Leading literacy in the Secondary School

The Coalition Government are committed to improving literacy in Secondary Schools, and back in May 2012 the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, announced up to £10m additional support for pupil premium children who leave primary school without Level 4 literacy.

One in seven adults, as many as five million people, lack basic literacy skills.

The problem was evidenced by an Ofsted report launched in March 2012, Moving English Forward, which found that whilst in many schools English teaching is effective and pupils make good progress, standards in English are simply not high enough. There can be no more important subject than English. It is at the heart of our culture and literacy skills are crucial to pupils’ learning for all subjects. Yet too many pupils fall behind in their literacy early on. In most cases, if a child cannot read securely at seven, they struggle to catch up as they progress through their school careers. As a result, too many young adults lack the functional skills to make their way in the modern world. We are no longer a leading country in terms of our literacy performance: others are doing better.

Secondary schools need to lead the way in improving literacy standards across the UK, and ensure that they are well placed to help the one in five children who arrive at secondary school without the expected standard in reading and writing.As the bridge between primary education and the world of university and work – the presence of high standard literacy teaching across the curriculum is crucial to ensure students possess the necessary skills to reach their potential and positively contribute to society.

Objectives

Literacy is fundamental to good learning and achievement. It must therefore be a top priority for all age groups. As a result of this, the Centre for Educational Excellence is delivering an intensive one day course designed to ensure high quality whole school literacy provision is in place in your school. The course provides detailed guidance on every aspect of the requirement on schools to ensure high quality literacy provision and practical strategies for delivering it.

Attendance at this course will provide you with a knowledge and skills set that you will be able to take back with you to the benefit of your school and institution, including:

• Raising whole school standards of literacy
• Embedding literacy into every lesson
• Gaining clarity on how to build an effective whole-school literacy plan
• Understanding how to engage parents to support student learning at home
• Achieving high standards of literacy in children
• Addressing the barriers to raising literacy standards
• The need for teachers to have high expectations
• The importance of the systematic teaching of phonics
• How the clear assessment of individual pupils’ progress and needs can drive improvement

19/06/2013 09:30 - 15:00