What happens when all the pupils and staff at a school read the same book at the same time, and what impact can this kind of whole-school project have on CPD? Lesley Hutchison explains
With 20% of children leaving school with lower than expected literacy levels, additional support is needed. Reading Recovery, a reading intervention programme developed in 1993, offers exactly that, say Rebecca Jenkin and Isobel Goss
How can we encourage and develop young writers? Carol Archer describes an ambitious project designed to extend creativity and enable children to evaluate their own narrative and poetry
David Leat examines the nature of ‘facts’ and considers why it is important that teachers and pupils really understand what a ‘fact’ is
Invite your pupils to become published music critics with the Bachtrack Young Reviewer programme
Ensuring that all pupils can read by the time that they leave primary school is a priority for headteachers across the country. Ben Barton looks at how new technology might make this easier
Collaborative work can have an energising effect across the curriculum. Jo Counsell describes a collaborative project that used dance to enhance literacy learning
Storyteller Taffy Thomas provides games and activities to stimulate children’s and young people’s capacity to tell stories
The Reading Recovery programme has established a reputation as an effective intervention for pupils at risk of failing to learn to read. A new research review examines its strengths and weaknesses
Sarah Whitehead describes a project that she undertook as part of a postgraduate professional development course for SENCOs. She highlights the value of having time for systematic professional reflection, and how this can be used to good effect when introducing ‘Catch Up’, an intervention designed to support reading development
What is literacy for children who do not learn to read and write? Drawing on a recent study, Dr Lyn Layton calls for a radical reinterpretation of what is meant by literacy, arguing that we should prepare all teachers to recognise a broad interpretation of literacy that is in line with the diverse needs and activities of learners
Sal McKeown looks at some of the implications of the renewed primary Framework for those working with children with special educational needs
These classroom activities can help develop grammar skills, particularly syntax and morphology
A six-phase programme for teaching phonics aims to help children become fluent readers by the age of seven
Steve Mynard, editor of Primary Headship, urges us to make reading our biggest priority
Sara Wernham looks at the Renewed Primary Framework for Literacy and discovers how it will affect teachers
Trevor Millum outlines a truly novel way to get pupils to enjoy manipulating and using words
Schools across the UK are being invited to participate in an exciting national campaign to help children develop their handwriting skills
Maggie Parker-Heys urges practitioners to appreciate the skills required to form even the simplest letters.
Joanne Haine, foundation stage coordinator at Baring Primary School in London, describes how innovative use of ICT made assessment exciting for children and practitioners alike.
Ask the pupils to imagine a world with no ‘O’
We all know that learning to read is a very important step for any child to make, but how can we be sure that we are offering children the best introduction to this skill. Roger Hurn unpicks some of the issues currently under debate.
Educational consultant Mike Fleetham shares some interesting ideas about choosing books and looks at some practical ideas for using stories to develop children’s thinking.
Rob Sanderson of Wigan Schools Library Service offers some practical advice for building an early years library.
Use all the openings possible to encourage your children to express themselves through the written word, says Lynn Cousins.
Angela Youngman finds out about a scheme to improve communication in early years settings through the use of sign language.
Writing frames undoubtedly have their uses, but they can also limit the creative talents of the more able, writes Frank Bruce
Most schools are not making the teaching of literacy and numeracy a high enough priority, according to Ofsted inspectors.
As with its interim report, most attention and controversy has focused on the Rose review’s support for synthetic as opposed to analytic phonics. However, for SENCOs, the review’s findings on the provision that best supports children with significant literacy difficulties are particularly relevant.
The final report from the Rose review of the teaching of early reading* has recommended that: ‘notwithstanding the uncertainties of research, there is much convincing evidence to show from the practice observed that, as generally understood, “synthetic” phonics is the form of systematic phonic work that offers the vast majority of beginners the best route to becoming skilled readers.
As the Rose review of the teaching of early reading continues, primary SENCOs will be interested in the latest research findings contributing to the debate on the merits of synthetic phonics teaching
The interim report* of the Rose review of the teaching of early reading has attracted most attention for its support of the approach, which is generally understood as ‘synthetic’ phonics.