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Developing the Power of Reading

A guide for Literacy Link Governors

National Literacy Trust 2014

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Key Areas to Key Areas to exploreexplore

• The role of the Literacy Link Governor • Developing a whole school philosophy—

where to start• Knowing your school • Our school in the wider context—national

priorities, research and accountability• Support and development

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The Role of the Literacy Link The Role of the Literacy Link GovernorGovernor

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Governor strategic functionsGovernor strategic functions

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.

• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.

• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

• The School Governance (Role, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013.

• These functions are also reflected in the criteria Ofsted inspectors use to judge the effectiveness of governance in both maintained schools and academies

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Governor strategic functionsGovernor strategic functions

• “Leadership focused on improving teaching and learning is what matters most. We need more of it, from headteachers and governors ...”

• “... your main focus should be on the quality of teaching in the school, the leadership of teaching and learning, the progress and outcomes for pupils and the performance management of staff, including the headteacher.” Strong governance: learning from the bestSir Michael Wilshaw Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Ofsted National Governors’ Association Conference Speech 2012

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The role of the Literacy Link Governor: The role of the Literacy Link Governor: readingreading

• To support the development of a whole school philosophy and strategic policy towards reading.“Although schools especially primary schools, devoted a considerable amount of time to reading, few had a coherent and consistently articulated policy.” Reading ,writing and communication. Ofsted Guidance, October 2011

• To provide accountability and be a critical friend – reviewing pupil progress & outcomes (class, school, national), raising achievement and overcoming barriers (gender gaps/SEND/ vulnerable groups).

• To monitor and support the development of quality teaching and learning in reading.

• To support effective consistency and communication of ethos and approach to all stakeholders.

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1. Whole School Philosophy

• Supporting the development of a whole school philosophy and strategic policy towards reading.

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• “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” Victor Hugo

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What do we believe reading is?

What is important for us?How do we teach reading?

What is reading to our children?

How do the children perceive the teaching of reading?

Is the school well equipped to fulfil our shared philosophy?

How do we communicate our vision of reading across all stakeholders?

How do we build a community of readers?

Key Questions

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“Reading is much more than the decoding of black marks upon a page; it is a quest for meaning and one which requires the reader to be an active participant.” Brian Cox 1991

Reading is about making sense and the drive to make sense is what powers young children’s learning. Alison Kelly

What is reading to our school?

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The Key Building Blocks

Word recognition skills

Language comprehension

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Underpinning everything...reading for pleasure

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Unpicking reading in our schoolUnpicking reading in our schoolAreas to explore: 1. Word recognition skills

Phonics, word recognition strategies

2. Language comprehensionLinguistic skills: vocabulary development, grammatical skills, ability to talk about how language works

Cognitive Skills: knowledge, engagement and response to texts, reading comprehension strategies, inference and interpretation

1. Study Skills Skimming and scanning, note taking, reading stamina

2. Whole school culture of reading for pleasure

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The Importance of Reading for PleasureThe Importance of Reading for Pleasure

Figure 10: Model of influence, with bolder paths indicating stronger relationships

© National Literacy Trust: Children’s and Young People’s Reading Today 2012Findings from the 2011 National Literacy Trust’s annual survey

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The critical friend - questions to ask:

• Do we as a school have a clearly articulated policy which incorporates and addresses all the key elements of the reading process?

• Are each of these key elements assessed and monitored effectively across our school?

• Is our school workforce suitably equipped to fulfill our policy in terms of leadership, knowledge, skill and resourcing?

• Is our policy a true reflection of our whole school philosophy and are all stakeholders informed and committed to this ethos?