Displays and classroom environments:
· Extended writing on a range of challenging topics was on display (e.g. gender stereotypes).
· Displayed student work showed high-quality presentation skills.
· Key words displays in communal areas and classrooms.
Active teaching of Literacy-related skills
· Literacy Mats are in use across the department when appropriate, even with KS5. It was interesting that students in the sixth form said they found the mats valuable – perhaps we could all try them with our sixth formers to see if they have an impact.
· There was a focus on understanding of terminology in KS5 – including the use of tables of key words and their definitions which had to be researched and explained by the students.
· We saw some great examples of scaffolded writing – sentence starters, key words, etc.
· Examples of supporting students to break down chunks of text by using labels and colour-coding.
· Pupils’ oracy was key - we saw a wonderful debating lesson which encouraged students to: make notes, prioritise ideas, structure their talk, listen and respond to others, summarise and scribe other’s points and use formal Standard English.
Feedback and Assessment
· Some useful support provided to enhance the quality of students’ self- and peer-assessment. This included a handy sheet/card which suggested ways of making comments and setting targets.
To think about:
· How can we best protect displays of student work (display boards/cabinets/lamination?) and include some sort of heading or label which indicates why the work has been chosen for display or what skills it is showing (e.g. “Year 9 have been working on the Amish. These posters show clear understanding of the differences between cultures.” or “This Year 11 revision poster makes use of a wide range of key terms in Geography.”)?
