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Preparing to teach literacy

6. Agenda for action

6.1 Strengths and issues are highlighted at the end of each section of the report. For convenience the main points for action are drawn together here to give an overview of the proposed way forward. Action points are categorised in relation to the main stakeholders, for example, HEIs, schools and local authorities.

Action points for HEIs, schools and local authorities

• Planning for consolidation and extension of student teachers' skills in meeting pupils' different needs in reading and writing during school experience should be a consistent feature across all programmes.
• Aspects of language in current ITE programmes identified for possible further work through induction or CPD included: special educational needs; English as an additional language; children's early language development; and primary language work (for secondary teachers). HEIs and other relevant bodies should agree on essential elements of ITE and of early continuing professional development for teachers, as well as on areas where continuing professional development is desirable.
• HEIs and partners should consider how best to meet the need for teachers in placement schools to have more detailed information about the approach taken to teaching literacy within programmes, possibly using print and/or web site facilities.
• The formal recorded assessment of the student teacher's performance on placement should always include specific comment on the student teacher's ability to promote pupils' literacy skills.
• In the programmes leading to secondary qualifications other than English, assessment of the literacy competence should be more transparent, thorough and secure.
• HEIs should consider the effectiveness of their approaches in primary programmes to difficult aspects of literacy teaching, such as differentiation; and all key stakeholders should consider how such aspects can be revisited by newly-qualified teachers through induction and CPD.
• HEI/school partnerships should disseminate examples of good resource support on school placements for student teachers preparing to become specialist teachers of English to encourage all schools to achieve similar standards.
• Partnership arrangements for school placements should be reviewed to ensure schools, student teachers and HEIs have a better, shared understanding of what particular placements are expected to deliver in terms of developing student teachers' skills in teaching literacy.

Action points for HEIs

• HEIs should consider ways of giving student teachers more time to study the English language components of primary and secondary PGCE programmes.
• All secondary subject programmes should take steps to ensure that student teachers are equipped to support pupils' literacy needs in their specialist subject and that they are encouraged to have a sense of responsibility for doing so.
• HEIs should consider the inclusion of a short, well-planned and significant insert in the programmes for all student teachers to highlight the importance of language for pupils' learning. To improve the consistency of provision for cross-curricular literacy, HEIs should offer further development opportunities for staff whose specialism is not English language.
• HEIs should explore further ways of demonstrating effectively to student teachers that good theory and good practice are inextricably inter-related.
• In several institutions, student teachers whose own command of language is limited should have more proactive guidance and support from the HEI on where and how to find help.
• All secondary subject programmes should ensure that student teachers have access to appropriate resources to support the teaching of the literacy skills pupils need to improve their learning in the particular subject.
• HEIs should consider sharing experiences of implementing different models for teaching and learning, with a description of the staffing commitments required and evaluation of the impact on students' achievements.
• HEIs should clarify expectations of leadership from ITE programme leaders in relation to language across the curriculum.
• The HEIs should seek to have all student teachers on placement in primary schools assessed by tutors with appropriate expertise in literacy for the quality of their teaching of reading and/or writing.
• All HEIs should ensure that English language tutors have good opportunities to access staff development that will enable them to be well informed and up-to-date on matters related to literacy.
• HEIs should ensure that all staff are well equipped to teach student teachers how to play their full part in developing the literacy skills that pupils need in the subject or aspect being taught.
• With a few exceptions, quality assurance mechanisms in HEIs did not focus specifically on the substance or success of the literacy contributions across programmes. Such a focus should be introduced to establish clearly whether student teachers are achieving the literacy competence.

Action points for local authorities

• Local authorities should consider how teachers can be given time to support student teachers in school placements effectively.

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