[senco-forum] Re: learning to read -- extended to statementingissues

The last time I taught a junior class of Year 6 children I had 41 in my 
class and teaching assistants were unheard of.   At the time, someone 
produced a so-called  'academic' paper which 'proved' that class size was 
not a factor in the rate at which the pupils learned to read.  I doubted in 
then and I doubt it now.  The word 'proved' was abused almost as frequently 
then as it is today.

I have never been in favour of very small classes because the over-teaching 
thing - I always felt that 15 to 20 was a ideal class size.

I have just received a personal email on this topic from a list member who 
sadly doesn't wish to be identified. She tells me that she is running a 
reading club for the 7th year running using Electronic Library. Its that 
kind of thing that keep me going!

Eddie C.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ally Bremner" <ally at athelstanlodge.com>
To: "'Eddie Carron'" <eddiecarron at btconnect.com>; 
<senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 4:06 PM
Subject: RE: [senco-forum] Re: learning to read -- extended to 
statementingissues

What about the impact of class sizes on literacy?  Even the most gifted
teacher cannot work miracles.  I did a Ruth Kelly and sent my son then aged
8 to a private school for SpLD.  Classes of 8! One hour of 1:1 specialist
teaching every day - no weekly spelling test results PINNED UP ON THE WALL!
Do they still do this?  It killed him because he was always bottom. He went
from being a withdrawn little boy who was cutting up his bedroom curtains
every night to bouncing like tigger within a fortnight.  After two years he
went back for the last year of primary school - well over 30 in the class,
vertically grouped over two years, one teacher, one hour a week of small
group lessons  and  because he was quiet and well behaved and he had
extremely well developed avoidance tactics - as do most dyslexics who are
failing, or afraid they are - he managed to avoid doing a single stroke of
work for the whole year.  Super teachers in both schools so that wasn't the
issue.  If you are bottom of a class of 30+ then boy do you feel bottom!
(That's why I am slightly wary of dogmatic 'inclusion' leading to the loss
of special schools.)  I may be out of date - he is 18 now - and I note that
the class size issue has gone out of fashion (or has everyone given up -
defeated?) but this has surely got to be addressed as part of the issue of
funding to increase literacy - for ALL children, not just those with SpLD.
Ally

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Eddie Carron
Sent: 11 January 2007 14:57
To: senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk
Subject: [senco-forum] Re: learning to read -- extended to
statementingissues

The statistics are important.  I can understand that any LEA would have to
react against unreasonably high numbers of statements which would place
great and frequently unnecessary costs on the system.  LEAs have to be
afraid of bottomless pits. Clearly the 20% who currently leave school
illiterate every year had a special need which was not met but figures of
this order would swamp the system and the biggest losers would be those with
real issues such as Graeme and Sharon's daughter.

As far as literacy is concerned, if the statementing process remains around
3% that would tie in nicely with the higher estimate of those who would be
likely to remain in difficulty after an appropriate SP course in infancy.
This would make the system more manageable and more responsive to those with
genuine specific needs. 3% seems an attractive figure when compared with the
20% who leave school illiterate.

If the annual intake of children is 500,000, 3% would be around 15000 - or
average of 2 children per annum in each Junior/Infant school - a number
which would seem to be sustainable with current resources. But of course we
would have to get the demand down from its present high level to around 3%
and it would seem to me that only an early SP intervention would achieve
just that.  Phillipa has already showned that SP is an effective strategy
for some with dyslexia and it is not unreasonable to assume that these
children's issues would be resolved or substantially ameliorated by the SP
intervention in infancy, without the need for statementing.

Eddie C.