[senco-forum] Ruth Miskin literacy and inclusion

To add to my mail on raising standards for all by good teaching in the
classroom - as an inclusive concept that reduces SEN in literacy (supported
by research by Solity et al at Warwick Uni and Joyce Watson et all in
Clakkmannanshire) - and which seems to have been lost as a thread in the one
on parents and bullying...

A child who previously had behaved as if being asked to read books was a
form of aversion therapy had her first Ruth Miskin book to read at home last
week.  Her mother is DELIGHTED with the way the book is laid out - both its
contents and level.  The Y2 girl asked to read it again and again.  This is
the first time she has ever been positive about reading.  She had had 11
lessons 1:1 with me to teach her grapheme phoneme correspondences and to
straighten out her confusion of vowels e and u, as well as to get the
alphabetic principle across - in her case she found phoneme blending hard.
Mum or Dad have attended every lesson and given support at home in
practising what was covered in lessons.

Our school reading scheme was ORT.  We are moving off that for mainstream
years 1 & 2 and onto RML.  It promises to be an exciting move, I feel.  The
first RML reading scheme books went home yesterday to mainstream parents as
a direct result of the school's experience of good practice in literacy
teaching from our SEN department.  Are other schools in UK doing this kind
of thing?

I think those who do need the support of my department will show up even
faster now but they should be far fewer in number too.

Philippa