Literacy Interventions – developing
functional literacy
“Maximising learning potential through inclusion and
support”
Work at Twyford CE High School, Acton.
Jan Salter, Head of Learning & Inclusion
Strategic Vision
Twyford is a school with a very wide ranging student community. A
higher than average percentage of the school community have
statements of educational needs (bands A – E) and the majority of
these are for Specific Learning Difficulties and Communication
difficulties, many students having Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
In addition to ensuring that statemented students have individualised
programmes which match the requirements identified in students’
SEN statements and annual reviews, the school also has a clear
policy of early intervention targeted at years 7 & 8.
Our strategy aims to equip students to access the main school
curriculum as fully as they are able and to pre-empt students
becoming disaffected.
Exam Analysis 08-09
Year 11
No
Exceeded
Met
Statemented 9 (8)
3
3
P
3
2
LAC
2 (1 stat) 1 (stat) 1
GCSE – 13 students
Under
VA
2
1
+
+
+
Literacy Support
Managed by the Literacy Co-ordinator
1-1 Reading years 7 - 11 by TAs & Yr.11
reading mentors
 “Catch-up” Reading
 “Toe-by-Toe”
 Year 8 & 9 Literacy groups
 7 literacy groups supporting reading
comprehension
 Writing Organisation groups – for students
with a level 3 in writing (English KS2 SAT)
 Spelling groups
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Identification of students
From testing reading & spelling during the
transition day visit
 KS2 SAT results
 Groups are set up in July ready for
teaching to begin in September
 Letters are sent to parents inviting them
to a Literacy Talk prior to the Year 7
Evening of Welcome
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Parental support is valuable
Attendance at the Literacy evening is high
(taking place an hour before the Year 7
evening of welcome)
 Parents are given a reading list and a set
of helpful hints (part of handout)
 Letters are always sent to inform parents
of group or individual interventions and
permission is sought (if there is no reply,
it is taken to mean tacit consent)
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1:1 Reading
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Year 10 students apply for the position of reading
mentor in May.
Students are interviewed by Advanced Literacy TA,
who runs the scheme.
Students are offered training by the SENCO
Students are given a trial in the summer term
Students are allocated two days each week and
particular students to pair up with
Older students gain responsibility; younger students
enjoy the relationship of a year 11 reading mentor
Students have badges to wear on their blazer and a
reward trip the following April – pizza lunch and
bowling – in school time
Year 7 Reading Comprehension groups
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Each Year 7 class has 6 English lessons – one is a
reading lesson.
The Literacy Coordinator is also an English teacher.
She does not teach a Year 7 English group so has
these periods available & liaises with teachers about
the timing of these lessons.
6 of the 7 groups are taught by her. Instead of a
reading lesson, a group of 6-8 students are
withdrawn for reading comprehension work at that
time.
Students are tested in December. If they have
made enough progress they graduate from the
group. Most students graduate after one year on
the programme.
KS3 Nurture provision
Managed by the KS3 SENCO
 Nurture Literacy – takes place instead of
MFL in years 7 & 8 (6 lessons per
fortnight)
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Learning to Listen, language development
Reading Comprehension
Writing development
Talk Time – developing social skills
Enrichment, creative activities
Learning to Listen
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Good listeners make good learners.
Games and exercises where listening is important
– to develop listening comprehension skills
Main content this year has used classical music,
poetry & oral story traditions – to develop
writing.
For example Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture was
used as inspiration for writing about War.
“Timothy Winters” was used to listen for rhyme.
The students did not have the poem in front of
them but still remembered the end rhymes.
Next year will incorporate popular music and
develop work using stories.
Talk Time
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Developed by the KS3 SENCO in response to the large
numbers of students with communication needs.
Aims to help students listen to each other, share ideas, take
turns and promote good communication leading to more
opportunities fore friendship.
Opportunities to share good news – raise self-esteem.
To trouble shoot – students can share a problem and help
each other to solve it – usually around friendships.
Use of role play – social situations
Use of Games, turn taking.
“Twister” has been surprisingly good even with our ASD
students.
Analysis of literacy results over KS3 – Year 9
(June 10)
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Data based on 176 students.
The progress in reading is markedly better than in spelling. This suggests that vocabulary
development and the explicit teaching of subject specific vocabulary would be useful.
10:00 is the level needed to independently access a GCSE exam paper and is used as the
measure of functional literacy. (LB Ealing sets this at 9:00). 2 yrs 10 months elapsed
between the two tests.
Spelling
21 students were below 10:00 in spelling on entry. In year 9, 4 students are still below
10:00 (3 have statements of SEN).
For the 21 students given intervention the average progress in spelling was 1 yr 9 months.
2 students made 2yrs 10 months or more progress in spelling over the key stage; one
made 4yrs, 7months .
58 students made 1 yr 6 months progress or more in spelling and 147 students now have
a spelling age above 12.0
Reading
30 students were below 10:00 in reading on entry. In Year 9, 4 students are still below
10:00 (1 has a statement of SEN).
For the 30 students given reading intervention the average progress in reading was 3 yrs 5
months; 14 made over 4 yrs progress and one, 6yrs 10 months .
113 students made 2 yrs 10 months or more progress in reading over the key stage & 168
now have reading ages over 12.0.
Interventions for Inclusion
Breakfast clubs (10 & 11)
 Lunchtime clubs
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◦ Maths Games (7)
◦ Board games (7)
◦ Year 8 board games (8)
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Support at break & lunch time
◦ KS3 – Old Chapel, TAs on duty break & lunch
◦ KS4 – A19, TAs on duty at lunch time.