Reading Update for Headteachers – 2 March 2012
Phonic screening check
You should have already received:
Sample Materials
ARA (Assessment and Reporting Arrangements)
- Key dates:
Mid March – video explaining the scoring system. Uploaded April
By end of April 2012 training materials
By 1 June 2012 schools receive phonic screening materials
W/C 18 June administer test
Admin guide available online Week commencing 18 June 2012
Follow up window for screening for absentee pupils up to 29 June
By 29 June Headteachers submit their declaration form
30 June - submit results to LA
- In numbers:
Two sections
-Part 1 equivalent to YR
-Part 2 equivalent to Y1
40 words to read one-to-one with a teacher
Between 4 and 9 minutes per child
Threshold score will be between 30 and 33 out of 40
32% met the threshold in the pilot
2% were disapplied – no understanding of GPCs (Grapheme/Phoneme correspondences or matching letters to sounds)
43% of schools in pilot said that it told them things they didn't know
LAs monitoring 10% of schools
- Reflections from pilot schools:
Helped the school – there had been a focus upon weaker children - 'middlies' were being left behind
50 % of the children at one school achieved the standard - But 37% were only 2 marks away
Outcomes made them reflect upon their phonics teaching
- Practical tips from pilot schools:
Find a quiet space in school
It really does need to be a silent environment - background noise came on dictaphone.
Didn't tell them they were having a test – just a ‘game’ with real words and 'alien' words
Everyone in a school needs to know what the phonics test involves
The teacher administering the tests need to be confident in their own knowledge
Some children took a lot longer - so be generous on the time side when allocating time
Use TAs to organise children for slick handover - children ready outside.
Some children were sleepy in the afternoon - do in the mornings
Children very willing – teachers didn't say whether right or wrong - just gave lots of praise and positivity.
Overview of District-wide Reading strategy
Reading by 6 states
‘The diligent, concentrated and systematic teaching of phonics is central to the success of all schools that achieve high standards at Key Stage 1.’
Outcomes
Action research to identify good practice
Self evaluation toolkit
Online resource to cascade best practice
People
Deployment of reading volunteers in school
Achievement officers
Consultants
Practitioners
Volunteers
Documents you might like to read:
Reading by 6
Getting them Reading Early
Excellence in English
Reading, writing and communication
Videos to watch:
Phonics without tears
Others included within ‘Getting Them Reading Early’
Website:
Group name – Bradford Literacy Coordinators – 9qxkov
Sound it out - Group code - sghq72
Guided Reading and beyond – lzbzp4
Ofsted Inspectors’ questions relate to:
independence and choice
knowledge of books and individual authors
decoding strategies
understanding: literal and inferential comprehension
support from school and home
enjoyment
higher-order reading skills, such as inference, appreciation of an author’s style, awareness of themes, similarity and differences between texts
awareness of own progress and development as a reader
teaching, expectations and the school’s reading culture.
What they say:
"It is vital that all teachers working in a primary school have an expert knowledge of phonics." Gill Jones HMI
'It is about keeping up - not catching up.' Head teacher
Remember:
Phonics is a means to an end
Ultimately it is children's ability to infer and their ability to read to learn that will make the difference.
CPD:
Bespoke
Guided Reading and Beyond
Achieving Level 6
Achieving Level 3
An introduction to Letters and Sounds
Teaching the Higher Levels of Phonics
ICT:
Kindle project
Literacy in touch