Raising Standards in Literacy and Numeracy

• a policy audit of literacy and numeracy policies operating across the authority’s pre-five establishments and schools including special educational needs provision
• the establishment of a multi-disciplinary team from pre-five, primary, SEN, community education and psychological services to identify and disseminate areas of good practice and areas requiring further development
• the development of policy documents on reading guidelines and numeracy including guidelines for teachers aimed at enhancing teaching methodologies and classroom practice. A video and teaching pack will be available in September 1998.
• the development of parental involvement strategies which include parent workshops, parent training opportunities and family literacy projects
• the development of IT in the SEN sector
• the Early Intervention grant has allowed the education department to second staff development officers and use a coaching in context model of staff development. During the programme all pre-five establishments and primary schools will receive fifteen weeks of an intensive programme in their own establishments allowing seconded staff time to work directly with teachers in their own classrooms. This method of in-servicing staff has proved to be highly effective in accelerating reading and numeracy programmes at school level.
• the emphasis on particular learning and teaching approaches which have been introduced are:
• emphasis on onset and rhyme approach to teaching reading
• development of early writing skills
• development of reading text more widely than is currently available within reading schemes
• the development of phonology and phonetic awareness
• regular, meaningful connected reading with associated phonic instructions
• the development of a more structured approach to mental mathematics and numeracy acquisition.

• Awareness Raising: All P1 teachers (204 schools)
• Best Classroom Practice: 102 P1 teachers
• Current Research and Implications for Classroom Practice: 102 headteachers
• "Support for Children who find Reading Difficult": 101 primary teachers
• Introducing Early Writing: one teacher from 102 schools
• Home/School liaison and developing family literacy work is being undertaken in 23 establishments. The twin objectives of these pilots is to promote the important role that parents play in early literacy development and to encourage parents to view themselves as learners and to seek additional support if required in developing their personal essential skills. Some unique pilot summer playschemes involving children and their parents around the themes of literacy improvement will be piloted in July.

• Prevention is better than cure.
• Intervention should be early and intensive.
• A believe that all students can succeed to master basic literacy and numeracy skills.
• Expectations and overall student performance in literacy and numeracy improvement require to be substantially raised.
• Basic classroom guidelines to accelerate pupil numeracy and literacy skills have been developed.
• Existing best practice indicates that all teachers at all stages must continue to actively teach the development acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills.
• The direct interactive teaching of reading must continue beyond the early stages.
• Although the main focus of the literacy improvement programme has been at the early intervention stages, it is clear that further work and support requires to be undertaken in progressing and developing pupils from a functional reading capacity to fluency.
• The key concept emerging from the work of early intervention is that schools must ensure that the subsequent skills of "Reading for Meaning" and "Reading for Information" are enhanced.
• Additional work is required with special educational needs pupils to improve diagnostic and assessment techniques for pupils or pupils with specific reading difficulties.
• Further work is required in developing the potential impact of computers to the drill and practice elements of literacy and numeracy development.

• an overall improvement at school level in the organisation and teaching of literacy and numeracy skills;
• more careful assessment of pupils’ progress and standards;
• more effective support for pupils under-attaining in the development of basic skills;
• more involvement of parents in supporting children’s progress in reading and numeracy;
• a more consistent and effec|ive whole-school approach to developing the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.