Getting Reading Right

Getting Reading Right

A reading conference at Ramnoth Junior School

‘I’d like to do some training and development about how to improve the teaching of reading, real strategies which will help teachers. Maybe involve other schools and learn from each other' said Karen Crawley, Executive Principal at Nene and Ramnoth Federation.

She was talking to Sue Robinson in November 2015 and it was the beginning of an idea, which culminated in a successful reading conference on 21^st January 2016. The conference attracted 125 visitors from Elliot Foundation schools and from 20 schools from Peterborough and Cambridge.

Patricia Metham opened the conference with her keynote address. Until 2014 Patricia was Ofsted’s National Lead for English and Literacy. She engaged the audience with her knowledge and understanding about how to develop effective reading.

Identification of challenges and barriers to learning to read well, steps to success, ensuring many ‘real’ reasons and varieties of opportunities to read and planning a reading curriculum and its assessment were just some areas covered by Patricia in her highly evaluated session.

Afternoon keynote speaker, Judy Clark, Primary Literacy Adviser for the National Literacy Trust, mesmerised the audience with her obvious enthusiasm and passion for books and using quality texts to motivate and develop life long readers.

Ruth Leask, who is much valued as a consultant and former primary principal with the Elliot Foundation, presented a ‘sell out’ workshop on ‘inference versus retrieval’. Hearing comments such as ‘I’m always inspired by Ruth’ was another indication of the quality of the provision at this exciting conference

The Trust is a collaborative organisation. It was wonderful to see the high quality input from Hillingdon Primary’s Sabrina Kelly and Louise Maylor leading another packed workshop on Phonics. 

Highlees/Eyrescroft Federation is well known for the excellent relationships built with their parents and the community. It was a delight to have Gemma Brown presenting strategies used by this successful federation on engaging parents in building a reading community.

Variety and high quality were features of the day. Other workshops available included the Hounslow Language Service, Cambridgeshire Libraries, Norfolk Book Centre and several publishers

‘Getting Reading Right’ was the first conference held at Ramnoth School. It was organised by Karen Crawley, Becky Reeve and Ruth Leask. As the Development Director I am always impressed with the sheer hard work, commitment and collaborative spirit of our outstanding colleagues who organise or help to present for our events or programmes. They are what make the Elliot Foundation great and their belief enables our children to achieve

Already looking forward to our next collaboration!

Sue Robinson PhD