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Organisation: Brynteg County Primary School
Intervention: Catch Up® Literacy
Submitted by: Rachael Connell
Background
Brynteg C.P. School is situated on the edge of the rural village of Brynteg. A majority of the school’s catchment area is within a Communities First Ward; levels of unemployment remain high and the percentage of free school meals averages between 35% and 45%, putting the school in the highest banding. The school serves children between the ages of 3 and 11; there are currently 176 pupils on roll. The school also provides Early Entitlement, which enables children to start school on reaching their third birthday. All classes benefit from an increase in support from Classroom Assistants and class sizes are generally small. There is a good balance and range of expertise and experience within the teaching staff. 31% of pupils are on the Additional Learning Needs register and there are 28 pupils receiving Catch Up Literacy and 8 currently receiving Catch Up® Numeracy.
Implementation
Analysis of our Suffolk reading tests, NFER English tests, end-of-year reading tests and teacher assessments together enable the teachers and senior management team to identify children who need Catch Up®. They then complete the Catch Up® reading assessments, which are used as a baseline assessment. A letter is sent home to parents with an invitation to come in to school to discuss the programme. Progress is shared with the parents during parents’ evening meetings.
Each class teacher works with their teaching assistant to ensure the Catch Up® sessions are timetabled into the class timetable. The teaching assistants have a number of one-hour slots throughout the week, which is designated Catch Up® time.
One teacher received the training to enable her to oversee the programme. A teaching assistant in each class from year 2 to year 6 has completed training in Catch Up® Literacy to ensure children in each year group can benefit from it. Two teaching assistants deliver Catch Up® Numeracy in Key Stage 2 classes.
As part of the school’s monitoring process, the TAs are observed delivering Catch Up®, formal reports are completed and areas for improvement identified.
Tracking pupil progress each half term ensures that progress is carefully monitored.
Case Study 1 - Catch Up® Literacy
Child A was 9 years and 6 months when he started the Catch Up® Literacy programme. In January 2013, he had a reading age of 8.0, in July 2013, a reading age of 9.1, and in January 2014, a reading age of 9.8.
Before the Catch Up® intervention, Child A lacked confidence in his reading ability. He struggled with his language and numeracy in class. (He has also benefited from Catch Up® Numeracy.) Child A was easily distracted and unable to concentrate for long periods of time. He didn’t enjoy reading aloud and never offered to read in front of his peers. He was hesitant in discussing or answering questions about what he had read.
There has been a complete turnaround in Child A’s attitude since he first started the intervention. His confidence in his reading ability has improved along with his concentration. He knows that he can read much better now; he discusses books, answers questions more confidently and happily reads aloud when asked.
Aims
To create an environment in which every pupil is valued and empower all children to realise their full potential and have the confidence and skills to meet the challenges of the future.