How Knowsley schools and families can take part in the REAL Programme - the nationally recognised early literacy programme which has been evidenced to impact positively on literacy development with nursery age children.
Childhood Unit NCB • Dr Cathy Hamer, NCB Associate • Laura Gregory, Early Education Lead Knowsley Children’s Centres Agenda • Background • The original Sheffield REAL Project and outcomes • Raising Early Achievement in Literacy – Dr Cathy Hamer • Project overview • The Knowsley perspective • Opportunity for discussion in groups • Questions • Next steps
disadvantaged 5 year olds are not meeting expected literacy standards. • Less-advantaged children fall behind peers in the early years and that gap widens throughout school. • There is significant variance across England. Many children at age 5 in the North are far behind those in the South. The strength of the Home Learning Environment is a significant factor in children’s attainment. Disadvantaged children are less likely to experience a home environment that supports early language and literacy development HOWEVER: The quality of the HLE has been shown to be equally as important as socioeconomic factors.
partnered with the Department for Education to test projects that support parents to help improve their child’s early language and literacy skills at home. • £5 Million will be spent in disadvantaged areas in the North of England testing projects that have shown considerable evidence of promise. • This funding is a key part of the DfE’s plan to close the ‘word gap’, set out in ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’ (social mobility paper), and part of the DfE’s commitment in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ strategy. In 2018 NCB undertook a rigorous application process, and were successful in winning funding to evaluate ‘The REAL Programme’: Raising Early Achievement in Literacy.
families’ teaching of emergent literacy: How families can be supported to enhance their young children’s early literacy development Professor Cathy Nutbrown: ‘literacy learning need not be a matter of following a formal and narrow literacy curriculum from an early age. A broader view of literacy learning in everyday contexts can be taken and parents are key as teachers of aspects of early literacy using experiences in their own home’ A key challenge for early literacy education is to find ways to facilitate access to school literacy for children from disadvantaged families whilst also valuing their preschool family literacy experiences and their families’ informal teaching of emergent literacy.
childhood educators and 176 families in an RCT (randomised controlled trial) which showed benefits for children most likely to be disadvantaged by under achievement in later schooling. • There were literacy gains for children in the programme. Children further disadvantaged in terms of their mothers’ lower levels of education had greater, and longer lasting, gains. • The rigour of the study design and execution means that, although further research is desirable, findings reported here can be acted upon with confidence by early childhood educators to enhance practice and by educational policymakers to create the conditions for them to do so.
out stories together with props, simple puppets or story sacks – in more than one language to suit the child. Singing, recording and playing back songs and rhymes together, making a collection of puppets and rhyme cards to repeat and learn at home and making coloured play dough, following a recipe together, making letters and words of significance to the child
learned many things I didn’t know I could do with my daughter at home I like very much the good ideas for exercises to do at home. I would like to carry on because it helps a lot and gives us good, and new ideas for children to show more interest in activities and flourish I can’t believe how well she is doing. I’m going to do loads more with her at home. What do parents like?
The different ways of reading a book make it more fun and interesting. He loves making marks in the sand on the beach She plays letter/word detective with a magnifying glass seeking print in around the house Books Writing Environmental print Oral language What do parents think?
develops Parents’ confidence, attitudes and behaviours develop Engagement with children to achieve positive literacy outcomes How are positive outcomes achieved?
first thing he does when he gets home [get out his book]… I just thought he was not that interested in books Suddenly he’s drawing and loves it! She recognises signs and colours... she says "Daddy" and "yellow yellow" All the family are now singing when we go out in the car Comments from parents recognising their children’s development
assessment Improved working relationships with families, particularly those ‘hard to reach’ Home visits introduced and welcomed Events – a way to involve families in children’s learning Influencing the Home Learning Environment Key success factors ORIM Framework Accessible, low-cost ideas for literacy activities Home visits So what?
be conducted involving 120 schools with nursery classes, and 960 children. • 60 of the schools will be control schools, 60 intervention. 480 intervention children and families will receive REAL (8 children per school). • The evaluation will be structured as a randomised controlled trial which will compare the progress of children who receive The REAL Programme with a ‘business as usual’ control group. • The intervention will begin in January 2020. • The primary outcome will be literacy, as measured through independently administered tests at the beginning and end of the trial. The secondary outcome will explore changes in the home learning environment as a result of the intervention. • The evaluation report will be published in Autumn 2021.
and moves with the child into Reception Year REAL Programme (Intervention) Schools Teachers undertake professional development, plan together and work with children and families through a series of home visits and centre- based events. Each family receives a monthly contact during term time from the teacher as a minimum. Teachers work with children and families in the home regularly, leaving materials and continuation tasks and suggest ideas for completion of literacy activities. Teachers have half a day a week release from the classroom to work with a cohort of 8 children (aged 3-5) and families over a period of 4 terms, both individually and in groups.
The REAL Programme are unable to also take part in any other EEF Home Learning Environment funded trials, a full list of which can be found on the EEF website. Control Group Schools This group will not receive training or participate in The REAL Programme. These schools will receive funding that should be put towards alternative support. This group is essential for us to understand if and how REAL works, and will be required to participate in child assessments.
3 Councils in the North of England to identify schools suitable and willing to take part: Kirklees; Knowsley; and Salford Timeline • Jan – July 2019 Project set up and school recruitment • July 2019 Deadline for school sign up and MOU’s in place • Sept – Dec 2019 Selection of intervention/control pupils & baseline testing • January 2020 Four days of teacher training to intervention schools • Jan 20 – Feb 21 Intervention: Min. of 8 home visits per child & 4 events • March 2021 Final child assessments – intervention & control schools
Language Therapists who will come to your school. Parent consent will have been gained in advance. • PELI (15 minutes) is a psychometrically tested assessment embedded within a set of 10 child-friendly storybooks. The story books address five early literacy dimensions: phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension. • The Sheffield Early Literacy Development Profile (10 minutes) assesses children’s early writing skills. • The Home Learning Environment Index – given to parents to take home, complete and return. Pupil Assessment
£5,600 for 8 children to support staff cover to deliver the programme. This will be paid in instalments. • Control schools receive £1000 to take part. • Expected that both payments to be initiated once baseline testing has taken place Funding
group: • Child: The most disadvantaged children benefit the most, with literacy levels significantly improved, and long term improved outcomes for the child • Family: The Home learning environment improves (impacting on siblings too), and parents gain confidence and become better engaged with the school • Teacher: 4 days of Early Literacy CPD with Professor Cathy Nutbrown • School: Improved EYFSP levels of children with a Good Level of Development- literacy, communication and language. • Field of early literacy: better understanding of interventions that work.
Ensure you have read the NatCen document: ‘Evaluation of The REAL Programme: Information for Nurseries and Schools’ • Read and sign The REAL Programme Memorandum of Understanding Head Teachers sign first and last page of MOU and send over Next steps
we would like you to take part in this project. If you require further information please contact: Ellie Suggate-Francis, Principal Officer in the Early Childhood Unit, NCB: [email protected] For more detailed information about REAL please refer to the following link: http://www.real-online.group.shef.ac.uk/aboutreal-text.html Your local contact is: Laura Gregory- Knowsley Development Officer & Early Years Lead [email protected] Next steps
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