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Measuring progress across a MAT
Organising a MAT of 30, quite disparate, primary academies is no mean feat. There was a real need for rigour and for quality assessment, and for standardising our practice. This was non-negotiable for us as a MAT.
Reliability in a world without levels
As Ofsted's report on 'Key Stage 3: the wasted years' said, 'The importance of a good start to a pupil's secondary school education cannot be overemphasised'. We couldn't agree more.' Here, Andy Daly, Principal of Swavesey Village College, explains how they introduced standardised tests following the removal of national curriculum levels.
Teaching vocabulary
Remember the episode of Friends when Joey discovers a thesaurus and signs his name as 'baby kangaroo'? Our Commissioning Editor, Lucy Hadfield, explains the importance of children having a wide, varied (and accurate) vocabulary.
Demystifying standardised scores
So you’ve bought the assessments and planned how to deliver them, but what are the results going to show you and what does it mean? Mark Loveday from Chadsgrove Teaching School Alliance offers some useful guidance.
In a world of workload woes, how smart is your intervention data?
In the classroom, the main driver to gather pupil data must be to understand strengths and weaknesses of our pupils and adapt teaching and learning to match
The middle child: Analysing data in an EAL context
The importance of maintaining a focus on literacy within the curriculum has never been far away from the government’s agenda and anyone working within education would agree that developing strong literacy skills are key to a student’s success, particularly as external examinations consist of written papers.
How is research informing practice?
Leadership was seen to have made research and evidence an integral part of school improvements
The relationship between word reading and word spelling in English
As encapsulated by the Simple View of Reading, skilled reading involves the ability to read words accurately and efficiently and the ability to understand language.
Why do we all need to spell the same way?
While some may question such a strong focus on spelling in the National Curriculum, a child who is a good speller will be a more confident writer and will be able to express themselves better in all of their subjects.
Access Arrangements for General Qualifications: Key Actions for the Autumn Term by Caroline Read
SENCos are advised to have a robust system in place for the screening and assessment of students who may need access arrangements