Removing barriers to literacy

Key issue addressed by the study The study set out to identify factors associated

with raising attainment in literacy for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds

Practice that works Factors identified as raising

attainment in literacy for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds included– high expectations– an emphasis on speaking and

listening from an early age– systematic phonics teaching– sharp assessment of progress– effective use of data– effective parent partnerships

How high expectations were created

Leaders were focused on improving standards and raising achievement for all

Everyone had a clear understanding of what literacy skills pupils needed to learn because they had been trained to teach literacy

Literacy had a high profile in every phase

The ingredients of successful phonics teaching Phonics teaching in effective

schools was successful because – all staff, including teaching

assistants, were well trained to teach phonics

– assessment was frequent and record-keeping was meticulous

– pupils were taught phonics daily– pupils were taught in small

attainment groups– parents were involved

The importance of developing speaking and listening skills Teachers were able to identify

specifically poor language skills and impoverished vocabulary

Examples of the practical and creative activities successful schools used included asking Year 5 pupils to– explain how their chosen words

fitted– find new vocabulary in a

thesaurus to describe the emotions of a character in a story

How effective schools used assessment

In the most effective schools, teachers– regularly used analytical and diagnostic assessment

tools to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses– had a clear focus on helping pupils to meet the

success criteria set for them

How schools made effective use of data

Schools with outstanding results

– focused closely on the attainment and progress of groups of pupils (e.g. those eligible for free school meals) as well as individuals

– set out to support any pupils identified as being at risk of falling behind e.g. through setting up a ‘reading champions’ group in school for those pupils not reading at home

How schools forged partnerships with parents The schools saw parental engagement as

fundamental to removing barriers to literacy– one nursery school employed a speech therapist to

run a six-week course for parents of children with speech problems that gave them ‘talking tips’

– one secondary school used learning mentors to develop a constructive rapport with both students and parents about the progress being made

Who were the children in the study?

The study focused mainly on– pupils eligible for free

school meals– looked after children– White British boys from

low-income households The pupils were all

ages and were reaching at least average levels of attainment in English

How was the information gathered?

Inspectors observed lessons, scrutinised documentation and held discussions with learners and staff in – 45 early years settings– 61 primary schools– 37 secondary schools

They also looked at post-16 and adult provision The providers were selected on the basis of

inspection evidence and data on achievement and attainment that showed they were effective

How can teachers use the evidence in this study? The study showed the importance of

using assessment to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses in literacy

Could you ensure you regularly assess your pupils’ developing phonic knowledge and skills?

Could you use the assessment information to ascertain individual pupils’ literacy needs and to set them challenging targets while providing appropriate support to enable them to reach the targets?

How can school leaders use the evidence in this study? Schools with outstanding results

focused closely on the progress of groups of pupils and set out to support those found to be falling behind

Would you find it helpful to prepare reports for governors that include the progress and attainment in English of particular groups, such as White British boys and pupils eligible for free school meals

Could you consider nominating a member of staff to take responsibility for maximizing the achievement of pupils who are at risk of falling behind?

Follow-up reading

Study reference: Removing barriers to literacy (Ofsted, 2011)

The report is available from: www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Removing-barriers-to-literacy

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