Speak Out: literacy, boys' motivation, and parents
The main focus for the Speak Out project was to expose young people to meaningful writing experiences that had real purpose and Stannton Bridge Primary School in Coventry opted to work with storytelling practitioners and use the children's own cultures and cultural backgrounds as starting points.
Parents were actively encouraged to participate in the hope they would see their culture and language valued by the school and so they could experience a different approach to teaching and learning. A Storytelling Cafe was created and one of the classrooms was transformed into the story of 'Blodin the Beast' by Michael Morpurgo.
On a cafe open day, children greeted their parents dressed in costumes and escorted them to the classroom area while talking about their project. Displays around the classroom were developed and created by the children involved and provided interest points for discussion with parents. Children wrote their own invitations and took ownership over the project ensuring pupil voice was at the heart of learning. This helped to not only engage, but consistently motivate the children to learn.
Class assemblies, which during the project attracted a generally high turnout from parents, were used as a key means of sharing the project with parents and a dedicated staff meeting was held to provide feedback within the school. The creative practitioners led the staff workshop, which included learning and teaching techniques to inspire the whole staff team as well as highlighting the benefits of working in creative partnerships.
Impact
- A total of nine children in the class made accelerated progress (3APS) within the term, compared to the average of 4APS that is expected in a whole academic year. There was an 11 per cent increase in children achieving 3A+ for writing and by the end of the project 43% of children had achieved 3A or above.
- The children's enjoyment of writing increased without question. All except one were happy to write more often and willing to tackle a range of genres - letters, poems, captions, collective lists and going on to write stories.
- Many of the children have carried on the project at home, following their own lines of enquiry. One parent commented: "My daughter did lots of work at home without being asked to...she was very inspired."
- The Storytelling Cafe attracted 17 parents and grandparents. The class comprises only 23 children, so this is a high proportion demonstrating the commitment and engagement of parents and carers.
"We need to improve literacy, boys' motivation and get parents more involved. We think developing a more engaging curriculum is the means to do this. Our results are well below the national average, particularly with regard to writing; our multi-ethnic catchment area is one of high social deprivation and transience, where 21 languages are spoken across the school." Sofina Islam, Headteacher
Results
"We didn't have to ask for much help because we listened more carefully."
"I was surprised at their ability to draw on their own experiences and generate imaginative ideas... they completed and extended school work for their own pleasure; I've never seen this happen before, and with such enthusiasm."
"The values of confidence, independence and harmony permeated the entire creative process where the children were exposed to working in a variety of ways and challenged throughout."
If you are interested in this project and would like to find out more about this project and others, please visit: www.cre8us.org.uk
