1. Schools Improvement Partnership Programme
Closing the Gap
A joint literacy intervention
between Schools and Community Learning and Development

2. Alex Black (Quality Improvement Manager)
Presenters
Alex Black (Quality Improvement Manager)
Frances Lawson Tennyson (ASL Advisor)
Maureen Petrie (Acting Service Manager CLD)

3. Getting it Right

4. Concept
An intensively researched transition programme that will increase the probability of children being able to access the secondary curriculum and achieve success
Interventions at small group and individual level to boost value added in literacy attainment
Action research and CPD to increase the capacity of staff, ensuring longer term sustainability of gains at school level
Targeted and sensitive interventions to support family literacy, involving CLD workers and Family Support Workers

5. Falkirk’s SIMD Profile

6. Attainment and SIMD

7. Falkirk Profile (1)

8. Falkirk Profile (2)

9. Falkirk Profile (3)

10. Falkirk Profile (4)

11. Example of School Profile

12. Participating Schools
Falkirk High School
Langlees Primary
Slamannan Primary
Bantaskin Primary
Grangemouth High School
Beancross Primary
Bowhouse Primary
Moray Primary

13. Identification of a target group Identification of a control group
Methodology
Identification of a target group
Identification of a control group
Baseline assessments
Longitudinal tracking P7-S2
Action research logs
School and pupil profiles

14. Literacy Strategy
‘The strategy demands innovative approaches to partnership working. It invites services, agencies and families to raise the bar in terms of what all our children, young people and adults can achieve’.
4. Involve families
Work with partners
6. Analyse data and act on findings
7. Deliver intelligence based professional learning
experiences at school, cluster and authority levels
9. Design a robust evaluation process

15. Action research questions
“In what ways do targeted reading interventions by school and community learning and development improve literacy levels of P7 pupils who are currently reading behind their chronological age?”
“In what ways do joint interventions from Additional Support for Learning and Community Learning and Development improve access to the secondary curriculum for children reading behind their chronological age?”

16. High Five Intervention
• To provide an opportunity for children to work at their own level
on the text types used in whole class teaching
• To introduce study skills through Reciprocal Reading
techniques and discussion of text types
• To develop independent reading and writing strategies
• To encourage editing as a natural part of the writing process
• To develop a range of strategies for learning words
• To promote self-esteem through enjoyment and improvement

17. Clusters identified by SIMD CEM reading scores analysed
Pupil selection
Clusters identified by SIMD
CEM reading scores analysed
Core group of 21 children reading age 6 or 7 years
Wider group of 17 children with reading scores between 4 to 8 years who will also access the CLD component
Control group of 21 with similar reading ages and SIMD to our core group.

18. Control group - S2 cohort / 21 others Similar SIMD profile
Comparative data
Control group - S2 cohort / 21 others
Similar SIMD profile
Similar age group

19. Programme of training and networks
The Education pathfinder will:
Liaise with schools and CLD in order to devise school/community and pupil profiles and approaches
Deliver High Five training
Provide school support with launch, intervention and evidence gathering as appropriate
Support peer observation arrangements
Arrange and facilitate networking events

20. Reflective Journals CEM data Reading assessments Input record sheets
Evidence Gathering
Reflective Journals
CEM data
Reading assessments
Input record sheets

21. Other upper primary pupils
Looking to the future
The project will lay the foundations of a sustainable model for targeted and holistic intervention in literacy
In terms of ‘practice into policy’, the research will inform the new Falkirk Literacy Strategy
Other upper primary pupils
Wave 3 intervention at the primary 2 stage alongside a similar partnership with Community Learning and Development

22. Scottish Survey of Adult Literacies 2010
ADULT LITERACY
Scottish Survey of Adult Literacies 2010
26.7% of adult population have occasional challenges in literacies and of this group 3.7% have serious challenges
The lack of literacies skills in a community mirrors the level of poverty in a community
Social practice model

23. Existing CLD provision
Junior youth work
Healthy eating initiatives
Let’s Cook!
Dynamic youth awards
Senior phase
Family literacy

24. Upper Primary/High Schools Strengthening the links Joint training
Improving Practice
Upper Primary/High Schools
Strengthening the links
Joint training
Changing practice
Work with parents