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Preparing for Literacy – 3 day course

Audience: Subject Leaders/KS Leaders/Strategic Leaders/Class teachers 

Timings across the year: Day 1 (17th May), Day 2 (28th June), Day 3 (5th July) – spaced with sufficient time for observations/gap tasks to be completed

Resources available: Videos of practice, Audit tool, Guidance reports, ppts, handouts and readings, EYs Toolkit, EYs Assessment database

Title 17th May Day 1 – Subject Knowledge Day 28th June Day 2 - Subject Knowledge Day 5th July Day 3 – Preparing for Action
Length
Full day (9.30am – 2.30pm)
Full day (9.30am – 2.30pm)
Full day (9.30am – 2.30pm)
Attendees
Strategic lead +1 (CTs/Subject Leaders)
Strategic lead +1 (CTs/Subject Leaders)
Strategic Lead HTs invited to afternoon session to be involved in planning etc
Timing/ Pacing
Spring 2
Summer 1
Summer 2
Objectives
Session 1

Introduction to the Early Years Toolkit and strands to develop Introduction to the Guidance report –how it is developed, the strength of the evidence, its relation to others

To gain an overview of GR

Session 2 Deep Dive into the Evidence Strand 1- oral language

Session 3 Evidence into practice Strand 2, Reading

Decoding and comprehension, reading to develop motivation Phonological Awareness

Some examples of how the evidence can be translated into practice

Session 4 Introduction to School’s Guide to Implementation 4 step model. Considering what we already know about these 2 evidence areas, planning to explore. Identifying questions to find out more about.
Session 1 Reflecting on and sharing findings from the gap task- learning together Using the school’s guide to implementation.

Session 2 Dive into the Evidence Strand 3 Handwriting CAP Letter knowledge Evidence into practice Session 3 Strand 4 Self regulation (thinkpiece) Evidence into practice

Session 4 Strand 5 Parental Support Evidence into practice (language thinkpiece)

Book apps lists PEEP, REAL, EasyPeasy Session 5 (short) Bringing the threads of the day together –planning questions to explore further in school.
Session 1 Reflecting on and sharing findings from the gap task- learning together Using the school’s guide to implementation.

Session 2 Strand 6 Dive into the evidence What is effective assessment?

Intro to EEF EYs database – what do you recognise

Exploring the difference between formative, summative and diagnostic assessment

Validity Reliability Consistency

Range of diagnostic assessments that can be used. The purpose of diagnostic assessments (validity/reliability)

Session 3 Strand 7 High quality interventions

Tiered waves of support – RTI model NELI PEEP EasyPeasy REAL Early Talk, Time for Talk – Intro into the effective use of structured interventions

Intervention Health Check - EIF Session 4 Drawing the threads of learning together – what have we learnt, Formulating action plan (either school/classroom practice) – using a logic model

Evaluating- planning to robustly evaluate the impact of the changes (using comparison groups)

Evaluating outcomes Gusky model of evaluation – going deeper.
Key things to cover
Protocols for learning on with and behalf of each other Stanovich’s early intervention argument

Session 2 Exploring the Evidence: Oral Language is the foundation of literacy. How children acquire language (user based model) Developing language

Evidence in practice (select 1-2 to consider) Concept Cat Vocab acquisition Grammar etc Session 3 Exploring the Evidence: Early foundations of reading – SVR Importance of story telling Using the PEER framework PA and alphabetic knoweldge

Evidence in practice: (select 1-2 to consider)

Session 4 Evidence informed action planning Using audit tool to consider practice, identify one/two areas to consider further in school with colleagues – where are we, what are the issues, what do we know, how well does our current practice align with the evidence,
Protocols for learning on with and behalf of each other Revisiting and sharing progress to date

Exploring the Evidence: Handwriting development

Evidence in practice:

Evidence informed action planning Using audit tool to consider practice, identify one/two areas to explore further in school with colleagues where are we, what are the issues, what do we know, how well does our current practice align with the evidence,
What makes effective assessment in the classroom – monitoring vs diagnostic

Intro to EYs database Examples of assessments that can be easily used in the classroom. Obs survey; language assessment, PA, Wellcomm, simple handwriting, observations,

Exploring diagnostic assessments, thinking about next steps and the learning for the child Using a case study examples.

Puling the evidence together – from all the strands, what are the areas to work on?

Deciding one/two areas to focus on

Planning to change - Logic model Evaluating impact – using a comparison group

Presentations (maybe as a marketplace/in a narrative format/from the front) of learning journey

Gusky evaluation model
Gap task
Share learning with colleagues in school – completing audit as appropriate. Audit provision in school Begin to identify and consider priorities for action plan
Share learning with colleagues in school – completing RAG audit as appropriate. Audit provision in school – Intervention health check-

Begin to identify and consider priorities for action plan
Optional twilight session
Twilight session covering: progress to date, further reading and discussion (study group), reflecting on translating the evidence into practice
Twilight session covering: progress to date, further reading and discussion (study group), reflecting on translating the evidence into practice
Resources
ppt

PfL Guidance report

School’s Guide to Implementation

Think pieces on oral language

Audit tool

A selection of children’s picture books to use through out

Video

ppt

PfL Guidance report

School’s Guide to Implementation

Audit tool

Video

Handwriting – video on Aspirer website Materials from National Handwriting Association
ppt

KS1 Guidance report

School’s Guide to Implementation

Audit tool

Diagnostic assessments booklet

Logic model

Intervention Health Check

Recommended course reading:

EEF Guidance reports: Preparing for Literacy, Improving Literacy at KS1, Improving Literacy at KS2, Maximising the Impact of Teaching Assistants

Ending the Reading Wars, Castles, Rastle and Nation, (2018) http://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/10.1177/1529100618772271-free/full

Reading Development and Teaching – Stuart and Stainthorp. 

Understanding and Teaching Reading Comprehension, Oakhill, Cain and Elbro

Reading Rockets website

Wider reading and other sources

WWClearinghouse Practice Guide –Teaching Elementary Students to Write Effectively, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/17

WWClearinghouse Practice Guide – Teaching Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/14

WWClearinghouse Practice Guide – Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/21

ECERS and ACERS environmental rating scales – Siraj-Blatchford et al. 

Sign up before the 9th May 2022.

Early Years Foundation Stage &Primary Schools. 3 day course – £300 PP

It will be delivered in person at Everton Nursery and Family Centre, Spencer Street, Liverpool.

Megan Dixon

Consultant

Megan has a wealth of school leadership, school improvement and policy experience, including working for the Education Endowment Foundation, as a MAT Executive Leader, as a Local Authority English consultant, as a Head Teacher, teacher trainer and a teacher. She has balanced a career in school with an academic career and is currently studying for a doctorate at the University of Sussex, UK. Her specialist interests lie in the teaching and learning of literacy (in particular reading comprehension), special educational needs, language development and leadership. Megan writes a weekly column for the Times Educational Supplement, regularly presents at conferences and is often found writing in collaboration with researchers and academics. You can find her at @DamsonEd

Andrea Vaughan

Consultant Trainer for Early Years

Andrea Vaughan is an independent education consultant and trainer with extensive experience of early years. For instance, over the last 25 years Andrea has been part of the team at the outstanding Everton Nursery School and Family Centre in Liverpool. She led outstanding provision for babies and toddlers, was a school teacher and children’s centre coordinator. As a senior leader she has led provision that significantly improved outcomes for children, such as in physical development, literacy and communication and language. Andrea provides high-quality training for staff and leaders working in the early years in schools and nurseries locally and nationally. In particular, she uses research about teaching and children’s learning to inform training programmes that she devises, for example to develop children’s oral language skills, providing a rich reading curriculum in nursery, developing the early maths curriculum, movement play for physical development and self-regulation in the early years. Andrea has also provided early years training on behalf of the Education Endowment Foundation. In 2021, Andrea helped the DfE to train practitioners across England about the revised EYFS. Andrea has also acted as project manager for DfE-funded early years training programmes across local authorities in the north west. Andrea was recently appointed by the DfE as the Area Lead for Liverpool for the Covid-19 Early Years Recovery Programme. Her work involves coaching experts and mentors to effectively support leaders in early years settings to help children to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. She is also involved with as a consultant with the Sutton Trust, helping settings to embed changes and sustain learning from evidence-based training.