01842 668080
Organisation: Jenner Park Primary
Intervention: Catch Up® Literacy, Catch Up® Numeracy
Submitted by: Debbie Rowan
Organisation
Jenner Park Primary School is situated to the east of the town of Barry. The school provides education for pupils between 3 and 11 years of age. Pupils are taught through the medium of English, and Welsh is taught as a second language. There are currently 250 pupils on roll, with most pupils coming from White British ethnic backgrounds.
The school serves a catchment area that is economically disadvantaged and is a designated Communities First Area. Currently over 50% of pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is higher than both local and national averages.
The school has two special provision classes, one in Foundation Phase/Key Stage 1 and one in Key Stage 2, for pupils with statements of special educational need (SEN) and multiple and complex needs. 25% of pupils in the school are on the SEN register.
Catch Up® Literacy was introduced in Jenner Park as part of an LA initiative in 2002, and we have been using it ever since. We currently have seven fully-accredited deliverers, such is the level of regard and support for the intervention. The school was invited to take part in the national trials for Catch Up® Numeracy in 2007, and subsequently had seven school staff trained in the Catch Up® Numeracy intervention too!
All deliverers are fully accredited in both Catch Up® Literacy and Catch Up® Numeracy.
Despite using the interventions for over 16 years, they remain our ‘go to’ provision for those children who need a little boost. Indeed, to quote the Head Teacher:
“I have seen Catch Up® in a number of settings over my time in Education and have always thought of it as a great tool in the hands of those appropriately trained and committed professionals. With the huge emphasis on proving the progress of all children and the culture of Benchmarking and Categorisation, this is a fantastic tool which benefits children who need that extra boost in Literacy or Numeracy. There is also the benefit for schools to illustrate how additional intervention can indeed bring the wonderful outcomes of making children reconnect and enjoy Literacy and Numeracy activities, while also enabling schools to show they are ensuring value for money.”
David Morris, HT, Jenner Park Primary School
Case Study 1 - Catch Up® Literacy
Child A – a Year 2 pupil – was initially unable to complete a reading assessment as her reading skills and phonic knowledge were very low. In addition to this, she had speech difficulties which made it tricky for a listener to understand her reading. These issues resulted in Child A appearing to have very little confidence in her own abilities or even to ‘have a go’.
At the beginning of the intervention, Child A was very quiet, but always put in 100% effort. In order to develop her confidence, each of her successes was celebrated and announced to her teacher; the style of Catch Up® is a great way to do this. Child A moved through the Catch Up® Literacy levels quite quickly, going from level 1 to level 5 books in just under 8 months, which is a remarkable achievement.
She is now reading more confidently, following punctuation better, and her pronunciation has improved. Child A has also become more willing to discuss books she has been reading; the comprehension aspect of Catch Up® Literacy has helped to improve this. Her reading skills have improved greatly and her self-confidence has also grown.
Standardised test results for Child A: