Lessons learned from Signature Delivering Social Change POST-PRIMARY

Session 1- Update on the Signature project Success story Refreshments Session 2- Good practice-7 quality indicators Session 3- Implications for your school Lunch Session 4 – OFMDFM survey and NISPLAN evaluation Session 5- resources Final evaluation Outline of the day

In 2012 the OFMDFM announced a Delivering Social Change Signature Project on improving literacy and numeracy. The aims of the Signature/ NISPLAN project have been: to increase the number of pupils in primary schools achieving at the expected level or above at the end of Key Stage 2 in English, Mathematics and Irish; to increase the number of young people in post-primary schools, achieving a grade C or above in English and Mathematics by the time they leave school, and to provide employment opportunities for 270 recently graduated teachers.

This course aims to :  provide an update of Signature  inform about the key elements for Year 2  inform about Common Metric Questionnaire  share effective practice from Year 1 OFMDFM Signature Project

 Count, Read: Succeed messages  What is intervention? Schools monitored pupils’ progress regularly and used this information to refine the planning of intervention.  by the teacher as part of the programme  by a coordinator to gain an overview of the progress made  by a senior leader to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention Ethos of intervention

The 5 “things” that the class or subject teachers will do to raise standards in literacy and numeracy are, in order: 1. provide high-quality teaching for all pupils; 2. address underachievement as soon as it emerges; 3. address continuing underachievement with support from other staff in the school; 4. address continuing underachievement with support from outside the school; and 5. meet the needs of pupils after a non- statutory assessment through the SEN framework. C,R:S, p33

 Who is being trained?  Who is involved?  Who is leading/ managing it?  Outline of training  Overall messages from those involved Background to Signature

Teachers Appointed  225.4(FTE) – OFMDFM32.4(FTE) – DE  2(FTE) – by schools  260.7(FTE) – Appointed Overall  300 individual teachers employed  208 – Seconded Teachers (1 days training)  73 – Centrally Recruited (5 days training)

Overall Data – From Website  3042 – Primary Pupils Supported o 1561 – Literacy o 1402 – Numeracy o 79 – Irish  6658 – Post Primary Pupils Supported o 3023 – English o 3635 – Mathematics

Comments from Monitoring “Discussions with class teachers have highlighted an increase in confidence for children when attempting numeracy work. Children are enthusiastic about the withdrawal lessons and always participate well. All children receiving intervention support have successfully been awarded a Level 4 in numeracy and so have achieved their target.” Analysis of the Monitoring Documents on NISPLAN OFMDFM Signature Project

Comments from Monitoring “Establish greater contact with parents including face to face meetings with the parents of targeted pupils.” “High level of participation from students during in-school sessions Student, parent and teacher questionnaires carried out in January indicated marked improvement in student self- esteem and attitude towards learning and exams. Parent meeting provided valuable and positive feedback. Teacher records in regular English lessons indicate improved marks and anecdotal evidence from English teachers noted how much more positive students were about their English. Improved controlled assessments, attendance at after school sessions are positive and students are actively seeking help and support, even out of normal lesson time.” OFMDFM Signature Project

Team teaching, therefore support for all groups in class. One-to-one or small groups led to greater identification and addressing of needs. Additional support classes after school. Creating and developing new resources. Pupil self-assessment targets. Assessment for Learning strategies, especially formative feedback. More questions asked by pupils. What worked and why? OFMDFM Signature Project

What worked and why?  Bespoke groupings of pupils.  Whole smaller class created in Year 11.  Talking and Listening – small group setting.  Building rapport with pupils.  Growing knowledge of GCSE requirements.  Close monitoring of progress.  Sharing good practice.  Observation of experienced teachers.  Use of data. OFMDFM Signature Project

Clear use of exam question material – modelling answers. Not so much ‘juggling’ of different papers in maths. Use of ICT – Fronter for resources. Building of pupils’ confidence. Availability of support outside the timetable. Using existing intervention supports e.g. “Aim High”. Tailored tutoring to their needs. Showing genuine care by actions and words/building confidence by praise. Singing with groups! What worked and why? OFMDFM Signature Project

More confident, engaged, independent pupils. Questioning improved in other subjects. Pupils brought their needs to the attention of the teacher now. Behaviour improved. Revision techniques used in other subjects. Sharing effective practice, reflective feedback with Head of Department. Newer teaching strategies used. Improved extended writing e.g. history. How did your involvement with pupils impact on their learning experiences in the mainstream classroom, elsewhere in the school or at home? OFMDFM Signature Project

Better attendance at revision classes. Small groups bringing out real issues, fewer distractions and secure learning environment. All at the one level, not afraid to make mistakes. Peer learning. Better effort at homework, sense of pride. Used pupil questionnaire to gauge impact. Improved pupil concentration. Sharing resources/information. Going on residential with group – improved self- esteem and confidence. How did your involvement with pupils’ impact on their learning experiences in the mainstream classroom, elsewhere in the school or at home? OFMDFM Signature Project

Timetabling. Lack of respect as a young teacher – classroom assistant? Behaviour – pupils challenging- Learning the reward/sanction system. Poor pupil attendance. Starting later in the year – no time to see progress. Accommodation issues- no specific room. Increasing knowledge of exam requirements. Negative, awkward pupils, not engaged with project. Difficult to motivate girls during maths – having to break everything down. What challenges did you encounter? OFMDFM Signature Project

 Bringing parents on board.  Role in the school backfill/Centrally Recruited confusion.  Too many pupils/ wrong pupils in target group.  Seeing pupils regularly enough, not being taken out. Some teachers unwilling to let pupils go.  Record-keeping.  2 schools, 2 exam boards therefore confusing and tiring – following up behaviour issues – collecting work.  Internal IT/ difficulties What challenges did you encounter?

Convincing the department that the Signature teacher had the required skills. Next year’s Year 11 Signature group are form class to make pastoral connection Overcoming stigma attached to withdrawal. “The aim of the signature project was to achieve ‘success’; it had no connection to ‘failure.” message Not seeing pupils frequently enough to make a difference. Greater communication within school. What challenges did you encounter? OFMDFM Signature Project

Comments from Monitoring 1  Students may not do well unless they build on the progress that they have created throughout the year and study at home.  I believe that the Signature Project has been successful in achieving its key aims and has bedded into our whole school ethos very comfortably. I have observed significant gains for a wide range of students in a variety of skills and aptitudes and look forward to seeing even more progress next year.  We need to keep teaching the students in small groups. We need to involve them more in how they make progress. We need to provide more opportunities for them to identify their own areas of weakness and continue to facilitate addressing these areas. All this could be done during the timetabled lessons since there is only a small number of students in each group.

Comments from Monitoring 1  A decision was taken that pupils would attend in groups of three on a rotation basis to ensure misbehaviour was minimised and work effort was maximised. This resulted in a dramatic improvement in both behaviour and attitude of the pupils towards the support also allowing them to demonstrate their ability, levels of understanding and areas of difficulties.  The Signature Teacher has been firmly embedded into the English Department, and the development of pupil progress is monitored carefully and evaluated each month during departmental meetings, in collaboration with subject teachers and the Head of English.  Without doubt, I feel Signature has been beneficial to all our pupils, in terms of resources, improved attitude, recognition of their hard work, and raising their self-esteem and self-confidence. Long may it continue, even though I know it is only for the next year. I just hope the pupils get the better results they deserve for the hard work, time and effort they have put in.

Success story  Tanya from St Matthew’s Primary School, Belfast

Quality indicators for successful Intervention Session 2

Effective Signature intervention pupils teachers leadershipplanning Monitoring & evaluating Collaboration & communication parents 7 quality indicators

pupils correctly identified, data used effectively, moved in and out of intervention, involved in their learning, setting targets chosen well- either recruited by WELB (CR), or appointed by their school on secondment (S) or to fill the Backfill post (BF) equipped to know what to do plan appropriately use a variety of strategies tailor intervention to suit pupils track their pupils’ progress. teachers OFMDFM Signature Project

supportive of the aims of Signature, at HOD level, at SMT/ Principal level and as teacher- tutor; set clear direction, plan intervention carefully and integrate the Signature teacher(s) into plan for school improvement; promote the Signature intervention model as a legacy for the school. leadership

planning appropriate and flexible at all levels; classroom work is tailored and adapted; timetables are suitable; allowing for monitoring and evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the model used; ongoing assessment used throughout. ACTION PLANS are detailed and real, recorded online and regularly reviewed and adjusted; school tracking and pupil target- setting are used. Monitoring & evaluating OFMDFM Signature Project

parents Involved from the beginning and kept informed of progress. evident within and between schools- sharing strategies, resources and ideas. evident between lead school and other schools, involving the teachers at all points Collaboration & Communication OFMDFM Signature Project

Discussion Evaluate and share how these indicators are evident in your school Session 3

Fronter Session 4 OFMDFM questionnaire

Accessing Fronter

Fronter - Signature Rooms

Fronter - Signature Staff Room

Fronter – Giving Pupils Access

Fronter – Giving Pupils Access contd.

Fronter – Pupil Room

Logging out of Fronter

Excel spreadsheet for results directly to the schools and return to Michael Burns by .

Lessons learned : successful intervention strategies for English and Maths Session 5

 Understanding the criteria for GCSE  Building knowledge of standards for each part of the course  Developing strategies for small group work  Controlled assessment support Good practice in English

The Head of Department must have regular meetings with the Signature teacher to monitor students’ progress, to request predicted Grades, to ask questions if students are still predicted Grade D, to ask about parental contact, students’ attendance at after-school classes and/or Saturday School, identify individuals who are not working hard. Action must be taken to ensure that as many students as possible achieve the intended outcome: Grade C. Monitoring students’ progress

Target Setting: Unit 3  The Head of Department led the Signature teacher to work towards a target for students’ achievement in Unit 3, using the previous cohort’s unit performance and ultimate achievement of Grades as a guide:  , Year 12s who achieved Grade C achieved at least 50/80 in Unit 3, i.e. Band 4 as an overall target for their controlled assessment tasks. Some students who achieved 48-49/80 also achieved Grade C but required higher achievement in Unit 1 or 2 to compensate for this mark.

Target Setting: Unit 2  The Head of Department led the Signature teacher to set a target for students’ achievement in Unit 2, using the previous cohort’s Unit 2 performance and ultimate achievement of Grades as a guide:  Year 12s who achieved Grade C achieved at least 32/45 in Unit 2, i.e. Band 4 as an overall target for their Speaking and Listening tasks.

 Understanding the criteria for GCSE  Building knowledge of standards for each part of the course  Developing strategies for small group work Good practice in Maths

… the true measurement of success (of Signature) will take me far beyond the End of Key Stage. It will be judged in value added results, life forming habits that go beyond simple test scores. It is not just about their ability to use/develop important literacy skills across the curriculum. It is about continuing to use these skills and habits in real life situations. This in itself requires self-confidence and understanding. I am confident that this will happen for some of my pupils. Increasing this percentage is not only a personal goal but an overall aim shared by the school. I am also confident that our End of Key Stage 2 results will improve next year and beyond. For the most part the work that continues on a daily basis has been worthwhile and enjoyable for all concerned. The challenge still remains, “To work hard, express ourselves clearly, listen to others, to feel valued and thus to succeed”. Barrie McGowan – Good Shepherd Primary School- ( taken from Year 1 Monitoring form) The Legacy of the project

nisplan.welbni.org Final evaluation