| Dundee City Council |
|
| Strategy |
| Dundee’s Early Intervention
initiative has been implemented within the READ (Raising Early Achievement in Dundee)
Project. READ is now active in 13 Primary Schools, involving a total of 42 primary one and
two classes. READ has taken a broad approach to raising early achievement, drawing on work
established in Pilton and using the two related interchange publications as key
information sources. READ focuses on literacy and numeracy within primary one and two and
within the broader context of good practice in learning and teachino in the early years.
|
| The key elements of the READ
strategy have been: |
- the deployment of nursery nurses in P1 classes (one in each
school);
- the establishment of a central co-ordinating support team to
take forward strategic and operational management of the project and to provide intensive
school based support for teachers and pupils, consisting of 2 READ Development Officers. A
Home School Link Co-ordinator and a Speech and Language Co-ordinator. The READ Initiative
has been led by the Early Years Adviser who also has line management responsibility for
the READ Support Team;
- development and delivery of ongoing INSET training for
staff, consisting of a total of 8 days per year for all nursery nurses and teachers
involved in READ. In addition seminars have been offered to Headteachers, parents, central
staff, learning support teachers and nursery staff. School based INSET has also been well
supported by the READ Support Team;
- support for school based reviews of practice and
developmental initiatives to promote ownership and individual approaches to taking forward
the principles of READ;
- provision of learning and teaching resources in Primary 1
and 2;
- strategic support to promote effective home school links;
- networking and information for staff involved in the
project.
|
| |
| Achievements and emerging lessons
|
| READ is now established in all
13 project schools. There has been considerable interest in the progress of READ from
across the country; the READ Team have supported several conferences and seminars and have
provided information and support for staff from other local authorities. |
| The schools involved in READ
have been positive about the impact of the project on early years practice. In particular
staff have greatly appreciated the INSET training which has been delivered in partnership
with Northern College. |
| Initial results from the testing
of reading, spelling and comprehension, using the WORD Test with children at the beginning
of Pr2 and 3, have shown a statistically significant gain in attainment scores overall in
the first year of project implementation. Results obtained this year are anticipated to
show an increased effect. |
| READ has focused on changing
practice, focusing teachers more closely on supporting young children as learners and
revisiting key principles related to early learning and teaching. READ has operated around
a series of 10 Key Principles within which teachers and nursery nurses have been able to
review and adapt their practice. Each school has planned for implementation of READ in
individual action plans and each school’s School Development Plan reflects the key
aspects of READ which will be developed. This has meant that a range of strategies have
been adopted, within a framework of promoting success and achievement in the early stages
and that schools have been encouraged to accept responsibility for and ownership of the
project. |
| A detailed READ Strategy has
been devised and disseminated to all involved in the Project. The broad aims outlined
within the READ Strategy are: |
- Provide support and guidance to schools to promote the aims
and principles of READ into practice.
- Develop positive approaches and strategies which foster a
level of self confidence and self esteem in staff, children and parents/carers.
- Establish READ as a key mechanism for further developing
effective learning and teaching of literacy and numeracy in the early stages.
- Plan and deliver a comprehensive programme of in-service
training and staff development.
- Develop the expertise and knowledge base of the READ Support
Team.
|
| The READ Strategy will be
updated for the forthcoming session. This will detail four additional broad aims to
further develop the potential of the project and to take forward key emerging issues.
These are: |
- to establish a pupil support team to support teachers in
identifying, assessing and addressing learning difficulties;
- to develop a strategy to take forward READ in nursery
schools and classes;
- to develop effective assessment mechanisms to track
children’s attainment in key areas of learning;
- to disseminate the key messages and principles of READ to
all Dundee primary schools;
|
| Work is currently ongoing to
strengthen information systems for children, staff and parents and to professionally
package READ information and publicity material. A full scale evaluation of READ has been
commissioned from the Quality in Education Centre, Strathclyde University and this is now
in progress. |
| |
| Local Views |
| "Why didn’t we do
this years ago?" (Primary One Teacher). |
|
| "I am satisfied that the
support from the Authority is of a high order. It is there when asked for and it is, as I
say of good quality." (Primary Headteacher) |
|
| "The less formal
approach of the nursery nurse has given me a new view of the children". (Primary
One Teacher). |
