01842 668080
Organisation: Silverdale Primary Academy
Intervention: Catch Up® Literacy, Catch Up® Numeracy
Submitted by: Mr John Diss
Background
Silverdale Primary Academy is a large Primary School situated near Hastings. The area is classified as part of the Coastal Deprivation Area. The current number on roll is 629 [three-form entry]. The Academy decided to invest in the Catch Up® intervention in order to target our disadvantaged pupils (Pupil Premium children) with a view to closing the gap in attainment with other children in the Academy. We chose the intervention programme due to its proven track record. Currently, we have 150 Pupil Premium children, of which we have 16 participating in the Catch Up® Literacy intervention, and 10 taking part in the Catch Up® Numeracy intervention. Such is the success of the intervention, the Academy is investing in training more staff in order to target even more disadvantaged pupils.
Implementation
Catch Up® Literacy and Catch Up® Numeracy are highly valued interventions within the Academy. A senior Leader of the Academy [Pupil Premium Champion] is the Catch Up® Coordinator. There is a designated area in the Academy where the interventions take place. Currently, there are three members of staff delivering Catch Up®. Learners are identified, initially by the Pupil Premium Champion, and then – in conjunction with meetings with class teachers – target children are selected. Intervention sessions are timetabled, in the main, in the afternoons so as not to impact on Wave One teaching in the morning in terms of Literacy and Numeracy. Regular meetings are arranged between the Catch Up® Coordinator and those delivering the Catch Up® interventions. The Coordinator audits regularly the individual session sheets and monitors delivery of the interventions. The Coordinator also tracks the children receiving the intervention, recording the amount of progress made. Progress is shared regularly with the Senior Leadership Team and regular meetings are arranged with the link Governor.
Case Study 1 - Catch Up® Literacy
Child A was a reluctant reader who never read anything for pleasure. He had a troubled background, which impacted on his learning. At the beginning of the intervention, he did not appear to have any strategies to know how to tackle difficult words. When flustered, he was prone to miss out lines and then give up. Throughout the Catch Up® Literacy sessions, Child A grew in confidence and was more willing to tackle unfamiliar words using strategies discussed within the session. He was more willing to talk about the books he read and began to read books at home for pleasure. At the beginning of the intervention, Child A had a Reading Age of 6:10 and at the next assessment point, Child A had a Reading Age of 8:11; a gain of 25 months in just 7 months of intervention.
Case Study 2 - Catch Up® Numeracy
Child B was a very shy, under-confident boy who struggled a great deal with the basic concepts of mathematics. This impacted considerably on his self-esteem. Child B made tremendous progress during the intervention programme. He visibly grew in confidence and the change in his persona was remarkable. This was reflected in his attitude when he returned to class. He was far more confident in his approach to mathematics and was not afraid to take risks in his work. At the start of the Catch Up® Numeracy intervention, Child B had a Numeracy Age of 6:10 [Chronological Age 8:7]. After three months, Child B had a Numeracy Age of 8:10, which is a ratio gain of 8:02!
Aims
We believe it is our responsibility to promote a community founded on respect, trust, fairness and honesty, where we are privileged to celebrate and nurture both our similarities and differences. We take care and pride in each other and ourselves, we really believe it is important to be positive and happy, that learning is for everyone. We want to be aspirational and ambitious, we want to keep getting better. We expect everyone to help create a place where we can all thrive and enjoy being together.