MARCH 2022
EYFS staff training on writing including ‘Fantastic Foundations’ part of our new writing approach. We have a new member of the Reception class- ‘Grandma Fantastic’ – who is very old and wise and has collected lots of interesting and exciting vocabulary over the years.
FEBRUARY 2022
End of ½ term review of action planning and outcomes- set next foci for following ½ term.
EYFS area developed:
We are working toward making our outdoor space more natural and are including natural resources to build children’s physical development, problem-solving and collaborative skills.
We have new natural flooring, an outside ‘push top’ tap and we are working on adding seasonal planting.
‘Book Looks’ to monitor and assess children’s progress in English and Maths- Discussion of the evidence of progress and children’s ‘next steps’ in their learning. Promising progress in writing noted with evidence of children using a wider vocabulary.
Maths network meeting for maths lead to work collaboratively with colleagues across the trust.
All staff have completed the Peer on Peer Abuse safeguarding training module.
January 2022
Monitoring and reviewing of our new writing approach ‘The Write Stuff’. External reviewers confirmed that although still in the early stages of being embedded, this approach is showing promise; the quality of children’s writing and language used is improving and high expectations demonstrated.
Throughout January, EYFS staff have attended training from Cornwall County Council’s EYFS team on:
‘Navigating Development Matters’ updates on the latest framework.
‘Becoming Attuned to 2 year olds’ looking at teaching and resources to reflect the needs of 2 year olds in our setting
‘Shape your (EYFS) curriculum’ -planning to include core provision (including educational, inspiring and aspirational resources and spaces) and ‘enhancements’
‘What comes before writing?’ Looking at pre-writing, mark making, phonics and language & communication
This training has been provided onsite after school and is bespoke for our school.
Staff meetings this month to review:
Computing- planning to include internet safety, core concepts and updates on progression of skills.
French- planning, core concepts and updates, progression of skills and subject knowledge (inc. correct pronunciation)
Art- planning, core concepts and updates, progression of skills and subject knowledge, evaluating resources.
Read Write Inc. online training has been completed by all staff delivering the programme (including those affected by Covid). All have their own bank of resources and the children are taught their daily phonics in their groups using books to reflect their level.
Miss Gulley, our new reception teacher has set up the new reception class to reflect the requirements of the EYFS curriculum.
We are developing the outdoor area during half term to include a more natural feel.
We are looking for some trees (that will flourish in pots) to add to our learning area, we would like them to be seasonal (eg apple or cherry trees). We will be asking for parents to help with some fundraising or to ‘donate a tree’ so that we can add these to our outdoor space.
December 2021
We ordered a skip! We decluttered the nursery and classrooms and re-organised our classrooms, updated displays and created learning walls for our new writing ‘The Write Stuff’ and phonics (Read Write Inc.) approaches.
All teachers have had intensive training on our new writing approach for Key Stage 1 (Year 1 & 2) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) ‘The Write Stuff’. Resources have been purchased. Trial sessions have been implemented; teachers are teaching the initial units and introducing the terminology to the children.
We developed an annual cycle to ensure every aspect of the school is scrutinised appropriately with follow up actions/ new training and strategies shared.
We recruited a new Early Years teacher to start in January. Miss Gulley will teach the reception children and will work closely with June and the nursery children.
We reviewed our timetable to make the most of every minute of learning time.
Please help us by ensuring your child arrives at school in time so they do not miss out on any part of their lessons.
November 2021
By the end of November, the majority of our new RWI resources had arrived, we organised the phonics materials and ‘book bag books’, we assessed all children and grouped them into RWI groups. We started the programme using the new resources. Miss Carey implemented weekly phonics staff group meetings to monitor and support practice.
Staff meeting- we reviewed pedagogy (teaching & learning) research into positive learning behaviours. We reviewed pedagogical research on improving literacy. We summarised our investigations into writing approaches and evaluated effective approaches.
Day one Read Write Inc. training for all staff delivering the programme. Start the organisation of resources (as they arrive).
RE-structuring of EYFS classes- re-organising of resources, creating plans for developing our EYFS outdoor learning space to create a more natural environment. Other settings visited to inspire our ideas for welcoming, inspirational and aspirational learning spaces.
Miss Wells and Miss Carey attended the maths hub network meeting
Begin recruitment of new EYFS teacher
Joint peer to peer (across schools) lesson visits to discuss approach to Read Write Inc. (RWI)
Staff meeting to discuss sequencing of lessons and short planning, core and secondary concepts and how we can teach these so that the children ‘know more and remember more’.
Ongoing staff meetings/training/discussion/research on pedagogy (teaching and learning) and classroom strategies to include:
Challenge, explanation, modelling, practice, feedback and questioning
EYFS discussions and activities based on building communication and language skills: use of open-ended ‘I wonder ….’ Questions, ‘serve and return’ conversations, narrating activities with subject specific vocabulary
Read Write Inc.
October 2021
Now that Covid restrictions have eased, we have been able to restart our visits to other schools to share ideas and support each other. We have also been able to welcome colleagues from other schools to Landewednack
Staff meeting to create our new ‘Reading Spine’ (books that our children WILL read during their time with us in addition to many other texts) and to justify our reasons for choices. We are using books with a progression of difficulty/sentence complexity/ lexical levels (technical part of reading) as well as including five types of texts that children should have access to in order to successfully navigate reading with confidence. See our reading spine here http://www.landewednack.cornwall.sch.uk/website/english/241177 (NB this will be reviewed)
Full assessment of phonics, children grouped to be taught appropriately. Effective validated phonics scheme (RWI) to be implemented- resources ordered, training booked.
‘Strive to be the best you can be’ week: focus on building independence and stamina, arriving ‘ready to learn’, building learning power etc.
Staff meeting/ training- teachers & TAs- on scaffolding strategies, discussion of how, when, who to enable children to build independence and stamina (particularly after long periods of time away from school during lockdown/ online learning etc.).
Recalibrate approach for staff to lead pupils to independence e.g use of dictionaries; classroom routine.
School governing body meeting to share improvement plan for Landewednack School and to set focus for governor visits.
September 2021
Teachers had a meeting on use of VIPERS in the classroom
Mrs Green attended the SEN (Special Educational Needs) Code of Practice update training.
All staff refreshed theirs safeguarding and child protection training
