PiXL Primary Offer 2020/21

PiXL Primary Offer 2020/21

www.pixl.org.uk

PiXL Primary Offer 2020/21www.pixl.org.uk 02

ContentsPiXL Primary Overview

PiXL Primary Offer 2020-21

Conferences

Associate meetings

Diagnosis, Therapy, Testing and Revisiting (DTTR)

Assessment

PrimaryWise

PiXL Primary subject teams

Additional Packages supporting English and Mathematics

Science

English as an Additional Language

Character and Culture

The PiXL Operations Team

School Leadership

PiXL Primary Leadership Engagement Programme

PiXL Unlock

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10 - 12

13 - 15

16

17

18 - 19

20

21

22

23


The PiXL Primary PartnershipPiXL Primary is driven by the belief that we work together as a partnership to improve the life chances of all young people. That is our moral purpose and through our core values and principles, which permeate the entire organisation – whether, secondary, sixth form, primary, infant, TRIP or International – we develop our core strategy with you, to support your school. We are not a one-size-fits-all partnership and our challenge is to make sure our offer works for you in your context, with your cohort and your curriculum.

Your reasons for registering with us will no doubt vary according to a wide range of criteria. What you can be sure about is that we are a flexible, responsive, non-inspectorial collaboration of school leaders focused on improving outcomes. We are a not-for-profit organisation and while we are not accountable for

schools, we remain accountable to headteachers for the quality of our relationships. At the heart of what we do and why we chose to enter the world of education is because we care passionately about how we can influence and improve the lives of the young people for whom we are responsible. By using data wisely, as we pursue our goals of improving outcomes, our overarching strategy embraces not only currency, but also developing life skills through our Character programme, as well as providing support for educating young people to live in an ever-changing world through our Culture programme called ‘Mind to be Kind’. Within the PiXL family it is our belief that Currency, Character and Culture create the cornerstone for developing young people to achieve well, not just at KS1 or KS2 but through their continuing journey in education and later life.

I hope this gives you an insight into why we do what we do. The brochure should help you understand how we can work with you to achieve these ambitious goals. Our offer to you has grown substantially. It has evolved based on our extensive experience of working in primary and infant schools. The partnership includes schools which cover the spectrums of academic achievement, social deprivation, Ofsted judgements and probably any other criteria you care to nominate. Through our engagement with schools we have learned that there are four key elements to achieving success using the PiXL methodology: leadership at senior level and throughout the school, a simple but effective process with high impact on improving outcomes, high-quality professional development for staff and, importantly, personalised support for your staff in your school. We believe

our Core Offer, based on these four key elements, can help you achieve your aspirations for all your pupils in your school. This brochure will explain these four key elements to you in far greater detail.

At the end of the brochure, you will find a table for the registration fees for 2020-21. We are continually developing materials to support and ultimately extend our Core Offer to you. You will see we have a made a modest increase for 2020-21, but be reassured we do everything we can to keep the overall costs down.

Having given you the overview, I sincerely hope you will find our offer to you and your school exciting, as it is premised on the belief that it is teachers in classrooms who ultimately make the difference. PiXL can provide you with the tools to get the job done and absolute clarity on the best way to use them. Ultimately it is down to the leadership in schools in terms of how you use our informed advice and resources. We cannot and would not to tell you what to do. However, our vast experience tells us that those schools who use PiXL Primary for KS2 and KS1 as recommended by the Primary Team are the ones who ultimately get the most out of it. What we offer in PiXL is a complete and comprehensive approach which will help you bring about the impact on outcomes you are looking for, supported by excellent subject resources, which works best when used as a complete package only.

PiXL, Partners in Excellence, is about quality in all we do so that you can do all you can to improve the life chances of the young people in your school. The remainder of the brochure explains how we might be able to do that and what we provide to help you achieve the best for your pupils. I do hope we have the chance to work with you in 2020-21.

Best wishes, Nick Dr. Nicholas Ware, Director and Head of PiXL Primary


PiXL Primary Offer 2020-21

Membership Costs are detailed above and represent, as many of our partner schools tell us, outstanding value for money. In recognition of the increased travel costs we are introducing a travel scheme which will enable those schools who have the furthest to travel the opportunity to save up to £600 as a credit towards their membership for the following year. Further details are to be made available later in the year.

We really do hope that you will continue with us into the next membership year, beginning on 1st June 2020. Please find details of what we trust is an exciting offer by scanning the QR code below.

Overview of the PiXL Primary Partnership Offer

• Attendance at 5 national conferences, providing outstanding CPD for all delegates.

• Up to 4 Associate meetings a year for Primary Schools and up to 3 for PiXL1 schools.

• Personalised Learning Checklists to identify gaps in learning for Key Marginal pupils and accompanying therapy materials.

• Resources for reading, writing, grammar, punctuation and spelling, mathematics and science.

• An Assessment Calendar, including test materials, Diagnosis into Practice documents, Question Level Analysis and Implications for Teaching Reports.

• Character and Culture materials which provide a unique opportunity to recognise the importance of character development, including wellbeing and A Mind to be Kind.

• PiXL Save, where schools can access an array of benefits and discounts offered by our commercial partners.

• Access to our Operations Team with regular communications and updates on the latest developments and thinking.

• A network of support, including access to leadership and subject specialists.

• Support and advice for Multi Academy Trusts with primary schools.

Some of the planned developments for 2020-21

• Reading Project

• English as an Additional Language

• Key Stage 1

• Expanding the B2 package (for pupils who are not predicted to achieve the Expected Standard)

Additional to PiXL Primary Core Offer

Opportunity to purchase additional Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 meetings with a PiXL Primary Associate.

Specialist Associate Support sessions for the implementation and development of PiXL strategies at KS1, Y3-5 and Y6.

Attendance at ‘Practical PiXL’ workshops, provided regionally.

Membership Costs 2020-21

Age Range IncludesMembership Costs (over 125 pupils)

Membership Costs (under 125 pupils)

PiXL Primary All conferences, resources and up to 4 Associate meetings £2700 £1985

PiXL1 (Infant schools only)

All conferences, resources and up to 3 Associate meetings £2100 £1625


ConferencesIncluded in the PiXL Primary membership are regular National conferences for Headteachers, Raising Standards Leaders (RSL), Senior Leaders, Year 6 Teachers and Subject Leaders.

PiXL is all about people and relationships and therefore our conferences are an important part of the PiXL calendar, enabling school teams to come together as key points in the school year are marked. There is no question that school leaders and teachers value support as the academic year begins, or as the final push towards Key Stage Two tests is imminent. The conferences provide a vital time to reflect, to take stock, to gather ideas and galvanise energy at these times. Associates and Primary Regional Leaders are always at hand to answer any questions or to discuss anything relating to PiXL. Conferences are planned to prepare schools for the next part of the journey ahead.

The conferences provide relevant and specialised information, ideas and approaches. There is always an opportunity to discover new resources and consider their potential impact. In addition to a packed agenda delivered from the main platform, there is always a choice from a wide range of breakout sessions that reflect all aspects of PiXL Primary – Currency, Character and Culture. Breakout sessions enable teams to engage with more specialist aspects of PiXL including EAL, Oracy and Kindness Units. Through breakout sessions, teams can also choose to learn more about PrimaryWise, new resources and subject leadership.

PiXL is a vibrant and rapidly growing partnership, with new schools joining and an ever increasing interest in membership. To reflect this, a bespoke breakout session is provided for potential schools or Multi Academy Trusts who are thinking of joining PiXL and would like to learn more.

Many schools find that it is useful to plan well ahead for conferences across the year, considering who should attend each one – which team members would benefit from the range of conferences on offer. This also presents a golden opportunity to extend PiXL ‘reach’ across each school, resulting in a growing confidence and understanding of the implementation of PiXL. Attendance at conferences is an essential part of PiXL and is valuable professional development. As a member of PiXL, each school is a member of a wider, rapidly growing partnership. Conferences give an opportunity to meet up with other leaders and network with people who can share success and provide support. The design and delivery of training and facilitation at the conferences is high quality and packed with advice and ideas with the intention to impact on practice and outcomes.


Associate MeetingsBeing a member of PiXL Primary partnership is a relationship and it is through the offer of 1:1 Associate meetings that this relationship is fully realised. Each year PiXL will provide schools with the support of an Associate with effective school leadership experience to advise on the implementation of PiXL strategies and resources. The Associate, allocated to you for the year, will meet with you four times, for up to an hour, teasing out your issues and barriers to pupil progress and offering personalised and pertinent advice on how to secure further impact for your pupils.

The Associate meets primarily, though not exclusively, with the school’s nominated RSL (Raising Standards Leader) to agree on Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) for the end of the Key Stage (depending whether the meeting is focused on KS1 or KS2). With the RSL, via laser-sharp data analysis, the Associate will identify which pupils need to improve and by how much, to achieve the school’s WIG. The RSL will be supported to lead the application of DTTR (Diagnosis, Therapy, Testing, Revisiting) across the Year 6/Year 2 Core Team; DTTR is always at the heart of Associate meetings because it is the application of this that makes the biggest difference.

Schedule of Associate Meetings

The PiXL Associate will provide a succinct and timely report following each visit, capturing any contextual changes which are impacting on progress, progress and impact since the last visit, additional school actions planned to secure further impact and agreed actions to be reviewed at the next meeting.

As schools evolve in their application of DTTR and begin to see an impact on pupil attainment and progress, the Associate meeting also provides an opportunity for Associates to gather good practice to share across the partnership and to identify colleagues who could contribute to our PiXL subject teams, conferences, or indeed train as Associates themselves.

June Conference

SeptemberConference

November Conference

January Conference

March Conference

Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 3 Visit 4


Diagnosis, Therapy, Testing and Revisiting (DTTR)Diagnosis, Therapy, Testing and Revisiting (DTTR) is a core principle underpinning the PiXL approach to supporting pupils. Fundamental to the ability to improve pupil outcomes is having a clear understanding of where pupils have gaps in learning. Once the gaps have been identified, the right support to address these gaps is put in place, followed by testing to make sure the gaps have been filled and then revisiting to check that pupils have retained the new learning.

DiagnosisThe first and most crucial aspect to the DTTR methodology is Diagnosis and there are two parts to this:

• Diagnosing the pupils through interrogating robust data and through knowledge of the pupils. Who are the pupils, based on their current rate of progress, who will not achieve Expected Standard but with the right forensic support have the potential to make rapid progress to achieve Expected or Above Expected Standard (the Key Marginals)?

• Diagnosing the gaps: The Personalised Learning Checklists (PLCs) work alongside the DTTR approach to help teachers have a laser-sharp understanding of identified pupils’ precise learning gaps. The PLCs are a comprehensive list of Characteristics, divided into elements that pupils need to be able to know and understand to achieve the required standard. RAG (Red, Amber, Green) rating against targeted elements informs planning for the Key Marginal pupils whether this is for additional sessions or within the classroom. The PLC is best used in its simplest form: a small group of pupils targeting a small number of elements so that the whole Core Team is really focused on robustly securing these elements before moving onto other areas of the curriculum, as appropriate.

TherapyProviding therapy is the action of teaching and securing the identified gaps in each Key Marginal pupil’s learning. Therapy resources are provided alongside each of the elements on the PLC which can be edited, as required, by staff planning and delivering these sessions.

Therapies may take the form of additional sessions or guided learning within whole-class teaching. Whatever form they take, it is vital that they are fluid and flexible to reflect the PLC and that the very best staff work with the Key Marginals, often the most vulnerable pupils.

TestingTesting and Revisiting are the crucial but often forgotten aspects of DTTR. In essence, they provide evidence as to whether the targeted therapy is having the desired impact. The variety of short therapy tests that are available for the elements on the Personalised Learning Checklists (PLCs) allow them to be used flexibly and strategically.

RevisitingRevisiting refers to the planned opportunities that allow teachers to check that pupils have retained the new learning and are applying it independently and consistently over time and across a variety of contexts.


AssessmentAn important part of our offer to schools is the PiXL Assessment Package. This comprehensive package not only offers robust assessment papers for Years 1-6 but also a range of Question Level Analysis (QLA) tools, which includes analysis of each school’s performance against national performance.

The PiXL assessments, along with the QLA tools, are rooted in the core PiXL Principle of Diagnosis, Therapy and Testing. We believe that it is vital that pupils are given the opportunity to demonstrate their skills using these assessments. Furthermore, it is crucial that these assessments are analysed forensically so that they inform planning for the cohort as a whole and for individual groups of pupils, but also to give information for key priorities lower down the school.

Assessment CalendarThe PiXL Primary Assessment Calendar for Years 1-6 allows schools to plan for and schedule assessments across the year and for all year groups. Our package includes two assessment points for Years 1 and 2, termly PiXL assessments for Years 3-5 and four assessment points for Year 6.

Question Level Analysis ToolsAlongside every assessment scheduled in the PiXL Primary Assessment Calendar, a comprehensive QLA package is offered. The QLA tools include:

• Mark Entry Spreadsheet: This is conditionally formatted, giving staff a very visual way of analysing data as soon as the spreadsheet is populated. Each question is categorised by Topic, Year Group (for Maths), Questions Focus and Question Type, which facilitates laser-sharp analysis of areas for improvement for the cohort or for groups of pupils.

• Pupil Reports: Individual pupil reports are available to download immediately following the upload of the mark entry spreadsheet. The individual pupil reports RAG rate for each pupil against all the topics assessed in the paper and highlight the main areas for improvement. Alongside the Pupil Reports, a results analysis spreadsheet breaks down performance in each question by gender.

• National QLA Summary Report: The QLA National Summary Report provides an analysis for each school on how they have performed in each topic or question and this is then benchmarked against national performance.

• Implications for Teaching (IFT) Report: At PiXL we believe that the most important aspect of practice tests is to use them as a teaching and learning tool by identifying gaps and

putting in strategies to close these gaps. The Implications for Teaching Reports support schools in doing this. Following each wave of assessments, the subject teams put together the reports based on partnership data. Using these alongside school data allows staff to identify areas for development.

• Cumulative Percentage Tables: These tables give a breakdown of the total marks achieved in the tests and what proportion of pupils across PiXL schools have obtained these. They can be a very useful tool for benchmarking pupils’ performance.

• MAT Reports: Schools which are in MATs have the option to give access to a MAT central team to view the QLA reports for all their schools collectively. This allows for clear comparison between the schools in the MAT in terms of outcomes and, crucially, also allows for comparisons in performance against individual questions or topics.

Year 3-5 Diagnosis into Practice DocumentsThe Diagnosis into Practice documents enable teachers to consider more carefully what gaps, barriers or misconceptions children may have. The teacher guidance, provided for each question, gives further context to the question as appropriate: What prior knowledge may be needed to answer the question? What are the potential pitfalls for pupils? What is the key vocabulary required? What opportunities are there for applying their knowledge? This section of the document is key in giving further advice and guidance so that as teachers mark pupils’ scripts, the implications of pupils’ responses are planned for. Furthermore, the documents include supporting resources which can be used to address these gaps.

Developing improved data analysis skills is an essential PiXL ingredient. PiXL’s goal is for all schools to acquire data wisdom: an ability to use assessment information accurately to inform future decisions and actions and so maximise their impact. Through the Assessment Package, we aim to support schools in not only providing robust tests for pupils but to also develop this data wisdom. Through the diagnostic service, we support staff to carry out forensic analyses of performance, which influences planning and teaching and thus leads to improved outcomes.


PrimaryWisePrimaryWise could be described as the engine room of PiXL Primary. It brings together the key elements of tracking against PiXL grades, managing the Personalised Learning Checklists, and accessing valuable resources, tests and question level analyses all on the same platform.

The strength of PrimaryWise is the ease in which therapies can be accessed alongside the ability to quickly and simply identify and plan for groups of children who require additional support and teaching. It is critical for the Raising Standards Leader and staff to have access and understand the key functions of this platform.

The Combined Tracker enables a focus on overall combined potential to be maintained and Key Marginal children to be identified. Using the Progress Tracker at KS2 allows teachers to identify pupils whose performance in assessments is not as good that of other pupils with the same prior attainment. The Impact Manager is a simple and effective tool for setting up and monitoring therapy groups and Key Marginal children’s progress.

The Personalised Learning Checklist section gives access to high quality therapies and quick test resources to support Key Marginal children. There are resources to support Key Marginal children to achieve Expected Standard in every year group from 1- 6 using the PiXL methodology of Diagnosis, Therapy, Testing and Revisiting. In addition, the A2 resources support children to achieve Greater Depth in Year 6 and the B2 resources support children in Year 6 who are working well below the Expected Standard.

Using the PiXL assessment papers and Question Level Analysis tools enables detailed tracking of children’s progress. This assessment process enables gaps in children’s learning and knowledge to be identified, thus informing classroom practice and planning. The QLA Summary reports and Implication for Teaching (IFT) reports are a crucial part of this process, benchmarking performance in your school against performance of children across the wider PiXL family of close to 1,000 schools.

PrimaryWise is a platform built to support the forensic use of data to inform practice. When combined with the resources section - offering high-quality strategies and materials to provide support in a wide range of areas across the school - it is a powerful tool to help schools ensure better outcomes for children.


PiXL Primary Subject TeamsWhere our assessment suite will support you in identifying the barriers to pupils’ learning, our Primary Subject teams will help to provide the resources and strategies that you need to tackle these. PiXL Primary have four core subject teams: English, Mathematics, Science, Character.

The PiXL Primary Subject Teams are built on the core principles of partnerships. We have drawn on the expertise and excellence that exists within our member schools and beyond, to build a growing team of subject specialists available to support the work of the PiXL Primary partnership.

The Primary Subject Teams take responsibility for the close analysis of national data trends and changes to the educational landscape and this influences the work that they subsequently undertake to support members. Our Subject Teams are fully responsive to the national picture throughout the year and work alongside member schools to trial and track the impact of new initiatives.

All Subject Team members are fully immersed in current teaching pedagogy, with many of our team continuing to teach alongside their commitment to working with the partnership. Strategies and resources are devised using evidence-led practice and what we know works in the reality of a classroom. The development and production of new strategies and resources is always determined by need, with our teams fully focused on providing schools with responsive and forward-thinking support in the areas that it is most needed. Key areas of focus are unpicked by our Subject Teams through the conference breakouts and in accompanying publications, such as our Headlines magazine. The Subject Teams work closely with our Primary Associates to ensure that schools have access to the very best possible support from the wider partnership.

Specialist Associate SupportThe expertise of our Subject Teams has been channelled through the Specialist Associate Support facility, allowing schools to access subject-specific support of the highest quality. These sessions are designed to support you in looking closely at how the PiXL principles can be implemented and refined within your own school context. The menu of available sessions is below:

• Implementing PiXL into Year 6

• Implementing PiXL principles into Year 3-5

• Implementing PiXL principles into KS1

• Developing the role of the RSL (Raising Standards Leader)

Agendas and costs for these sessions can be found on the PiXL website, under the Specialist Associate Support button. Please get in touch if you would like more information about these sessions.

Whether it is bespoke support for revising your Reading or Mathematics provision, wider training for staff on core PiXL principles or individual queries about how to get the best out of your Primary membership, our teams are here to support your schools in any way that we can. Any queries for subject teams should be directed to [email protected].


Primary Subject Teams: Strategies and Resources

PrimaryWise offers a wealth of resources to support with the Diagnosis, Therapy, Testing and Revisiting of key concepts in key subject areas. Increasingly, the Subject Teams are working more broadly across the curriculum to ensure that pupils are able to apply their skills in a range of contexts within a broad and balanced curriculum.

DiagnosisThe cornerstone of the PiXL Primary provision remains the Personalised Learning Checklists. These exist for Reading, Writing, Mathematics, GPS and Science and allow teachers to look in microscopic detail at key concepts in each subject to understand exactly what the barriers to attainment are on an individualised basis. In addition to the PLCs for these areas, other diagnostic tools have been provided for areas such as the Mathematics Diagnostic Tests for Y1-6, Reading fluency, Spoken English and Spelling. These can be used by teachers according to the needs of a cohort or key groups within a cohort.

The Question Level Analyses for the Primary assessments are a crucial tool in tracking the impact of laser-sharp teaching and in supporting teachers to identify gaps in understanding for the whole cohort as well as Key Marginal pupils.

Diagnostic Science (focusing on working scientifically as well as content) and Writing Tasks have been provided for each year group to aid teachers in collecting examples of pupils’ work and assessing these against the Personalised Learning Checklists. For Key Stage 1, Diagnostic Reading and Mathematics Interviews can also be conducted on a 1:1 basis to forensically diagnose barriers to confidence in these areas.

TherapyTherapies are designed to be used in part or in full to track back to the earliest point at which a misconception may arise. Teachers can use these as small group teaching resources to fill gaps in understanding for Key Marginal pupils but also as whole class teaching materials, where the gap exists across the whole cohort. All therapies follow the Teach, Model, Apply format and are accompanied by specific Show Me tasks (KS1) or therapy tests which will help teachers identify when pupils have secured this aspect of their learning.

In addition to the core offer of therapies, a number of other resources are available to teachers to help them to ensure that the learning diet for each pupil is exactly what they need. In Writing, the Securing Sentence Composition package can be used across the full primary range, with teachers identifying a personalised entry point to sentence composition. The Model Calculation Policy provides clarity on the progression of teaching

key calculation skills; the provision of varied representations alongside formal written methods supports teachers in ensuring these are pitched and presented appropriately whatever the stage.

Suggested Reading extracts and questions have been provided and this resource is constantly evolving. These extracts are designed to support teachers in identifying areas of competency and those where pupils require further support.

The Science Steps to Success package explores a number of elements that have been identified as barriers to progress in Science and provides guidance and strategies to support pupils in overcoming these.

TestingThere are a number of strategies and resources designed to support teachers in the ‘Testing’ aspect of DTTR. Probing Question Models have been provided for every year group in English, Science and mathematics. These are designed to be interwoven into daily teaching across the curriculum. Mixed Practice Quizzes for GPS and Arithmetic help teachers to keep previously taught concepts on ‘tick-over’. The Spelling in Writing package allows teachers to identify pupils’ ability to transfer their spelling knowledge into their written outcomes. The PiXL Times Tables tests allow teachers to check the impact of teaching, focusing on pupils’ understanding of the relationship between multiplication, division and fractions as well as the speed of recall. Crucially, all of these resources provide teachers with an extensive menu from which to select, allowing them to personalise what they choose from the PiXL Primary offer to their curriculum, their context and their cohort.

RevisitingFor many pupils, retention of new learning is a greater challenge than assimilating it in the first place. The ‘Revisiting’ stage of DTTR is a vital step in helping pupils to embed new learning beyond subject-specific lessons. The Cross-curricular Teaching Units provide teachers with a framework for revisiting key English and mathematics concepts within Science lessons. Teachers can use the 3 in 3 resources for mathematics, Reading and GPS to embed low-stakes testing into pupils’ weekly or daily diet, as well as Quick Recall Cards.

The PiXL Primary offer is extensive and provides teachers with ample opportunity to incorporate the core principles of DTTR into their daily teaching as well as therapy sessions for Key Marginal pupils. Teacher guidance for implementing specific strategies can be found on PrimaryWise.


Primary Subject Teams: A cohesive, strategy-led approach

The Primary Subject teams work closely together to ensure that they provide a cohesive offer that supports pupils across the curriculum. This means that key strategies and approaches are often found across the curriculum. These key strategies allow teachers to identify a strategy that could impact on their pupils and access supporting resources to implement these consistently across the curriculum. Some of these strategies include:

PiXL KnowledgeThis strategy is based upon three phases of learning:

1. KnowIT: The basic knowledge that pupils will need to know about a concept

2. GraspIT: An opportunity for pupils to apply this learning

3. ThinkIT: A chance to deepen pupils’ understanding of a concept

This strategy is designed to teach pupils core curriculum concepts and then deepen their understanding by asking them to apply it in different ways. Each curriculum concept covered has three mats – KnowIT, GraspIT and ThinkIT, with images on the reverse to support pupils in committing learning to the long-term memory. Mats are available for specific areas of study within Reading, Writing, mathematics and Science for each phase (KS1/Y3-4/Y5-6).

Learning and Life SkillsThrough our close analysis of pupil outcomes from Y1 right through to Y6, we have learnt over time that as well as potential barriers within curriculum content, sometimes it is the way that these concepts are questioned that can also be a barrier to success. Within the Primary offer, schools have access to a cross-subject suite of resources that develop pupils’ understanding of how to apply principles of responding to specific question types across the curriculum. The skills that these resources develop are also set in the context of where in real life these will be useful. These include interpreting and using tables, the process of elimination, sequencing and summarising. Learning and Life skills resources are available from Y1-6 and demonstrate how these skills can be developed across core and foundation subjects.

Progression LaddersWhilst resources are primarily targeted at pupils, PiXL also offers some aimed at supporting and improving teacher subject knowledge. The PiXL Progression Ladders, for example, illustrate how key concepts, such as proportion or equivalence in mathematics or retrieval or inference in Reading, progress from Key Stage 1 right through to Year 6. This enables teachers to refine the diagnostic process and identify the correct entry point to address gaps in prior learning. To complement this, common errors and misconceptions, as well as high quality modelling, offer those needing it a deeper understanding of the concept in question. The exemplification of how to frame questions to provide greater challenge is also an invaluable aspect of the ladders.


Additional packages supporting English and MathematicsIn addition to key subject resources provided to support individual subjects and year groups, PiXL Primary also offers a number of additional strategies that can be implemented school-wide.

The Primary CodeWhat is your strategy for supporting pupils who do not achieve phonic security by the middle or end of Key Stage 2? If this is an issue in your school, then The Primary Code is for you.

The Primary Code is primarily aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils who may have secured the absolute basics of phonic decoding but are not yet secure or fluent enough to independently read age-appropriate texts. This intervention offers an excellent opportunity to consolidate fundamental understanding and move pupils beyond the Key Stage 1 programme of study for phonics, into learning more complex and rare graphemes that will help them to unlock decoding once and for all.

The Primary Code is a fully resourced phonics intervention which can be personalised for individuals or small groups. An initial Sounds Audit allows teachers to identify gaps in understanding on an individual basis for pupils. Each focus phoneme comes with a teaching PowerPoint that addresses relevant grapheme-phoneme correspondence and teaches pupils how to use this knowledge to decode unfamiliar vocabulary.

The Primary Code also comes with a reading and a dictation activity attached to each focus phoneme, offering the opportunity to secure phonic security in both blending and spelling. Delivered for 6-8 weeks before reassessing, this intervention can have a huge impact for pupils who need to secure vital reading skills in order to access the curriculum and wider life.


Reading Speed and Fluency PackagePupils’ pace of reading has become an increasing concern for many teachers. The volume of text that pupils of all ages are required to decode and interrogate as part of testing at Key Stages 1-2 has increased significantly in recent years and this is causing a major barrier for some pupils in demonstrating their full potential under timed

conditions. The PiXL Primary Reading Speed package works on the key principle of improving pupils’ visual recall of language to reduce the number of words that they have to decode. By increasing recall, fluency should also improve, ultimately resulting in pupils being able to access and understand more text at an appropriate pace.

The Reading Speed package is available for Years 3-6. Each year group has three reading speed tests and there are also additional resources for testing KS1 pupils within the Diagnostic Reading Interviews. Without this assessment, poor reading speed can be an invisible problem for pupils of all abilities. The editable teaching model can be used by teachers to expose pupils to:

• Words predictable in sequence – pupils often read these quickly as their brain ‘autocompletes’ what they think is on the page.

• The same words, reordered – this slows pupils down, improving accuracy and ensuring that they read what is actually on the page.

• An age-appropriate passage of text, gradually increasing in volume, that pupils read within the same time limit each time they see it, thus improving their recall of words at the beginning of the text and therefore their overall pace and fluency each time they reread it.

• Quick Check questions to briefly check comprehension.

In addition to this, there is also a set of resources to support teachers in improving reading fluency. These include specific activities for paired reading, echo reading, performance reading and text marking.

Spelling TrackerIs Spelling an ongoing issue in your school? Look no further. The PiXL Primary Spelling Tracker has had a huge impact for many of our schools, allowing them to provide pupils with a personalised diet of spelling teaching and giving teachers the necessary subject knowledge and confidence to teach complex spelling patterns. All concrete spelling rules have been extracted from the National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2 and ordered progressively. A teaching PowerPoint is available for every rule identified within the Spelling Tracker. Three diagnostic tests have been written for each year group, which assess competency across the relevant phases of spelling teaching, plus any prior learning that should already be secure. Each test comes with a mark entry spreadsheet which can be uploaded to the Subject Trackers section of PrimaryWise to provide teachers with an individual pupil report, outlining strengths and areas for improvement on a personalised basis.

The QLA spreadsheets can be used to identify an entry point for all pupils. Where prior learning is not yet secure, this may be earlier in the curriculum than the chronological age of a group of pupils. Tracking back to find the gaps for whole cohorts, groups and individuals, means that teachers have the opportunity to correct misconceptions and teach into gaps arising, ultimately resulting in more rapid and secure progress later in the teaching sequence.

The teaching resources provide the explanation of the rule, examples for pupils to manipulate, short consolidation tasks for them to practise applying their skills and a word bank that can be used to transfer new spelling knowledge into subsequent written outcomes. For further information, please see the teacher guidance, tests and information on PrimaryWise.

Spoken English and Oracy Our Spoken English and Oracy provision is based on the principles that all pupils should have the opportunity to secure high quality spoken English and then be taught to master this through creative oracy training.

The Spoken English DTT package identifies common misconceptions in pupils’ spoken English and provides teaching materials to teach into these. The PiXL Primary Oracy strategy offers activities and structures for teachers to use to develop pupils’ oracy in their classrooms.

English


Underlying the PiXL mathematics resources is the importance of developing confident mathematicians who understand the importance of the subject to everyday life and can apply fundamental knowledge and skills across a range of contexts.

Whether mathematics is the subject which will dictate a pupil’s combined outcomes,

or that of the whole cohort, PrimaryWise can offer a range of effective strategies and resources to have an impact on both attainment and progress.

Alongside the core DTTR resources, the mathematics Diagnostic Tests, targeted at specific content domains, provide teachers across Years 1-6 with clarity on what the pupils know and what needs teaching next. For Year 1 and 2, the additional Diagnostic Interviews provide a similar laser-sharp focus on gaps in understanding.

ArithmeticBoth in terms of key life skills and end of key stage outcomes, arithmetic is a fundamental strand of mathematics to secure. As part of the PiXL arithmetic package, the Years 2-6 Arithmetic tests and trackers, which include National Curriculum coding, enable teachers to diagnose gaps in prior learning. Strategically sorting the accompanying Question Level Analysis (QLA) by year group or content domain facilitates carefully targeted planning; the accompanying arithmetic therapies complement this process.

The PiXL Times Table PackageA fundamental mathematical skill is the fluent recall of multiplication and associated division and fractions facts. Ensuring that pupils secure this at an early stage unlocks many other mathematical concepts.

As part of PiXL, you will have access to a comprehensive package of DTTR resources to support this process. This includes a CPD resource on the strategic teaching of multiplication tables alongside a suggested plan of how and when to deliver each element to ensure pupils become experts. This progression

moves pupils from the fluent recall of multiplication facts by Year 4 to their use as part of multiplicative reasoning in Year 5 and beyond.

One of our most successful resources is the PiXL Times Table app which provides stimulating and engaging ways in which to rehearse multiplication facts. These range from low-stakes rehearsal of facts without a time limit, to competitive games such as ‘Time Attack’ and ‘Raft Run’. Similar in style to the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check, this is an ideal tool to support pupils in preparation for the check. All PiXL Times Tables resources emphasise the importance of developing the relationship between multiplication, division and fractions. By always teaching the three together, pupils embed these key connections which are fundamental to so many mathematical concepts.

Problem solving and reasoningAt the heart of many of the PiXL resources is the importance of developing pupils’ ability to reason and solve problems. The PiXL Number and Answer Free Zone strategy provides a systematic approach for pupils to tackle word problems by firstly unlocking the language and then unlocking the mathematics involved. In order to develop pupils’ conceptual fluency, PiXL also offers a set of engaging Problem Type therapies for Year 1 to 6. Using the ‘Teach, model, apply’ approach, these teach pupils effective strategies to tackle problems such as logic or visualisation puzzles.

It is well-established that a key aspect of deepening mathematical understanding is talking about it! Across the PiXL resources, there is a strong focus on the explicit teaching and use of key mathematical terminology. The Vocabulary Recall Cards provide clear and consistent definitions and the Questioning and Reasoning Stems, alongside the Speaking Frames on the Vocabulary Mats, support pupils in structuring and articulating their ideas.

Mathematics


ScienceIt is indisputable that building strong foundations in Science is imperative for future success, and the PiXL Primary Science team wants to support schools in helping their pupils get off to the best start.

We need to teach pupils how to be enquirers as well as assist them to build the foundations of scientific knowledge in biology, chemistry and physics, and to understand the uses and implications of science, today and for the future.

The PiXL Primary Science Strategy is the Science team’s solution to how we can best support schools in implementing the wider curriculum. At the very heart

of the initiative, PiXL Primary Science is a diagnostic tool to help identify key areas of weakness and it provides support resources to help pupils improve.

The PiXL Primary Science resources provide the tools you need to inspire your pupils with curiosity and interest for the subject.

You will be able to:

• Be supported through the process of reviewing your Science curriculum using the Science Flight Path, which provides suggested activities that can be used as workshops, followed by resources to implement following analyses

• Find out what pupils already know to support planning for progression by using our Probing Question documents which provide suggestions and ideas on how to interweave working scientifically with ‘content’ to address the gaps, as well as progression ladders which help support next steps.

• Save your teachers time searching for relevant and engaging resources to support lessons by using our teaching PowerPoints and Big Science Question cards.

• Engage pupils and assess their understanding of a topic with a range of diagnostic and summative assessment materials to monitor and track the children’s progress.

• Explore topics in depth and examine key scientific concepts in biology, chemistry and physics in key topic areas, which are supported by Teacher Study Guides to help plan your lessons.

All pupils deserve to enjoy their Science education and to have access to rich practical experience. Therefore bring Science to life with our Science teaching resources for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.


English as an Additional LanguageThe demands for meeting the needs of English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners in our schools is becoming increasingly more difficult due to the needs of these learners.

It is important to consider transition arrangements for children who are EAL and we have devised a support package for schools to use – this includes guidance on some questions schools may wish to ask during a home visit and support for ensuring class teachers are prepared for a child’s first day in the school. There are further resources linked to using a child’s home language to include them in early aspects of school life.

At PiXL we have developed a simple system for the management of children who have English as an Additional Language. As a form of assessment, Diagnostic Observational Tools (DOTs) support staff in identifying strengths and weaknesses in three key areas: Social Interaction, Language Acquisition and Basic Subject Skills. An overview document for each of the DOTs provides links to be made to the key therapy sessions.

There are 20 key areas with therapy sessions and supporting resources:

• Animals

• Body Parts

• Classroom Nouns

• Classroom Verbs

• Clothing

• Colours

• Daily Routines

• Days of the Week

• Feelings

• Greetings

• Maths Vocabulary

• Months of the Year

• My Family

• My Home

• Numbers

• Prepositions

• Seasons

• Weather

• 2D Shapes

• 3D Shapes

Each therapy unit consists of a teaching PowerPoint with supporting teacher notes to explain how to deliver the session. There is also a range of inclusive activities to promote consistency and application, including barrier games, word searches, match it, sequencing activities and many more. Assessment tasks support teachers in capturing what a child or group of children have learnt and retained.

To support schools in the implementation of the EAL resources, there are supporting guidance documents and a staff training session which explains how the resources can be used effectively in the primary classroom.


Character and CultureCharacter

To prepare pupils for the challenges and opportunities of today and of the future we need to focus not just on defined academic achievements but consider the whole child. We need to equip pupils with a set of attitudes, skills and behaviours that underpin success – whatever the challenge. To support this the Primary Edge offers a progressive programme of strategies and materials to develop life skills. Central to the Primary Edge is a select group of character attributes which together form the LORIC family:

• Leadership

• Organisation

• Resilience

• Initiative

• Communication.

The Primary Edge provides all the materials to support the teaching of these individual attributes.

The Primary Edge is also supported with a tracker which aims to give pupils ownership of their character development and provide schools with an efficient, user-friendly way of tracking character development. By using the Edge Tracker, schools can apply the principles of DTT to their character development programme. The Edge Tracker is also complemented by an app which can be downloaded on all platforms. The app has all the functionality of the tracker but provides a pupil-friendly way to track their individual character development both at school and at home. In addition, as a reward and motivation, pupils can unlock games when they achieve certain milestones.

Promoting the health and wellbeing of pupils also has the potential to improve their educational outcomes as well as their health and wellbeing outcomes. In addition, effective social and emotional competencies are associated with greater health and wellbeing. E-safety is also a top priority and Primary Edge has developed a suite of materials to empower pupils with the knowledge to be safe when they go online and have a good understanding of what ‘safe’ means in any context to do with technology. Both Wellbeing and E-safety provide all the materials needed to support teaching.

The Primary Edge can be implemented by building a bespoke programme using the wealth of materials available on PrimaryWise in a way that meets each school’s particular needs. Alternatively, schools can use Quickstart. QuickStart is a ready-made package of resources that encompasses not only character development but also Wellbeing, A Mind to be Kind and E-safety. It provides a road map to help guide pupils throughout their school journey. It acknowledges the different challenges and milestones that pupils encounter each academic year and suggests Primary Edge teaching resources that could help.

Whether using QuickStart or tailoring an individual approach, we believe it is essential that the LORIC character attributes are not just taught as discrete lessons but woven into activities across the whole curriculum. That way, pupils will be able to appreciate how character development plays a meaningful role in enhancing everything they do.


Culture

How does the culture of your school contribute to success? Faced with the increasing demands in improving the ‘currency’ of our schools, the development of culture and character is sometimes in danger of being overlooked. At PiXL, we believe it is of vital importance to shape a better future by developing both life skills and personal qualities in our young people. So, to address this, we launched the initiative: ‘A Mind to be Kind’. The intention of this initiative is to help primary schools develop a culture where kindness, without an expectation of reward, becomes a way of life for staff as well as pupils. The ambition is to embed a significant change in attitudes by developing these three themes: Acts of Kindness, Living without Harming Others and Respect. The benefit should be a tangible improvement in the ‘feel’ of the school, making it a happier, calmer, inclusive and more productive place.

There is little doubt that happier pupils learn better. Furthermore, by focusing on the positive feelings associated with these, it is hoped that staff and pupils become more mindful of treating others, whatever their differences, with care and kindness. The content is delivered through ‘Stop and Think’ sessions which include short, snappy activities requiring minimal preparation or resources. Alongside the unit plans, other resources include: staff INSET materials, assemblies and display materials. By adopting ‘A Mind to be Kind’, schools have the opportunity not only to enrich the culture of their schools but also to positively influence the current generation in shaping a kinder future.


The PiXL Operations TeamThe PiXL operations team is committed to the values of PiXL and we endeavour at all times to provide an excellent service to PiXL schools.

Danielle Hill leads PiXL Primary Operations and is part of the senior operations team. She is supported by managers and other members of the senior team in running all aspects of our Primary operations, including our events and our frontline customer queries. Danielle works closely with the PiXL Primary team, led by Nick Ware (Director PiXL Primary) and Gillian McCredie (Deputy Director Primary).

Day to day, the operations team look after the primary inbox [email protected] and the primary phone 07810 202939.

Queries that come our way are varied and we are always glad to help how we can. You might want us to help with login details, PrimaryWise set up, locating resources on PrimaryWise, assessment information, event bookings, or simply want to check your understanding of a process. We can help with most things but please note that we have collective knowledge and so queries may need to be referred to a colleague with the relevant expertise.

Crucially, we are not primary school teachers so enquiries relating to curriculum or school leadership will be directed to those with the relevant expertise. These people often work within their own schools and/or support other schools, so it is almost impossible for this to be an immediate response service. We recommend that your first point of contact for such issues should be an email to your Associate.

Our IT department also works across phases and PrimaryWise is our most advanced resource area to date. We work hard to both maintain it and to develop new features to support your work within schools.

The operations team also includes a graphic designer and a group of freelance proof readers and formatters. These colleagues work alongside PiXL Primary subject teams to quality assure the work that is uploaded to PrimaryWise.

Finally, if you are a new school or a guest who is considering joining PiXL, our priority is to get you set up as soon as possible and be on hand to answer any early queries as you familiarise yourself with who we are and where you might find things. Our new schools page will really support you with this.

We look forward to working with you.

Primary email: [email protected] phone: 07810 202939


School LeadershipToolkit for Subject Leaders

The Subject Leadership Toolkit essentially gives a framework for subject leaders to identify, collect and present information pertinent to school improvement for achieving the school’s Wildly Important Goal (WIG) for both now and in the future.

Through rigorous data analysis, actions can be recommended which should have a positive impact on the immediate WIG as well as support the school’s aspirations for the future.

Using the Subject Leadership Toolkit will help to maximise the PiXL Primary offer. This will help to improve outcomes for Key Marginal pupils and other identified school groups. Key Marginal pupils are those pupils who are risk of not achieving the Combined Score at either Expected Standard or Above Expected Standard.

Aims:1. To keep the PiXL Primary principles and values as a focus for

improving subject outcomes, which will have a significant impact at whole school level, by developing the principles of ‘data wisdom’ for all those who have subject responsibility.

2. To recommend to the school leadership team actions, which could lead to improved outcomes, based on empirical evidence.

3. To provide subject leaders with resources that can be utilised for the Core Subjects, to improve outcomes for all pupils, with a particular focus on those who are Key Marginals.

4. To increase awareness of the PiXL Primary resources already available on PrimaryWise to support Subject Leadership and to further develop strategic use of these resources for Key Marginals and other identified school groups.

The Subject Leadership Toolkit provides a structure to investigate what lies behind broad data headlines for each core subject. It supports core subject leads to:

• consider the three-year trend for their subject and how this impacts on overall combined outcomes at KS1 and KS2

• reflect on any disparity between your Wildly Important Goal and actual attainment

• identify gaps in progress and attainment for specific pupil groups

• use PiXL Assessments and QLAs (Question Level Analysis) in a strategic way to evaluate areas of the curriculum to develop further

• drill down into PLCs (Personalised Learning Checklists) to look at secure and insecure content domains for Key Marginal pupils, both B1s and A2s

• follow up with short, time framed self-evaluation activities which focus on specific content domains for small groups, or individual key marginal pupils

• take action and measure impact.


We talk a lot about Leadership at our Main Meetings as the cornerstone for delivering what we constantly refer to as the PiXL Principles. In the days where our focus was only on the end of the Key Stage 2 programme, getting the PiXL message across was relatively straightforward as all the key staff could attend our Main Meetings and would also meet with the school’s designated Associate.

Since those early days, PiXL Primary has now evolved, embracing all year groups as well as PiXL1. I think we would all subscribe to the idea of trying to do the best we can for all pupils from as early as we possibly can in Primary and Infant schools, so as to minimise the number young people who we would regard as Key Marginals by the end of each key stage.

This presents a range of challenges when, as we know, many of you would like to see all years adopting the PiXL Principles for improving outcomes. Not all staff can attend the Main Meetings, nor are they part of the Core Team in your school, focused on Year 6. We would like to be able to support you to help all your staff engage with the PiXL Principles as this could empower them as ‘teacher leaders’ to make better use of their data, using Diagnosis, Therapy, Testing and Revisiting (DTTR). The resources are there for all year groups and will develop over time. As we say, without the leadership, the impact of any resource will always be limited.

We think The Engagement Leadership may be of help to you to make better use of those resources by enabling all teachers, as leaders, to develop what we refer to as Data Wisdom, a key step in using data to inform teaching and learning for better outcomes. It is fundamentally about Engaging all teachers as Leaders by providing them with the tools to unlock the potential of all their pupils.

We have recorded what we consider to be five essential leadership modules, with individual workbooks and supporting notes for the senior member of staff who will lead and supervise on this programme. There is an Introductory video which explains the overall structure of the programme.

IntroductionModule 1: What is PiXL?

Module 2: The 3Cs

Module 3: Language of Assessment

Module 3b: Data Wisdom

Module 4: Diagnosis, Therapy Testing and Revisiting (DTTR)

Module 4a: Diagnosis

Module 4b: Therapy

Module 4c: Testing & Revisiting

Module 5: Having a Plan

Each video has the same structure:

• Engage - what can I learn from the video?

• Lead - what does this mean for me as a teacher leader?

• Act - what part of my practice do I need to change for better pupil outcomes?

It is intended to provide high-quality professional development on understanding and making use of the essential PiXL Principles, namely DTTR, to support quality first teaching. We cover everything from data, wildly important goals, combined trackers, language of assessment, personalised learning checklists, therapies and much more. The programme has been designed to be offered in schools as a group activity. Collaboration, sharing and peer support are essential as we advocate that nobody should work alone on such important matters as the PiXL Principles. The designated senior leader, which could be the Raising Standards Leader (RSL), will have supporting notes and PowerPoints to guide them through the programme. Each member of staff participating will have their own workbook which, when competed, will form the basis of their own action plan for improving outcomes for the pupils they currently teach. We think this is an exciting opportunity to bring to the school, and every classroom, the messages we give at each of our Main Meetings. This vital school CPD could have real impact on both the immediate and long-term future of the pupils. This is Phase 1. Phase 2 will hopefully be available later in the year and will include the role of the RSL and the Core team, as well the school leadership team.

It may be worth noting that the Primary Engagement Leadership Programme is part of a wider suite of Training opportunities available from the PiXL School of Leadership.

PiXL Primary EngagementLeadership Programme

PRIMARY ENGAGEMENTLEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

PRIMARY ENGAGEMENTLEADERSHIP PROGRAMME


PiXL UnlockFor pupils arriving at school with gaps in their knowledge and grasp of vocabulary, the ‘word-gap’ can have significant impact on their self-esteem, learning, engagement and confidence. At PiXL Primary, we have recognised the importance of giving teachers tools and a clear structure with which to implement high-quality explicit vocabulary instruction to help them tackle this issue. The PiXL Primary Unlock strategy comes complete with a wide range of resources and staff CPD materials that will ensure the approach can be adopted quickly and easily.

The five-phase approach to explicit vocabulary instruction:

This is how pupils learn new language. Without tackling each of these strands, pupils’ knowledge of new language could be superficial. These are the core principles of everything that is included in the PiXL Unlock strategy.

Each of the resources is designed to develop and embed pupils’ knowledge of new language and build and deepen their language learning skills. The strategy guidance gives a clear outline of each of the components of the package and explains how these can be implemented for maximum impact.

The Unlock App is a significant part of the strategy, enhancing engagement and giving teachers a mechanism to collect information about pupils’ vocabulary knowledge and skills.

The app can be used on tablets, phones at home, PCs and interactive whiteboards and includes games that address each of the five phases of vocabulary instruction.

Teaching templates allow the same structure to be used in daily classroom teaching in subjects across the curriculum. Other resources such as the Vocabulary Mats and Shorts (20 ways to teach vocabulary in 5 minutes) are designed to be used across the curriculum to help pupils unlock learning in all areas. Recall cards for mathematics, Science and GPS have been designed for use as quick-fire learning tasks and to promote consistency in the use and explanation of key vocabulary throughout the school.

In teaching pupils new language, we must address the knowledge (the number of words they know) and the skills (the way they learn new language). This will equip them with a ‘tool-kit’ of skills to help them understand unfamiliar language when they meet it later on. The results analysis function of the Unlock strategy

Read It Define It Use It Link It Deconstruct It

(either through the Progress Tests for each year group or the data collected on the app) will allow teachers to identify language that pupils need to learn and skills which they need to develop. By diagnosing pupils’ gaps in vocabulary in this way, teaching can be fully focused exactly where it is most needed.

What’s included?

• The strategy and guidance

• Levelled word lists

• Primary Unlock App

• Classroom teaching templates, recall cards, mats and Shorts

• The Primary Code & Phonics DTT package

• Teacher CPD session

• Idioms PowerPoints

• Interactive Route Map

This resource is strictly for the use of The PiXL Club Ltd member schools during the life of the membership only. It may NOT be copied, sold, or transferred or made available by whatever means to a third party non-member during or after membership. Until such time it may be freely used within the PiXL member school by their teachers and authorized staff and any other use or sale thereof is strictly prohibited. All opinions and contributions are those of the authors. The contents of this resource are not connected with, or endorsed by, any other company, organisation or institution.

PiXL Club Ltd endeavour to trace and contact copyright owners. If there are any inadvertent omissions or errors in the acknowledgements or usage, this is unintended and PiXL will remedy these on written notification.

© Commissioned by The PiXL Club Ltd. JANUARY 2020