Without doubt the past academic year has had its moments of challenge not least the political turmoil that has resulted in 5 Secretaries of State for Education in 12 months, the ongoing education strikes, budget uncertainty on key areas such as staff pay, the convulsions at Ofsted in the wake of the Ruth Perry tragedy, the threats and opportunities presented by AI and various dire warnings in the media around an epidemic of vaping in schools, crumbling school estates, the ongoing challenge of asbestos in school buildings of a certain vintage,  persistent absence on the increase and much more besides. All of this creates challenge for boards and governors alike, a fog of negative stories and influences that conspire to hinder schools in their primary objective of improving outcomes for all their pupils and closing the disadvantaged gap.

As governors and boards, we need to be able to contextualise the above and keep it in perspective, some or all of the above will have an impact on our individual schools but we can do a lot by ensuring that our work remains focussed on outcomes and the strategic journey our school is on to achieve these. Can we work smarter? Can we improve our practice? Can we learn to do things differently? The answer is of course ‘yes we can’! So, the following are some suggested new academic year’s resolutions to help you on your way:

Meetings 

Do we need an endless round of committee meetings to underpin the work of the board or is it possible to roll some, or all, of that work into our FGB meetings? Many boards are moving to the ‘circular’ model of governance and dispensing with the work of committees altogether, others are gradually consolidating committees to focus and reduce workload, recognising the enormous amount of duplication and repetition that occurs for both governors and SLT members. Either way it's about questioning the way you are set up and challenging the reasons why you are where you are and to consider if changes can be made. Please do reach out if you would like to understand more about different ways of working.

Agendas

When considering the above, even if you make no changes, staff and governors time is precious so meetings need to be smart. A timed agenda is a great place to start, this means setting times in the margin for each item and therefore fitting the proposed business within a set timeframe, ideally 2 hours maximum. If you start at 6pm with a bit of practice and discipline your meetings will be finished by 8pm – the impact on the quality of debate and engagement can be amazing, knowing when a meeting will end gives renewed purpose and motivation to those in attendance.

Shared endeavour

There is nothing that unites a group of people more than a shared experience whether that be joint training, a school visit or attending a school event. When governors train together, they learn together, the training can be put in context for our own setting and apply that newly acquired knowledge with the confidence that all on the board will be equally informed. This can be done by attending a programme of agreed face to face training or by using a platform such as Modern Governor to set out an annual programme of learning that is undertaken half-termly, fitting neatly around work life commitments, which will ensure that the board acquires knowledge in a planned and strategic way. This can feed into supporting governors link roles so that when visiting school either individually or as a group on a governor’s session in school we can be on the front foot, knowledgably seeking out evidence that helps us triangulate with what we are being told at meetings and the internal and external reports we receive. Training together, visiting together (when possible) and meeting together ensures the workload and lived experience of school life is shared, considered, feeds into our monitoring of school and board plans and ultimately fulfils the strategic role at the core of our work.

Promote and celebrate the work of the board

Unless we tell our pupils, parents and community about the work we do no one else will! Use the tools at our disposal, for instance go beyond the guidance on what boards need to publish on the school website, use this parent and public facing window to shed light on our work and the impact it’s having. Share photos of governors in action – on a school visit, presenting awards, holding a meeting, in the staff room meeting staff. In doing so you will promote the work of the board and raise the profile and recognition of individual governors. Post messages of support and congratulation on the school’s social media, maybe have a termly newsletter that celebrates the boards work. The idea being to humanise and demystify what being a governor involves and encourage people to enquire and hopefully consider becoming a governor.

Recruitment, engagement and retention

These three are always somewhere near the top of challenges boards report facing and can be very difficult to deal with without a plan! However, if you get some or all of the above in place it can be a game changer. Creating an environment that encourages people to become involved, much in the way that PTAs do, ensuring once they step forward, they have a sense of joint endeavour and support. That ‘we are in this together’ is vital to emphasise, and in that way as the boards work leads to tangible improvements for the school and pupils, they will want to remain part of the journey. How to improve engagement? Training is vital, knowledge breeds confidence to challenge and ask questions. Encouraging governors to ask questions and comment, don’t be afraid to go ‘round the table’ so that there’s always an expectation that everyone contributes. Don’t just ‘hear’ those contributions but value them as well, there is nothing more off-putting, especially for new governors, when their contribution is neither acknowledged nor valued. Providing mentor or buddy support for new governors can be a vital tool of retention.

At the end of this term as the school corridors empty, the playground becomes silent, the echoes of school sports days fade, staff clear their classroom walls, final meetings are held, the kitchen is deep cleaned, clubs are paused and staff and governors take a welcome break, take a moment and give some thought to the above resolutions. To return in the autumn term with a determined focus to do things differently, challenge embedded practice, explore alternative ways of working, be more ambitious or perhaps seek an external perspective or review of board practice. As the tectonic plates of education slowly move so should all those involved, as governors we are uniquely placed to ensure our schools remain fit and agile to respond to the many challenges that arise – we need to be sure footed, trained, informed, inquisitive to enable us to rigorously support and challenge our senior leaders. Consider making some new academic year’s resolutions, add them to the top of your agendas so as not to forget them! For now though, as this academic year comes to a close be super proud of all that you have done this past year and know that in so many ways you will have improved the life chances of the pupils in your schools.

The HFL Governance team stand ready to support you whether it be through our acclaimed training programme, our supportive Clerking and Chairs service or our fantastic helpdesk. 

To contact us please use the following:  

Governance Helpdesk – 01438 544487   

Governance Training – 01438 544478  

Governance Clerking - 01438 544487  

Or email us at governance@hfleducation.org  

It’s that busy time of year and the clock is ticking to complete a list of things to do as another year quickly draws to an end. It goes without saying that some of us have had many challenges that we have continued to face on a daily basis, or some may have had a much smoother year. What remains and goes without saying is the huge impact that we all have in making a difference to the outcomes of children’s lives. As we look back, there is no doubt that we will find many examples of the milestones that children would have accomplished during their time with you and there is so much to celebrate. Reflect on all those magical moments that make you smile with pride knowing that YOU (regardless of what role you hold in your setting) influenced the progress that every child made!

So as we now approach the end of the year, a few top tips to consider before the school gate closes for our existing cohort of children:

1. End of term is nigh

As the term comes to an end, consider setting up activities where children are fully involved in washing up the resources and then sorting them as they replace them back in their original containers. Not only will this teach vital life skills, but it will equip them with understanding the importance of looking after resources and a whole wealth of other learning opportunities. Examples include, sorting, comparing, talking about similarities and differences, responsibility, pride, and care – enjoy and have fun!

2. Pass on information

Now you have your Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) data, remember to analyse this information, and use it to support children’s transition to Y1 and key changes to the provision. Make time to meet your Y1 teacher and discuss each child’s individual attainment and the strengths of the whole class. It is important that during this time Y1 practitioners have ample opportunity to visit your EYFS to get to know the children and experiences that children engage in. As Diane Rich states – ‘look back to look head.’

3. Celebrate

Maximise the use of end of term open evenings/days/events to showcase and celebrate the learning throughout the year. Provide time to reminisce on all those special and magical moments that led to wonderful discoveries and learning. You may want to take photos of end of term events and displays to create a ‘book of memories’.

4. Transition:

With your transition activities now underway don’t forget to maximise the use of the information received from parents and from previous settings, by meeting and talking to children to make adaptations to your learning environment so that you are fully ready and prepared to welcome your new cohort at the beginning of the new academic year.

Have you seen HfL’s cohort summary sheet which will help you to collate pertinent information for the new incoming cohort: EYFS entry cohort summary

5. Signpost parents to local events

Signpost parents to local events being run over the summer by family centres and other agencies or take a look at 50 things to do before you’re 5 in Hertfordshire.

Family centre services and support – including details of the 11 hubs:

www.hertsfamilycentres.org

6. Disadvantaged and Vulnerable groups (D&V)

Consider using Early Years Pupil Premium funding to ensure effective information sharing practices are in place to support smooth transitions for disadvantaged and vulnerable children by arranging cover for staff so that thorough handover meetings can take place.

Review the impact of resources and interventions that you have put into place this year to see if they have impacted on progress and/or closed the gap between Free School Meals (FSM) and non-FSM children. What changes will you make as a result to meet the needs of the children that are eligible for funding starting in September?

To help you, have you seen our ‘Making the Difference Early Years toolkit’? If you would like a free digital copy and find out more about how to improve outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the Early years then come along to our two part training:  ‘Making the difference: improving outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the EYFS

7. Time to declutter

As Early years practitioners we are experts at acquiring a wealth of resources, some that become ‘treasure’ and some that stack up and don’t get used. Or there are those that have taken up space in the learning environment for years and hardly accessed by children. You may already have identified these or are thinking ‘yes, I know which ones they are…’ Time to make that change and de-clutter.

When thinking about your new cohort, reviewing, making changes and setting up your learning environment, consider the use of our multi award winning resource Places to Play Every Day (3-5 year olds) for some inspiration and tools to help audit your provision.

8. Looking ahead

Find a moment to map out the first week in the autumn term with your team to help the settling in process so that everyone is clear of their roles to help children and families have a happy, welcoming and enjoyable start. Agree on the most important aspects that will support the settling in process in line with your transition events.

The transition toolkit has a wealth of resources to support you with this.

9. Reflect, relax and revive!

Lastly, your wellbeing is absolute paramount. So as this busy term draws to an end, take time to reflect and review on the year with what has gone well and makes you feel proud. Take time to thank your team and all those that helped to make a difference including yourself. Most importantly, switch off, totally relax and enjoy the summer break in preparation for the new term. An exciting journey awaits with a new cohort to begin in September.

For more regular top tips from our team of Early Years Foundation Stage education specialists and to hear about our new training courses, resources, and blogs please subscribe to our mailing list.

Happy holidays!

Sitting down to write can be daunting. There’s a blank screen in front of us, a few ideas in our heads, and the impetus to write. We note down a plan, a general structure, and ideas begin to blossom but tying them together takes time. We have the pleasure and privilege of reading lots of blogs, so we know why they’re written, and what makes them enjoyable to read. Yet, it’s not always easy to marry those things together to get to the finished product. Ideas bounce around our heads, words and phrases appear in our mind, but it takes care, motivation, and the many steps of the writing process to get to the publishable result. 

We place writing demands on children every day in school. It’s a hugely complex and demanding skill: ‘Children need to coordinate several different processes. For instance, children need to work out what they want to communicate and how, handwrite or type accurately, regulate their own thoughts and behaviour, and monitor their work.’ (EEF, Improving Literacy in KS2, p. 28) 

Not only this but writing places great demands on our emotional resources alongside the cognitive demands.  To do something so demanding, we need to feel that writing is a worthwhile pursuit – that we are motivated, volitional, autonomous and confident writers.  If we’re going to leave a little piece of ourselves on the page, an insight into our identity for scrutiny, then there had better be good reason to do so.  As Young & Ferguson state: ‘Emotionally healthy young writers are able to produce better texts because they have secure writerly knowledge (cognitive resources) to draw on, they know how to manage the processes involved in writing, and they can use and apply a variety of writerly techniques’ (Young & Ferguson, The Science of Teaching Primary Writing, p. 13). 

We know that there has been a stark decline in the percentage of children and young people in the UK who are volitional writers.  In June 2023, the National Literacy Trust produced results from their latest survey which showed that only 34.6% of children and young people aged between 8-18 enjoyed writing in their free time.  At the time of writing, figures from the latest end-of-KS2 data for writing are yet to be released, but in 2022, 69% of pupils met the expected standard in writing, down from 78% in 2019.  Some people might blame the impact of Covid for these statistics, which would be undeniable, but is there a bigger picture here?  Since 2016, children choosing to write in their free time has been in a steady decline - from the peak of 50.7% (in 2016) with a 16.1% drop to where we are now. 

Despite these gloomy figures, there is hope.  An increasing demand for research-informed writing teaching is blossoming, led by the clarion call of Ross Young & Felicity Ferguson at The Writing for Pleasure Centre and other hugely influential academic researchers.  In a recent article, written by Debra Myhill, Teresa Cremin and Lucy Oliver, entitled ‘Writing as Craft: Reconsidering Teacher Subject Content Knowledge for Teaching Writing’, the authors suggest that there is a distinct lack of empirical evidence concerning what constitutes teacher subject knowledge for writing.  They propose reframing writing as a ‘craft’ rather than a subject and suggest five key themes of writing craft knowledge (the pink writing underneath is our own, the headings are suggested within the article):  

Whilst we cannot go into details for all of these areas, let’s briefly focus on the three text-oriented themes – (i) the reader-writer relationship; (ii) language choices and (iii) text-level choices.   In other words, and this is a huge simplification (but needs must):  how can we write effectively based on our purpose for writing and how we want our reader to feel/think/do/understand, and what language and text choices can we select to do this?  

The National Curriculum currently does not help teachers to understand the craft of writing. Statements such as: ‘In narratives, create characters, settings and plot’ offer up no guidance as to how a writer would go about bringing a character to life, or the techniques writers use to construct a vivid setting. This lack of direction often leads to writing being skewed towards box-ticking of grammar terms and punctuation (sometimes leaving out the craft of composition entirely).  The authentic craft of writing therefore, in many classrooms, remains a mystery to all involved.   

However, within its aims, the National Curriculum does emphasise the importance of an awareness of purpose and audience: ‘Effective composition involves forming, articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. This requires clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.’ (The National Curriculum in England: Key Stages 1 and 2 Framework Document, 2013, p. 15) 

There are various suggestions for a range of writing purposes, but we could broadly categorise them as: (i) writing to entertain, (ii) to inform, (iii) to persuade and (iv) to discuss.  Michael Tidd has previously blogged about his approach to devising a writing curriculum using four writing purposes here: Writing for a Purpose (or 4!) | Ramblings of a Teacher (wordpress.com).  Of course, these can overlap, but there is usually an overriding one at play.  Carefully constructed writing curriculums should support children in building understanding of writing for different purposes, help them to connect with their audience as a writer, and provide them with opportunities to make choices about their writing. 

When we start to notice that writers tend to use similar writerly techniques according to their writing purpose, we can start to build writing schemas alongside a developing understanding of genre knowledge.  In this example, children start to understand the language choices they could make when writing to persuade, which could be used within any of the genres listed below.  Any language choices, and therefore success criteria, that the children are invited to use can therefore remain the same; their knowledge of purpose can be retained and revisited whilst learning about new or alternative text-types:  

Thus, curriculum design should be carefully crafted to allow children to recognise that their language choices do not exist in a vacuum, and they can return to their knowledge of writing purpose to transfer this into different contexts (such as a variety of genres) and make links to any new learning - not only within English lessons but across the curriculum. 

Of course, we need to combine an understanding of both the cognitive and emotional demands that are placed on children when they are learning to write.  Both domains must inform our decisions when creating any sort of writing curriculum with schools.  We must include children in the decision-making concerning their writing – making writing an enjoyable experience for them along with feeling a sense of satisfaction in their own high-quality creations (Young & Ferguson, 2021).  And we also need to empower teachers to feel that they are authentic writers too, who can teach writing well with enjoyment and confidence.   

 If you are in a position where you would like to find out more about our ever-evolving thinking when it comes to writing teaching, and would like to receive support to develop an effective writing curriculum, then do come along to our training in September. The training will support you to:  

• investigate the most effective evidence-based practices regarding writing teaching; 
• consider whole school long-term planning for writing and evaluate existing provision;  
• personalise writing schemes to ensure they meet the needs of the school; 
• develop confidence in supporting pupils to progress in their writing attainment and enjoyment. 

I spend most of my time in primary schools but sometimes, I have the opportunity to visit KS3 classes. When visiting a Year 9 class recently, I observed students completing algebraic equations. They demonstrated good understanding of what they were doing and happily talked to me about their learning. I then noticed that several of the students were able to do the complex algebra but couldn’t add two single digits without using their fingers. Since observing this, I have noticed it more and more; children being able to do the ‘maths’ but needing their fingers to solve simple calculations.

The next question is, does this matter if they understand the maths they are learning?

I would argue that it does. Lack of fluency in base facts slows most maths learning.

The Ofsted Research and Analysis Review into mathematics (May 2021) recognises the need for fluency in base facts and the impact of not knowing them.

“Pupils who are not able to quickly and easily recall maths facts struggle with calculations due to their working memory being overloaded. For example, a child who does not know number bonds will be stuck using various forms of ‘counting on’ when performing simple addition.”

I have recently had the pleasure of developing the ‘Making fluent and flexible calculators’ project with Charlie Harber and Siobhan King. In Charlie’s recent blog, she clearly shows the importance of teaching pupils to build on their knowledge of the base facts to make connections and spot patterns. So far, we have seen great impact on the pupils taking part in the project with pupils making the equivalent of 8 months progress in just 6 weeks.

One teacher involved in the project stated:

“Children are not scared anymore of numbers and doing the mathematical talk in front of their peers.”

Despite this, I also know that there are a few pupils, usually in the bottom 5%-10% or who have special educational needs, who are never very clear about the maths they are learning and very rarely feel success. Many of these pupils have ‘survival’ strategies – cleverly masking what they don’t know – or are overly scaffolded by adults. Teachers are aware of these pupils; they identify them as pupils who never seem to retain anything. Teachers feel there is a pressure to ensure all pupils access the same learning. They want to help but don’t know where to start; it can be overwhelming and the journey back to age related expectations too long and bumpy.

So, what should be done?

Base facts need to be secured with conceptual understanding – explicit teaching of strategies. As it states in the maths review, if pupils don’t know their base facts, they can get stuck on counting strategies.

This short video explains Baroody’s phases to automaticity and explains why teaching the facts with strategies is so important.

Teaching strategies

 The base facts to 10 + 10:

We have identified 9 different strategies within the base facts. This video explains them:

We now know the strategies that are needed to learn the base facts, so the next challenge is:

How do we know which strategies children know and which ones they don’t?

The HFL Education maths team have created a short diagnostic assessment to be used one to one with pupils to find out how pupils calculate answers. With this diagnostic assessment, it is not the accuracy of the answer that is important; it is the efficiency of the strategy.

Below are some examples of pupils solving calculations from the diagnostic assessment.

All the answers are correct, but you can probably tell from the dots and dashes drawn that ‘counting all’ was the only strategy that was used.

Thinking about the different strategies listed in the video, what would be more efficient?

What could the explicit teaching of the strategies look like?

Once the strategies children know or don’t know have been identified, teaching of unknown strategies can happen and base facts can be learned.

This video provides some ideas for how strategies could be taught and rehearsed:

The HFL maths team are in the process of completing developmental research on a short, sharp intervention – Mental maths fluency intervention – that focuses on identifying and teaching base facts. Initial trials completed this year have been positive with the schools involved seeing much improved knowledge and application of base facts.

Download a free sample of the teaching guidance from the Mental Maths Fluency Intervention here:

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References

Research review series: mathematics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Baroody, A. J., Bajwa, N. P., & Eiland, M. (2009). Why can't johnny remember the basic facts? Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 15(1), 69-79. Why can't Johnny remember the basic facts? (wiley.com)  

Now that the second half of the summer term is well underway, thoughts will inevitably turn to preparing Year 6 pupils for life at secondary school, both emotionally and academically. 

Both primary and secondary schools are well-versed in how to support children and prepare them for transition. We think carefully about the changes to come and how we can best enable pupils to feel confident and resilient as they embark on a new and exciting, but potentially daunting, chapter of their education.

Many subjects studied continue with the same name. PE, art, history and maths for example, are all taught at primary and will still have the same subject name at secondary school.

This is not always the case for languages. Primary schools will have selected the language (any modern or ancient foreign language can be taught in Key Stage 2) that their children will learn across the Key Stage and that they will make substantial progress in. This is a school-level choice which will be influenced by a range of factors. Similarly, secondary schools will decide which language pupils begin with when they start in Year 7.  As a result, the language studied by pupils may change at the point of transfer.

As for any curriculum subject, key to successful transition is continuity of learning and development.  The Ofsted Research Review Series: Languages (see section ‘Enabling Languages to Flourish’) highlights the negative impact on motivation and attitudes to language learning in the secondary phase where transition is not effective. This can be because pupils feel as if they are ‘starting again’ in a language in Year 7 because previous learning is unacknowledged, or because they can’t see how what they have learned in one language can contribute to learning another.

Where pupils continue to study the same language in the secondary phase, curriculum continuity is important for effective transition.  This requires communication between feeder and destination schools so that there is clarity about content that has been covered and how this can be built on to avoid demotivation.

However, successful transition does not have to be dependent on studying the same language in both primary and secondary phase.  It can be enabled by being clear about the knowledge and skills that are applicable across languages and highlighting these to both staff and pupils.   Clarifying this means that, even if the language being learned changes, pupils can still build on prior learning.

For example, some of the commonalities between languages often taught at both KS2 and KS3 include:

• The gender of nouns
• The impact that this has on other groups of words, (e.g., determiners)
• Formal and informal ‘you’

These are some examples of the components of knowledge and understanding which are a feature of some of the most commonly taught languages in the primary and secondary phase.

We also know that there are times when a lack of effective transition (for example between year groups) can impact negatively on learner experience within in the primary phase. The Research Review (see ‘Curriculum choices, transition’) reports that ‘poor transition, namely lack of continuity of the curriculum, is likely to be the most significant aspect in pupils not seeing the benefit of learning a language at primary school.’ Pupils themselves need to understand how the knowledge and skills acquired are applicable and transferable to the study of a new language to value their learning.

So, what is it, within our curriculum mapping for languages and our handover between teachers, that could be further strengthened to ensure that children enjoy a smooth progression in languages learning both within and between schools?

At its heart there are core elements which include:

• An identifiable core grammar that is sequenced so that it builds on prior learning   
• A core vocabulary made up of high-frequency/highly transferable language as well as well as words linked to the themes being studied
• Key sound-spelling correspondences for the language being learned

Subject Leaders might find ASCL’s KS2/KS3 MFL transition toolkits a practical, workable tool to support effective transition.  Available for French, German, Spanish and Chinese, they can be used to identify prior learning, avoiding as far as possible any downturn in pupil achievement or motivation as they move into the secondary phase.

Find them here: French, German, Spanish and Chinese.

HFL Education are happy to support both primary and secondary schools with their languages / MFL provision, including developing and reviewing schemes of learning, support with curriculum design, and developing teaching and learning activities that can strengthen and enhance transition. We offer in-school, bespoke consultancy, training courses and support for subject leaders.

For further advice and guidance, including on KS2/KS3 language / MFL curriculum and transition, contact Yvonne.Kennedy@hfleducation.org