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3-18 Literacy and English Review

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3-18 Literacy and English Review 3-18 Literacy and English Review Transforming lives through learning Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. Context 4 3. Executive summary 7 4 Learning and achievement 3 – 18 8 4.1 Learning and achievement in literacy and English across the sectors 8 4.2 Transitions to ensure progression in literacy and English 18 4.3 Learners’ understanding of their progress in literacy and English 19 4.4 Enhancing learning and achievement in literacy and English through Scots 22 and Scottish texts 5 Raising attainment in literacy and English 27 5.1 Raising attainment: early intervention and targeted support 27 5.2 Raising attainment: higher-order thinking skills 33 5.3 Raising attainment: engaging with texts 38 5.4 Raising attainment: literacy across learning 43 5.5 Raising attainment: leadership 48 5.6 Raising attainment: career-long professional learning 52 6 The Way Ahead 55 Next steps for raising standards and improving the delivery of literacy and English Appendices 1. List of establishments visited for report 57 2. Key documents 58 3. National and international perspective (statistical information) 59 4. Practical next steps for the development of Scots language and text 65 5. Key points on developing literacy through Gaelic Medium Education 67 1 1 Introduction This review is part of a series evaluating the quality of children’s and young people’s learning and achievements in early learning and childcare settings and schools in Scotland. It describes and evaluates current practice in learning, teaching and achievement in literacy and English, and sets out key strengths and areas for improvement. It includes examples of good practice and identifies an agenda for raising attainment, in support of the Scottish Government’s current priorities. Literacy, alongside numeracy and health and wellbeing, sits at the heart of Curriculum for Excellence, as a key element of the knowledge, skills and attributes which equip children and young people for learning, life and work. In this ever-changing, information-rich society, it is essential that our children and young people develop a broad range of literacy and communication skills to participate fully in society and the world of work. Our ability to use language is central to our thinking, our learning and our personal development. Literacy and language unlock access to the wider curriculum and lay the foundations for communication, lifelong learning and work, contributing strongly to the development of all four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence. Curriculum for Excellence emphasises the fundamental role of language and literacy skills in all learning wherever it takes place. The report by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce underlines the increased focus in Curriculum for Excellence on employability and skills development. Literacy skills are a core element of this agenda which aims to ensure young people leave Scottish schools equipped with the skills necessary for modern employment opportunities. In February 2015, Education Scotland published Advice on Gaelic Education, which contains detailed guidance on how children and young people can develop their literacy skills through Gaelic Medium Education (see Appendix 5). In Scotland, we continue to seek ways to improve the life chances of children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Approximately 20% of Scottish children are living in poverty. We know that people with low levels of literacy are more likely to earn less and experience poverty. Improving the literacy skills of all our children and young people is a national priority with the aim of raising attainment, reducing inequity, improving life chances and employment prospects. The Scottish Government recently announced the Scottish Attainment Challenge which will focus on primary schools and target improvements in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. It will build on, and complement, existing activity by local authorities and the Scottish Government to address the gap in attainment between our most and least deprived communities including the Raising Attainment For All Programme, the School Improvement Partnership Programme and the Access to Education Fund. In addition, the appointment of Attainment Advisors for each local authority will support local improvement activity by creating local and national networks. A new literacy and numeracy campaign, Read Write Count, will benefit all children from P1 to P3, but with a specific focus on schools and parents in our most deprived communities. The findings and recommendations of this review will support these Scottish Government priorities. 2 The reflective questions in this report are designed to be used by individuals or staff teams to evaluate their practice and promote discussion and further improvement. For example: How often do we plan relevant and real-life contexts to develop children and young people’s literacy skills? Evidence that informed this report came from the following sources: • A series of focused inspection and review visits to a number of children and early learning and childcare settings, primary, secondary and special schools during the period February 2014 to May 2014. A list of educational establishments visited for this report is in Appendix 1. • Analysis of relevant evidence from general inspections and other professional engagement visits carried out by Education Scotland over the past three years. • Analysis of the patterns of uptake and performance by school students in English in SQA National Qualifications. Statistical data are contained in Appendix 3. • A review of relevant documents to take account of key messages relevant to literacy and English. • Engagement in professional dialogue with practitioners, specialists across Education Scotland and members of the literacy and English education community across Scotland. 3 2 Context Within Curriculum for Excellence, literacy is defined as: ‘the set of skills which allow an individual to engage fully in society and in learning, through the different forms of language, and the range of texts, which society values and finds useful.’ (Literacy and English: principles and practice paper, p3) The English and Literacy Experiences and Outcomes have been written in an inclusive way which allows teachers to interpret them for the needs of individual children and young people, for example those who use Braille, sign language and other forms of communication. For the purpose of this report, any reference to literacy includes all forms of communication. Building the Curriculum 1 emphasises the key role language and literacy skills have in gaining access to all learning and the need for these skills to be developed across all contexts and by every teacher in each curriculum area. ‘Language is at the core of thinking. We reflect, communicate and develop our ideas through language. Literacy offers an essential passport to learning, helping young people to achieve to the full and be ready for active involvement in society and work. Literature opens up new horizons, and a love of reading can be an important starting point for lifelong learning. As we communicate increasingly through digital technologies, we need to be able to interpret and convey information in new ways and to apply discernment.’ (Building the Curriculum 1, 2006, p13) All staff have a responsibility to develop, reinforce and extend learning in literacy. The statements in the Literacy Experiences and Outcomes are the responsibility of all. They promote the development of critical and creative thinking as well as competence in listening and talking, reading, writing and the personal, interpersonal and team-working skills which are so important in life and in the world of work. Literacy in Curriculum for Excellence is more than a set of functional skills. Children and young people not only need to be able to 4 read for information, they also need to be able to analyse and evaluate texts, work out what trust they should place in the information and identify when and how people are aiming to persuade or influence them. A solid understanding of the structures and features of English language supports the development of literacy by giving children and young people the tools and vocabulary needed to understand texts and express themselves fluently. Literacy and English language enable children and young people to communicate their thoughts and opinions effectively, explain their learning, synthesise ideas and debate their thinking. They are essential for developing higher-order thinking skills leading to deep learning; learning which goes beyond the acquisition of knowledge and embraces understanding and the application of knowledge. The Literacy across learning: principles and practice paper highlights the importance of having a clear picture of the progress each child and young person is making in developing and applying essential skills in listening and talking, reading and writing. Evidence of progress in literacy should be gathered across the curriculum and should complement the evidence gathered in discrete literacy or English lessons. To achieve this, a shared understanding of expectations in literacy across all curriculum areas is essential. What is the difference between English and literacy? The English Excellence Group defined the relationship between English and literacy as follows: ‘The Experiences and Outcomes of literacy across learning involve skills which will be learned in English as well as in all curricular areas. In English, however, there are particular skills
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