Improving progress in KS3 English Richard Durant Going for Outstanding

2 What do you see? How can you explain what you see?

3 Croft by Stevie Smith Aloft In the loft Sits Croft. He is soft. What can we work out for definite? What might the poem mean?

4 Seven of what? Seven of them pinned in blood by long, shiny tails, three of them still alive and writhing against the wood, their heaviness whipping the wall as they try to break free, ……..

5 Rattlesnakes Hammered on the Wall by Ray Gonzalez Seven of them pinned in blood by long, shiny tails, three of them still alive and writhing against the wood, their heaviness whipping the wall as they try to break free, rattles beating in unison, hisses slowly dying in silence, the other four hanging stiff like ropes to another life, patterns of torn skin dripping with power and loss, the wonder of who might have done this turning to shock as all seven suddenly come alive when I get closer, pink mouths trembling with white fangs, lunging at me then falling back, entangled in one another to form twisted letters that spell a bloody word I can't understand.

6 Today….. Support the leadership capacity of KS3 English leaders Explore how to apply the essential criteria for good and outstanding lessons Support heads of KS3 English in improving student progress

7 What students say…. Good teachers…… are fun but fair know their stuff make lessons interesting are helpful show you how to get better are patient give us the chance to talk things through and express our ideas give us choice bring variety into lessons make it a bit challenging will always try to answer questions give up their time to help

8 What students say…. Bad teachers….. talk too much have favourites dominate and control the lesson too much don't let us get on and work things out for ourselves keep going off the point clash with students keep repeating things Keep repeating things aren't organised are moody

9 From Inspection 2012: Proposals for inspection arrangements for maintained schools and academies from January 2012, Ofsted, We propose to judge the quality of teaching by giving particular attention to how well: teachers demonstrate high expectations, enthuse, engage and motivate pupils so that they learn and make progress; teachers set challenging tasks; teachers use their expertise to deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding and teach them the skills needed to learn for themselves; teachers assess pupils’ progress, provide them with constructive feedback and plan lessons to match their needs; teaching and other support stretches each individual pupil, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs; and how effectively pupils are taught to read and to develop their skills in literacy.

10 Key Ofsted foci: What do they mean – in practice - for your role and for teachers? 1.teachers’ expectations 2.challenging tasks matched to pupils’ learning needs 3.detailed and accurate feedback 4.monitoring of learning during lessons 5.enthuse, engage and motivate pupils 6.enable pupils to develop the skills to learn for themselves 7.support provided for pupils with a range of aptitudes and needs

11 Factor 1 Students are working harder than the teacher

12 Factor 2 Teaching is relevant, well-informed and purposeful

13 Factor 3 Students enjoy the lesson and are engaged with their own learning

14 Factor 4 Students make progress

15 Factor 5 Assessment effectively informs learning and teaching

16 Factor 6 Teacher questioning reveals, clarifies and extends students’ thinking

17 Teacher questioning Closed Open ‘Known Answer’

18 ? Different sorts of questions. Which is which? What does it depend on? Why did Macbeth kill Duncan? (Y10) Who can give me an example of a compound sentence? (Y7) Who can tell me what sort of sentence this is? [Pupil reply: Is it a simple sentence? Teacher: Yes.] (Y8)

19 Getting the best out of teachers in your team…. You are in a formal discussion with one of your team. Their lessons are being consistently judged satisfactory. How will you move them on? Improvise the discussion, using the character and context notes you have been given.

20 Reading, writing and communication (literacy) Guidance for inspectors under the new framework...inspectors should expect to collect evidence about literacy (communication, reading and writing) from more than just English lessons and assessment data. Literacy teaching and the application of literacy skills will be a focus across the school and in a range of different subjects.

21 Reading, writing and communication (literacy) Guidance for inspectors under the new framework Although it is right that key literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening should be taught primarily in English lessons, there is a clear intention in recent government statements of policy for these skills to be reinforced and applied with accuracy across other subjects. This is particularly important for pupils who may be working below the levels expected for their age and who are finding it difficult to master basic elements of spelling, punctuation and grammar. For many, using fluent, clear and legible handwriting is also a problem.

22 Reading, writing and communication (literacy) Guidance for inspectors under the new framework Special literacy foci for inspectors from 2012: responding to texts, particularly using deduction and inference Inspectors are referred to NFER report, Effective teaching of inference skills for reading Inference defined as “the ability to use two or more pieces of information from a text in order to arrive at a third piece of information that is implicit.” a more formal approach to correcting basic errors extended to pupils’ speech and to writing across the curriculum.

23 NC review Many issues have arisen Implementation postponed until 2014 at earliest Only local authority maintained schools are bound by the NC Review urges that oracy should be a key feature across the curriculum

24 KS2 Level 6 tests Optional Reading marked externally Writing marked internally Sample papers available on the Test orders section of NCA tools (but you need a password)

25 Reading skills RAF2 Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text RAF1 Use a range of strategies, including accurate decoding of text, to read for meaning RAF5 Explain and comment on writers’ uses of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level WAF 5 Select appropriate and effective vocabulary RAF6 Identify and comment on writers’ purposes and viewpoints and the overall effect of the text on the reader RAF3 Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts RAF7 Relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts and literary traditions

26 Writing skills WAF2 Produce texts which are appropriate to task, reader and purpose WAF7 Select appropriate and effective vocabulary (see RAF5) WAF8 Use correct spelling WAF1 Write imaginative, interesting and thoughtful texts WAF3 Organise and present whole texts effectively, sequencing and structuring information, ideas and events RAF4 Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level WAF4 Construct paragraphs and use cohesion within and between paragraphs WAF5 Vary sentences for clarity, purpose and effect WAF6 Write with technical accuracy of syntax and punctuation in phrases, clauses and sentences