LITERACYLITERACY

ESTYN:ESTYN:A strategy and guidance for inspecting literacy A strategy and guidance for inspecting literacy

for pupils aged 3 to 18 yearsfor pupils aged 3 to 18 years

September 2011September 2011

•Why?Why?

•What?What?

•How?How?

Why? Why?

• Slow progress in improving standards of literacy Slow progress in improving standards of literacy over the past ten years and plateauing results over over the past ten years and plateauing results over the past five years.the past five years.

• Significant differences in the performances of boys Significant differences in the performances of boys and girls.and girls.

• Variations within schools and across local Variations within schools and across local authorities.authorities.

• Low results in PISA.Low results in PISA.

• Too many pupils and adults in Wales with a weak Too many pupils and adults in Wales with a weak grasp of the basics.grasp of the basics.

What?What?

At all key stagesAt all key stages

• A lack of widespread recognition that literacy is A lack of widespread recognition that literacy is more than the single subject of Welsh/ English, more than the single subject of Welsh/ English, but is a group of competencies, which pupils need but is a group of competencies, which pupils need to acquire if they are to be successful learners in to acquire if they are to be successful learners in both school and adult life.both school and adult life.

  

• All teachers do not accept responsibility for All teachers do not accept responsibility for developing pupils’ literacy skills in all areas of developing pupils’ literacy skills in all areas of learning.learning.

What?What?

• Lack of forensic use of performance data Lack of forensic use of performance data to compare school performance with to compare school performance with others and by LAs for monitoring and others and by LAs for monitoring and challenging schools.challenging schools.

  

• Insufficient use of teaching styles that Insufficient use of teaching styles that develop pupils’ thinking, including develop pupils’ thinking, including questioning, planning and problem-solving questioning, planning and problem-solving skills.skills.

What?What?

At all key stagesAt all key stages

• Not enough success in meeting boys’ learning Not enough success in meeting boys’ learning needs. needs.

  • Lack of challenging learning tasks for the most-Lack of challenging learning tasks for the most-

able pupils. able pupils.

• Insufficient systematic tracking of the progress of Insufficient systematic tracking of the progress of pupils who are involved/have been previously pupils who are involved/have been previously involved in intervention programmes.involved in intervention programmes.

What?What?

At all key stagesAt all key stages

• ensuring schools adopt effective ‘assessment for ensuring schools adopt effective ‘assessment for learning’ approaches that enable learners to learning’ approaches that enable learners to understand fully how well they are doing and understand fully how well they are doing and what they need to do to make progress;what they need to do to make progress;

•   improving the quality of pupils’ reading and improving the quality of pupils’ reading and writing skills so they can apply them competently writing skills so they can apply them competently in work across the curriculum;in work across the curriculum;

What?What?

• insufficient identification and support for potential insufficient identification and support for potential talent amongst pupils from less advantaged talent amongst pupils from less advantaged backgrounds who may be at particular risk of backgrounds who may be at particular risk of underachieving;underachieving;

• few strong and influential PLCs to share and few strong and influential PLCs to share and improve learning and teaching practice; andimprove learning and teaching practice; and

• ensuring the literacy strategies and procedures of ensuring the literacy strategies and procedures of all schools and LAs take full account of effective all schools and LAs take full account of effective literacy practice. literacy practice.

How?How?

• Literacy is already a mandatory line of Literacy is already a mandatory line of enquiry in all inspections.enquiry in all inspections.

• Estyn’s strategy and detailed guidance for Estyn’s strategy and detailed guidance for inspectors.inspectors.

• Major and minor approaches.Major and minor approaches.

The key tasks for inspectors The key tasks for inspectors are to judge:are to judge:

• whether all pupils have the reading whether all pupils have the reading and writing skills needed to and writing skills needed to access access the whole curriculum; andthe whole curriculum; and

• how well the wider curriculum itself how well the wider curriculum itself develops pupils’ literacy skillsdevelops pupils’ literacy skills

Inspection FrameworkInspection Framework

• In the Inspection framework, the most weight In the Inspection framework, the most weight is given to literacy skills, as these skills is given to literacy skills, as these skills underpin all elements of pupils’ learning.underpin all elements of pupils’ learning.

• Inspectors will focus in particular on the skills Inspectors will focus in particular on the skills of of reading and writingreading and writing

• The The main focus is on outcomes for pupilsmain focus is on outcomes for pupils, , in terms of their standards of literacy and in terms of their standards of literacy and ability to use their reading and writing skills ability to use their reading and writing skills across the curriculumacross the curriculum

An essential Toolkit for An essential Toolkit for developing literacy developing literacy

(Carmarthen Literacy Strategy 2011 – 20013)(Carmarthen Literacy Strategy 2011 – 20013)

• An effective and vibrant literacy environment to An effective and vibrant literacy environment to develop oracy, reading and writingdevelop oracy, reading and writing

• Provision that is experiential and developmentalProvision that is experiential and developmental• Explicit teaching of oracy, reading and writing Explicit teaching of oracy, reading and writing

through shared, guided, individual and paired through shared, guided, individual and paired approachesapproaches

• Ensuring learners are aware of purpose and Ensuring learners are aware of purpose and audience in a range of texts across the curriculumaudience in a range of texts across the curriculum

• Immersion and modelling to develop oracy, reading Immersion and modelling to develop oracy, reading and writingand writing

• Good whole school synthetic phonics teachingGood whole school synthetic phonics teaching• Explicit teaching of reading strategiesExplicit teaching of reading strategies• Oral rehearsal before writing. Say it. Write it.Oral rehearsal before writing. Say it. Write it.

An essential Toolkit for An essential Toolkit for developing literacy developing literacy

(Carmarthen Literacy Strategy 2011 – 2013)(Carmarthen Literacy Strategy 2011 – 2013)

• Speaking frames and talk for thoughtSpeaking frames and talk for thought• Ensuring that all teachers and learners know and Ensuring that all teachers and learners know and

can use the language features and text can use the language features and text organisation of different text purposesorganisation of different text purposes

• Learners are made aware of transferable skills in Learners are made aware of transferable skills in language: one language supporting the otherlanguage: one language supporting the other

• Ensuring that the principles of assessment for Ensuring that the principles of assessment for learning are understood and embedded so that learning are understood and embedded so that planning is linked to assessmentplanning is linked to assessment

• The assessment of learning, as in tracking and The assessment of learning, as in tracking and progress, is rigorousprogress, is rigorous