BEd (Primary) & PGCE (Primary & Early Years)
Associate Professor / Senior Lecturer in Primary Physical Education.
Recruitment
We have a number of dates already in the calendar for interviews for the next academic year. We aim to recruit passionate and committed people to the profession and as previously value and appreciate our school based partners in supporting this process. If you would be interested in working with us please email the Programme Leader, Liz Taplin –
PR4M - The Plymouth Reading For Meaning Project
Cross phase training to explore whole school approaches to developing and improving reading comprehension
Carrie Ansell, Howard Cotton and Garry Hornby from the Plymouth Institute of Education have been asked, on behalf of Plymouth University, to evaluate the impact of this exciting project and are working with Plymouth Teaching Schools Alliance to undertake research with the teachers involved in it. We are delighted that our academics are playing such an important role in this work and research. Plymouth Teaching Schools Alliance is working with Judy Clark from the National Literacy Trust, Plymouth University, Marjon and UKLA to develop teacher knowledge and understanding of reading comprehension across the city. Day One went very well (photo below) and included: exploration of current practice and effectiveness; understanding comprehension development; what is effective teaching of comprehension; exploring practical comprehension skills and strategies; Joint Practice Development: the value of collaborative exploration.
Teachers attend the PR4M training at Mayflower Community Academy who last year were the first Plymouth based school to take part in the Lend me Your Literacy Project which is now widely used across 100 countries around the world.
Congratulations to Plymouth University sponsored Mayflower Community Academy on its recent OUTSTANDING Ofsted inspection!
Transforming Outdoor Learning in Schools – Lessons from the Natural Connections Demonstration Project
Those of you that attended our Primary Partnership Conference in June will no doubt recall the presentation from Dr Rowena Passy, the Evaluation Manager, Natural Connections Project and of course, many of our partners will have been involved.
The Natural Connections Demonstration project, the 4 year outdoor learning project working with 125 schools across the south west of England, especially those in deprived communities, to help them to use their grounds and local greenspaces frequently and regularly for learning across the curriculum was successfully reported in July.
We are very pleased to report that a brand new teacher’s guide, Transforming Outdoor Learning in Schools – Lessons from the Natural Connections Demonstration Project, has been published.
We would also urge those partners who still wish to develop Outdoor Learning to consider The Natural School Service by clicking on the following link:
For your diary–
Your Primary Partnership Conference will be held at Exeter Racecourse on 15th June 2017 – all primary partners are invited to attend.
Plymouth Institute of Education - Enriching Lives