The Provider:
Langley Primary School, Sandwell
- Langley Primary School currently has 385 pupils aged 3-11yrs on roll. 65% of its pupils are White British; the remaining 35% are drawn from a range of minority ethnic groups including Indian, Pakistani and Polish pupils. ACORN data indicates that 40% of its children come from struggling families; 39% with no adult earner. SEN is 16% and FSM 22%. 50% of pupils enter nursery well below the national average in literacy and numeracy.
- The school was removed from "special measures" in March 2006 but given a "notice to improve" because of low standards, particularly in mathematics. Langley Primary School was removed from this category in May 2007,being judged to have a good capacity to improve
Summary:
The school's communication, language and literacy project in Foundation stage and Key Stage 1 was introduced in October 2006 to raise pupil attainment particularly in reading and writing. The school have introduced a number of strategies to support its pupils in their learning. These include the Primary Strategy's Letters and Sounds programme, WriteDance and Talking Partners. The impact of its CLLD project has been that it has raised practitioners' expectations of pupils' capabilities as well as accelerating children's progress in reading and writing. In September 2006, 45% of pupils entered Y1 below Level 1 compared with only 15% of pupils in September 2007. The uplift for the school's Y1 pupils, for example, between September 07 and February half-term has been 4 APS in reading and 2.8APS in writing which is above average progress.
The Aim:
The school was recognised as a centre of good practice for the teaching of phonics by our Regional Primary Strategy Adviser in April 2007. As a result the school hosted a visit by Sir Jim Rose in November 2007 who observed various strategies for developing early literacy. The School was asked to write a case study for the new "What Works Well" website.
What do you see in the school?
- The practitioners of the school have fully embraced the communication language literacy development (CLLD) programme. Staff have been trained by the LA literacy consultant and by the schools own leading literacy teacher.
- Strong leadership by the head and the senior leadership team have carried the CLLD programme forward giving it high priority (performance management targets) and setting challenging targets. Pupil's progress in literacy is tracked every half term and robust systems are in place to challenge underachievement.
- Write dance is a daily session which uses music to stimulate and develop early writing skills in reception. The session observed showed the pupils fully engaged, developing control over hand eye coordination and very enthusiastic. Assessments showed improvement( for boys and girls)s with pencil control and handwriting
- A detailed and challenging action plan for the CLLD project is evaluated each term with the senior members of staff and the LAs literacy consultant.
- Literacy policy has clear focus on assessments, planning and monitoring. It complements the CLLD action plan which both show joint vision to improve standards.
- Achievement of all children given high priority in whole school literacy overview. All ability groups tracked including SEN and EAL with regular head teacher/teacher consultation.
- Strong leadership with a clear vision on how to raise literacy standards in the school are evident by speaking to staff the LA consultant, reading the action plan and looking at the rigorous monitoring of pupils progress.
- Head teacher holds half termly sessions with the staff to monitor progress. A detailed form is completed which highlights expected APS and actual APS progress for each class. Any concerns over progress are challenged.
- Headteacher and leading teacher have written a case study highlighting the school's success which has been included on a national leading practice website.
- Rigorous monitoring shows effective phonics teaching in the programme. Daily, well structured, 4 part, interactive sessions are in evidence. Joint observations have also been carried out to highlight good literacy teaching.
- Success criteria identified in the CLLD action plan has focussed the teachers in their planning/teaching towards the expected outcomes
- Regional director for primary strategy was very impressed by the phonics teaching and CLLD case study and believes the school to be leading the field in this area of literacy.
- Monitoring in the school is very thorough and effective. Paired literacy observations/peer coaching are undertaken by the leading teacher and literacy consultant once a term this in turn is fed back to senior leadership team. Modelling of good phonics teaching has also been undertaken with all staff in KS1
- Children are monitored for progress every half term with a pupil progress report showing relevant data, headteacher and teacher comments . Data is thoroughly analysed by the head and SLT and the tracking systems are good. This monitoring of data drives forward standards, impacts on the delivery of the curriculum and challenges underachievement.
- The CLLD action plan provides an overview of progress against the main tasks set for literacy this is linked to performance management and is updated by the SLT
- Parents/carers have shown their support and recognised the positive impact the programme has had on their children
- School will be lead LA school for talking partners which will involve training staff at other schools
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What difference does it make?
- The programme has enabled all staff to become skilled at using the letters and sounds approach to phonics teaching as shown by the daily lessons which use a multi sensory approach.
- School has gained national recognition for its phonics teaching. Visits from the primary strategy director, Sir jim Rose and teachers TV have all applauded the CLLD programme.
- The success of the CLLD programme has meant a closer working relationship with the LA. The schools leading teacher now does some work for the LA and the talking partners project has gained LA recognition.
- School recognised in LA and nationally as a centre for good phonics teaching. The LA (SIP) visit documents states that the CLLD programme has deservedly had national recognition.
- Year 1 teacher recognised as leading teacher. She has been presenting at a head teachers conference and will be working with cluster schools.
- School has been filmed for teachers TV about the teaching of phonics and has a case study on a national good practice website.
- Accelerated progress in reading /writing of pupils in year R/1 is shown by the CLLD evaluations in autumn/spring term. Literacy consultant believes the children's progress to be outstanding. Uplift graphs for year 1 show in 6 months an APS score of 4 in reading which is above average progress.
- Teacher for Talking Partner programme is now being used by the LA as leading teacher for the project in the authority due to the success the programme has had in the school.
From where is evidence collected to prove the Leading Aspect?
- APS Uplift graphs
- Case study on website
- CLLD action plan and evaluations
- Discussion with LC/head teacher/TP teacher/HT
- Discussions with LA consultant and headteacher
- Documents from the literacy consultant
- DVD/website seen
- Individual child assessments on programme
- LA consultant visit form
- Leading teacher
- Lesson observation
- Letters from director,teachers TV
- Literacy consultant forms
- Literacy planning
- Monitoring forms
- Observation forms
- Parent comments in book
- Performance management documents
- Progress update forms
- Pupil progress tracking sheets and uplift graphs
- Pupil tracking forms
- Pupils work
- SIP documents
- Staff observations
- Staff training notes
- Talking partners teacher
- Tracking pupil progress documents
- Visit forms from the LA consultant
- Write dance observation
The Verifiers Comment
- Langley school has embedded leading literacy practice especially in key stage 1.The head teacher's vision of high quality literacy teaching coupled with rigorous tracking of pupil progress has enabled the school to improve standards. Systems are in place for identifying vulnerable groups and planning appropriate interventions. LA literacy consultant believes the pupil progress in literacy to be outstanding. The regional advisor for the primary strategy believes the school showcases the 'best phonics teaching'.
- Director of the primary strategy asked the school to be filmed teaching phonics for teachers TV.
Alongside the outstanding phonics teaching the school also uses write dance to develop early handwriting skills and talking partners which is a structured speaking and listening project. Both of these programmes have structured assessments and evaluations which are carried out on a regular basis. These evaluations show that the children have made good progress with these interventions.