ENGLISH / LITERACY

Participation in the SEELB Literacy Strategy SECTION 1 - SUMMARY OF TRAINING AND SUPPORT A three year programme of training and support is offered to Primary, Post Primary and Special schools that identify the raising of literacy standards among pupils as the number one whole school priority in its Curriculum and Staff Development Plan. A school enters when it indicates that it wishes to prepare for participation in the Literacy Training and Support Programme.

SECTION 2 - STRUCTURE AND NATURE OF PROVISION SECTION 3 - DETAILS OF TRAINING PROVIDERS SECTION 4 - QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISMS Literacy Strategy Overview.pdf Literacy Strategy .pdf

The programme consists of a combination of Centre-based and School-based training and support. The extent, content and level is determined by a baseline established during the preparatory year. During that year, there is training and support for Senior Management, Heads of Departments & Literacy Co-ordinators, as appropriate, on auditing, action planning, monitoring and evaluation and the effective management of their roles and responsibilities in the development of literacy.

SECTION 2 - STRUCTURE AND NATURE OF PROVISION ^TOP

Training and support focuses on two areas:

Effective Management;

Quality Teaching and Learning.

Effective Management

The Literacy Team provides the following Centre-based Training and Support.

The preparatory year:

• Training for representatives from School Senior Management Teams on the effective management of Literacy as a curriculum development issue;

• Three days training for Heads of Departments and Literacy Co-ordinators, as appropriate, on auditing, action planning target-setting, monitoring and evaluating, supporting colleagues and policy formation;

Years 1 —3:

• Three days training and support each year, for the Literacy Co-ordinators and Heads of Departments on the effective management of the Literacy Strategy within their schools.

Quality teaching and learning

Primary.

Year 1:

Centre-based training days for whole staffs and for Literacy Co-ordinators are provided on some of the key issues identified within the Common Language Framework drawn up by the Northern Ireland Regional Steering Group for Literacy. These include:

• a framework for the assessment and development of talking and listening;
• a framework for the assessment and development of reading and writing with inclusion of ICT approaches as appropriate;
• developing the framework through structures and rules of language: grammar, punctuation, spelling and phonics);
• developing the framework through fiction - poetry;
• developing the framework through non-fiction with the inclusion of ICT approaches as appropriate.

Training for Literacy Co-ordinators focuses on delivery as well as providing a complete pack of training materials so that they can train and support the staff in their schools. Differentiation in training is facilitated by response to the findings of the audits conducted by schools both in the preparatory year and during participation within the Literacy Strategy itself.

The equivalent of five days of School-based support — this is increased according to the size of the staff — is provided by a Literacy Support Officer for specific teachers within each school. The Literacy Support Officer also seeks to co-ordinate support for Literacy development from colleagues from other Subject Areas within CASS.

Year 2:

A reduced number of Centre-based training days for whole staffs and for Literacy Co-ordinators are provided on the key issues. Again, that for Literacy Co-ordinators focuses on delivery as well as providing a complete pack of training materials so that they can train the staff in their schools.

Year 3:

A final Centre-based training day for Literacy Co-ordinators is provided on a key issue. Again, for Literacy Co-ordinators, it focuses on delivery as well as providing a complete pack of training materials so that they can train the staff in their schools.

The Centre-based training days and those which follow up Literacy Co-ordinator days for whole staffs make use of Professional Development and Exceptional Closure Days. The dates for the three years are agreed in advance during the preparation year.

 

Post Primary.

Training and support in the Literacy Strategy is focused on raising achievement in English at the end of Key Stage 3 with an initial focus on a year 10 class at risk in achieving level 5 in the English test.

Year 1:

Centre/School-based training and support is provided for both the Year 10 English teacher and the Head of English on the following;

establishing a valid and reliable baseline pupil achievement in English for the identified Year 10 class;

setting appropriate targets;

monitoring and evaluating;

planning to make it happen;

effective teaching and learning;

disseminating good practice to the rest of the English Department.

It is intended that similar training and support will be provided for other Heads of departments so that the school is able to adopt a coherent and consistent approach towards language development in at least four other subject departments. Literacy Co-ordinators will also receive training in the management of literacy as a whole school issue.

Year 2:

It is intended that the training and support commenced in Year 1 will be extended to Years 8 and 9.

Year 3:

It is anticipated that this will be a year of consolidating developments that have taken place in Years 1 and 2.

ICT.

When appropriate, the Literacy Support Team in collaboration with staff from the ICT Unit will support the inclusion of Teaching and Learning Strategies from the Connecting Teachers and Learning Schools Programmes.

SECTION 3 - DETAILS OF TRAINING PROVIDERS ^TOP

The Literacy Support Team comprises nine officers — eight at Assistant Advisory Officer level and one at Adviser level. Five have been allocated to support English/Literacy in the Primary Sector and three to the Post Primary Sector. The Literacy Team is supported by three officers from the Special Educational Needs Team — one at Assistant Advisory Officer level and two at Field Officer level.

All hold at least a Primary Degree related to the teaching of English/Literacy and have a minimum of five years teaching experience. All have completed the First Steps Tutor Training Course.

SECTION 4 - QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISMS ^TOP

Details of internal quality assurance mechanisms are under review.

The Literacy Support and SEN Teams seek to model in their own monitoring and evaluation the procedures they promote in schools, reviewing the responses of major stakeholders in the Strategy, including their own members as well as teachers, middle management and Senior Management in the schools they are supporting and when appropriate, pupils and parents.

It is recognised that such monitoring and evaluation is very much dependent upon a working partnership between the Literacy Support Team, the SEN Team and the schools which they are supporting.