Safeguarding  is not a tick box exercise but is rather a culture that needs embedding in our schools, it underpins all aspects of school life and, if working effectively, ensures the safety of staff and pupils alike. As board members, together with all school staff, we have a collective responsibility for safeguarding.

In this blog we will touch upon some recent developments that fall within the safeguarding sphere and look in a bit more detail at the school Single Central Record (SCR). Safeguarding requires an unrelenting process of constant review, revision and monitoring to ensure the processes you have in place are tested, robust and fit for purpose. New and emerging challenges to consider are constantly adding to the arena of safeguarding concerns, the items covered below are but a snapshot of some.

Single Central Record (SCR)

It is the board’s role to ensure their school is meeting its statutory duties regarding the SCR, this is often delegated to the Safeguarding link governor to monitor and occasionally undertake a supervised ‘check’ if concerns are raised. This strikes at the heart of understanding the boards strategic vs operational role, often misunderstandings as to the board’s role can sometimes lead to an overzealous operational approach by governors. Ofsted have tried to make the boards role clear in a recent blog:

Ofsted blog: How we inspect safeguarding in schools (9 Nov 2023) - The single central record………
When we review the SCR, we’re checking against the minimum recording requirements as set out in paragraphs 268 to 272 of KCSIE………We typically carry out the check at the start of the inspection. We do it at the start so that if there are any minor safeguarding improvements that can be rectified during the inspection, schools have the opportunity to do so………As our chief inspector has said before, there is no expectation that governors and trustees go through the SCR themselves. But governors and trustees are responsible for making sure that their school fulfils its statutory duties. It’s therefore important that governors and trustees have mechanisms in place to make sure that key safeguarding and safer recruitment duties are undertaken effectively.

To unpick some of the above, the board has a clear duty to ensure the SCR is up to date and accurate, the board should receive regular reports from the Head that the SCR has been regularly updated and checked (by asking the right questions this fulfils  the strategic/monitoring role of the board) and to receive any external audits of the SCR. External audit outcomes should also be shared with the board and/ or the Safeguarding governor who then have the opportunity to acknowledge and follow up on any recommended actions. Only if concerns are raised (such as a member of staff or governor saying the school isn’t complying with Safer Recruitment requirements) should the Chair or Safeguarding governor ask to make a supervised check of the SCR to ensure the school is meeting its statutory duties. So, to keep it simple, don’t unnecessarily stray from your strategic role, but be ready to act if concerns are raised.

Ofsted update

There has been much written about Ofsted and the negative impact that inspections can have on Headteachers and staff following the tragic death of Ruth Perry. As I write inspections for 2024 have resumed following a two week pause whilst inspectors received additional mental health awareness training.  Ofsted has published its response to the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report outlining what action it’s taken immediately after and since, including:

• All inspectors trained to recognise and respond to signs of distress in school leaders
• A clear and simple process for providers who have concerns about an inspection to speak to an unconnected senior Ofsted employee
• A new policy on pausing an inspection.

As board members we all need to be aware of these significant changes to Ofsted’s approach to inspections, the ‘safety’ mechanisms that now exist where school leadership distress is identified and how as a board we can respond to such concerns whilst the inspection is ongoing. All boards and school leaders should discuss and agree on what they understand by the new Ofsted policy Pausing state-funded school inspections, and how to proceed if they have concerns during an inspection. None of the above cancels an inspection, at best it is paused whilst steps are taken to address the concerns raised by the school or lead inspector.

The above is just a snapshot of the proposed and actual changes Ofsted have recently made, these are designed to reassure school leaders and boards that Ofsted have listened and responded to the concerns raised. If your school is in the Ofsted window or is soon to be the proof will hopefully be evident once the inspection gets underway, it will be interesting to see the feedback from schools and governors following these inspections. Further information from Ofsted can be found here  Gov.UK: Summary of changes 

DfE guidance on Gender Questioning Children

Following the long awaited publication of the DfEs draft guidance on Gender Questioning Children most commentators seem to reflect that it was a satisfactory starting point with a widespread encouragement to engage with the consultation process which closes on the 12th March 2024. Boards will need to give due consideration to this non-statutory guidance once the consultation is complete and the final version is published. Consideration may need to be given to consult with stakeholders before your school decides on what changes, if any, will need to be made to policy, procedures, safeguarding and adaptations to the school estate and how best to communicate these.

Safeguarding culture

Having a positive safeguarding culture is often referred to but sometimes not fully understood. It starts at the school gate with site security and access key to creating a safe and secure environment. 

• How is the culture signposted? 
• Are the DSL details and their team clearly visible around the school and how easy is it for staff and pupils to report their concerns in person or anonymously?
• Are school policies on child protection, behaviour, safeguarding and online safety clearly communicated to staff, pupils and parents? 
• Are expectations clearly understood? 
• Do staff, governors and visitors have lanyards so that pupils can identify adults that should be accompanied and how adults should be challenged? 
• Are there clear safeguarding protocols for visitors, do they receive/ and or sign to agree to them? 
• Do the board receive termly safeguarding updates at meetings? 
• Is safeguarding a standing item on your agendas? 

All of the above contribute to a culture of safeguarding and critically provide the school and governors with the evidence to support that safeguarding is effective in their school.

There is little doubt that safeguarding can become overwhelming for governors, having a safeguarding link governor is a starting point but by no means the end of the matter. A link governor cannot take on the safeguarding brief alone. When you visit your school, whether during the day or evening, have your eyes open to safeguarding concerns, if you see something that doesn’t feel right don’t wait to report it, speak to the Head or DSL whilst you’re there or as soon as reasonably possible after. Governors must have the view that ‘it can happen in our school’, this is no way a criticism of the safeguarding culture in your school, but without this mindset then you collectively enable those that are predisposed to find and exploit weaknesses with all the devasting consequences that can follow. Get trained, be aware, and be prepared to report your concerns for the sake of the children whose care and safety we are entrusted to protect.

 

“What a great conference to rejuvenate the passion and inspiration for writing and the teaching of writing - thank you!” – R. Woode (Woodlands) 
“Just loved the speakers!”- M. Childs (Sheredes Primary) 

“I'm pleased the conference did not focus on 'what children need, to be at expected standard by the end of Year 6' but more on creating writers as a lifelong skill.” 
R.Colman (Bowsland Green Primary School) 

“Thank you so much for a really inspirational day. It's good to end with so much to reflect upon and share back at school.”
N. Branagan (Aston St. Mary's CE (VA) School) 

The National Primary English Conference 2024: My Voice, My Writing was a highly anticipated event on the HFL English team’s calendar and perhaps on yours too! Inspiring and motivating keynote speakers included children’s literary icon Micheal Rosen and award-winning children’s author Katya Balen. We were also honoured to hear from experts in their fields Professor Debra Myhill and Professor Neil Mercer, not to mention the pedagogical and practice knowledge we gained from head teacher Sonia Thompson, English lead Sam Creighton, HFL English advisers Kirsten Snook and Amanda Webb, English consultant Nicola Izibili and lecturer Navan Govender. The day was jam-packed with golden nuggets to reinvigorate, reignite, and empower teachers with the tools needed to teach the next generation of writers.   

It was fitting that Michael Rosen began our conference referencing the ‘secret strings’ that lie waiting within literature, as many common threads and themes were interwoven between the sessions throughout the day. Threads that returned repeatedly included that of children building a repertoire of reading to support their writing, having autonomy over their writing, manipulating grammar for effect on their reader, the benefit of having a community of writers, and embracing each stage of the writing process itself. Ultimately, educators, writers and academics were united in delivering their message: we want to enable children as writers, with agency, who are capable of learning and applying the craft of writing for authentic audiences.  

“Be wild!” (Katya Balen) 

Another key theme of the conference was the idea, and indeed pedagogy, of writing for pleasure which made me wonder how many schools incorporated this element in their own writing curriculums. Writing for pleasure can be defined as writing undertaken for enjoyment and satisfaction (as further articulated by Ross Young in his Writing for Pleasure Manifesto, 2021). English consultant, Nicola Izibili, championed the concept of ‘writing club’ where children are given opportunities to write freely about topics that interest them.  She also explained that she herself was part of a ‘community of writers’ both inside and outside of the classroom and showed an insight into her own writing journal which she regularly shares with her children. Writer, Katya Balen, took this idea a step further by promoting the concept of ‘free writing’ in which children are given time to ‘just write’ and ‘be a writer’. Katya was passionate about giving children freedom and autonomy when writing to escape the constraints that can sometimes occur in school due to a busy timetable or other curriculum requirements, that could, in turn, reduce writing satisfaction.  

“Success is messy. Getting a strong writing curriculum can be messy.” (Sonia Thompson) 

Katya Balen described the writing process as a messy one, comparing it to sorting out your ‘junk drawer’ when you take everything out and pull it apart in order to improve and rebuild it again. Head teacher, Sonia Thompson, acknowledged that crafting a writing curriculum that works for your pupils can also be a messy process. She gave some excellent practical advice on how the writing process can be shaped in schools based around the process of drafting, revising and editing (starting from year one and making use of editing flaps), building a culture where feedback leads to improvement and having opportunities for writing to be discussed. Sonia illustrated that these key concepts of the writing process can be followed whilst still ensuring a commitment to the statutory obligations of the national curriculum, which was refreshing. More information on strategies to support the writing process can be found in The Education Endowment’s report: Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2.

She also highlighted the importance of teaching grammar as part of the writing craft (more on grammar for effect to come) and shared the innovative idea of ‘impact flaps’ for children to make comments about their grammar and language choices and their intended impact on their reader. Sonia explained that the school has ensured that its writing curriculum has a key focus on audience - including differing levels of formality - as well as having an authentic purpose. This was a common thread throughout the day, echoed also by Nicola Izibili. Sonia’s school publish their writing in many formats (including competition entries). Michael Rosen also advocated opportunities for children to publish and circulate their writing in order to give a clear purpose and authentic audience. (Although, it should be noted that Michael Rosen did make the valuable point that some writing may be personal to children and therefore not appropriate to share.)   

“…embedded within a beautiful sequence of learning.” Amanda Webb 

Our very own advisers, Amanda Webb and Kirsten Snook, offered further practical advice leading workshops on ensuring the fundamentals of writing are in place; they suggested practical ways to support children in the writing process. Kirsten reminded us that sometimes the resources that we need may be lurking somewhere in the depths of our classrooms. She discussed comprehensively how to support children to segment words for spelling so that they can move forward in their writing. She demonstrated how to use the perhaps forgotten resource - the phoneme frame - in a more kinaesthetic manner by using counters! Amanda continued the threads of the conference by using texts for inspiration to ensure learners understood the important skill of sentence demarcation, taking strategies from our popular Fixing Full Stops Across KS2 and Securing Full Stops at KS1 training. 

She explained the ‘Alien Sentences’ activity in which children need to identify the ‘alien’ (non-sentences) and ‘real’ sentences using examples from their focus text. The teacher then acts as a guide in the discussion around the decision to be made, supporting children to ‘fix’ sentences. For further tips, do take a look at this HFL blog: Don't Forget your Full Stops. This linked clearly to a point made by Debra Myhill about teachers being able to express language effects through classroom talk: rich discussions about the impact of our writerly choices support children to be mindful of their own choices in their writing. 

“Opening doors to writing… in a writer friendly way.” (Michael Rosen) 

Michael Rosen shared some great ideas of how to open doors into writing, using texts as a motor for writing. He began by building on the ‘Tell Me…’ book talk approach by Aidan Chambers by encouraging the use of open questions (such as ‘did you hear anything in the story that has happened to you or someone you know?’ and ‘if you could ask a question to anybody in the text what would it be?) which help children to delve into texts as a reader. He also spoke about an activity he named ‘secret strings’ (as mentioned at the start of this blog) in which children investigate and explore texts as a writer; identifying cohesive elements of writing craft which could then be applied in some way to their own writing. Debra Myhill also advocated children exploring the writing craft within texts through learning about how grammatical choices have been made to shape meaning for the reader. Like Katya Balen, she highlighted the importance of treating children as authors themselves, so that they can harness the great power of language choices, that established writers also make. Explicit teaching of the ‘why’ behind grammar choices allows children to make informed choices when crafting their own writing. This can be further examined through the LEAD principles. 

“Mining reading for writing ideas…” (Sam Creighton) 

Michael Rosen elaborated further on the writing process by talking us through practical steps that can be taken to provide children with a springboard to writing. He reminded us of some firm favourite drama techniques such as freeze frames and hot seating, which can help children to break the story open, and begin to build an ‘intertextual repertoire’ to use to inspire their own writing. He also encouraged techniques such as creating a prequel or sequel to a text, taking a character from one story into another. He talked about ‘changing the dial’ on a story, to rewrite it by altering the setting, time frame, characters, or plot line. These simple and practical ideas are playful and workable in the classroom. Sam Creighton also spoke about ways in which he improved writing at his school, including ‘mining reading for writing ideas’ to encourage children to be inspired by what they read when creating their own writing, without making a carbon copy of the original text. Micheal Rosen described using the ‘like that’ principle (particularly with poetry) where children are encouraged to write their own piece of writing using a key feeling, structure or sounds from another text. A touching moment in this keynote, was when Michael shared aloud his poem about discovering he had a brother who passed away. Michael explained that this was written about looking through some old family photographs, and went on to explain that children could use the ‘like that’ principle, based on this poem, by exploring their own family photographs for stimulus.   

“…big issues are discussed in a safe way to help children with resilience.” (Kayta Balen) 

Katya Balen suggested that books can help children deal with adversity, build resilience and discuss big themes. She herself writes about some big themes, such as domestic violence, anger and loss, and talked about giving children the space to do the same. Similarly, Navan Govender spoke about children writing about their sometimes adverse, yet rich, experiences within a community of writers (also mentioned by Nicola Izibili) and being socially responsible within their pieces. He showed us an example of a hard-hitting poem based on Little Red Riding Hood going to deliver drugs through ‘the hood’ in South Africa. It demonstrated an 11-year-old writer portraying identity and culture while exploring social issues of the time (including violence and HIV). 

Allowing children to write about issues that really matter to them not only helps motivate children as writers, but also gives teachers the opportunity to explore ‘big issues’ further – issues which may be having an impact on their children’s lives. Equally, when children do write about these ‘big issues’, it may also be an indication of them making sense of what is going on in the world around them. Giving children the time to write with agency, therefore, can open up a safe avenue for conversation and discussion about topics which may have otherwise been buried. This is an important message to consider as teachers when responding to children’s writing. Are we responding first as humans?

“Reading and writing float on a sea of talk” (James Britton) 

Neil Mercer inspired us all to think deeply about the moral imperative for teaching oracy effectively. He explained that the Education Endowment Foundation found that oracy has a high impact on pupil outcomes and other research has also indicated that language development, cognitive development and educational progress are all closely related. Considering these high stakes, it seems vital that oracy is a key feature across our curriculum. Neil also provided us with practical strategies on how to implement oracy strategies in the classroom. For example, he suggested a very innovative yet efficient way of teaching children new vocabulary through songs or chants. He also highlighted the importance of not just learning through talk (dialogic approach) but learning how to talk. 

This is particularly pertinent when teaching children how to partake in discussions. Neil suggested that this could be achieved through giving children agency to create the ‘ground rules’ for discussions to work. (You will notice that common thread of agency appearing once again!) Due to group-based activities greatly benefiting learning, Neil suggested that it was vital that these discussion skills are taught from an early age through well-planned, purposeful oracy instruction and modelling. Neil was hopeful that the tides may change in terms of the prominence of oracy in the national curriculum to ensure that children have the critical skills needed for future success. 

What an inspiring day!  We’d love to hear about how the messages of the day are shaping practice in your schools and settings.

Don’t forget, if you attended the conference last week you are still able to access recordings of all of the sessions as well as some slides which have now been added. To access these, please visit the link you were sent to attend.   

If you are looking for further inspiration for your own writing curriculum, you may be interested in HFL’s Essential Writing which is due to be released in September 2024. It is a complete scheme for Years 1-6 which encapsulates the key threads of the conference. Do join us for our free information webinar on 12th March 2024.

HFL English team’s reflections  

We hope you were as inspired as we were by the speakers on the day. Below are some of our team’s reflections.

Developing Children’s Writing for Purpose and Pleasure 
Michael Rosen - Poet, performer, broadcaster and scriptwriter 

“So much to take away…employing the idea of intertextuality in the classroom, using ‘secret strings’, prequels, sequels and mash up stories, the ‘like that’ principle, allowing children to write about their own lives, the importance of authentic audience and for children to be able to publish their own writing.”  

Story Mudlarking  
Katya Balen - children’s author 

“In addition to one of the most engaging and inspiring author talks I have ever listened to, she had these top tips for inspiring the children you teach to reach for more:

• Never say that books a child chooses to read are ‘bad’ (even if you think they are rubbish); instead, nudge them towards trying a different choice every so often. 
• And, when you speculate about what may happen in a story they are creating – emphasise that there are ‘no wrong answers’ and imaginations will soar.”  

Why Oracy Matters 
Neil Mercer- Emeritus Professor of Education and Director of Oracy Cambridge

“A fascinating session! It was inspirational to hear Neil talk about the power of talk and its transformative potential for learning. Lots of ideas to take back to the classroom.”  

Implementing Authentic Writing Projects in the Classroom 
Nicola Izibili- English Consultant and Practising Teacher at The Writing Web 

“An inspiring session which reminded us about the importance of an authentic audience and purpose when writing.”  

Crafting a Writing Curriculum 
Sonia Thompson- Headteacher at St Matthew's C.E. Primary Research and Support School 

“A reflective and poignant point from Sonia, linking to the work of the Writing for Pleasure Centre, which stems from children’s writing starting with themselves, using their own names and lived experiences as a stimulus for writing. What better way for children to evolve as writers than to use what and who they know best?”  

Writing Realities  
Navan Govender- Lecturer in Applied Language & Literacy Studies at University of Strathclyde 

“Such a powerful approach and so many ways in to apply this with different age ranges...”  

Supporting Struggling Writers 
Kirsten Snook- English TLA at HFL Education

“A call to bring back the trusty phoneme frame! Such a versatile and impactful scaffolding resource to support children who are still developing their phonic application within writing.”  

Don’t Forget Your Full Stops! 
Amanda Webb - English TLA at HFL Education

“Amanda’s session provided excellent practical strategies for addressing that common area for development: sentence demarcation. Video footage captured helpful strategies to support sentence construction with pupils.” 

The Reading and Writing Connection 
Sam Creighton - Literacy Lead 

“This session helped subject leaders to find the starting point for reflections about their own schools.”  

Grammar as Choice 
Debra Myhill - Professor Emerita of Language and Literacy at University of Exeter 

“Grammar is the building block of language - we can’t pretend we don’t need to teach it, but it’s not about naming parts of speech or playing hunt the punctuation mark. Instead, it’s about effective communication, owning our language and manipulating it to have the best effect on our reader or listener.” 

Further reading 

In collaboration with the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, we have compiled a list of wider reading written by the speakers. Visit this page to explore a range of children’s books as well as further reading for teachers. 

Norfolk Children’s Book Centre: 2024 National Primary English Conference: Books by speakers

Websites

The Writing Web | The Freedom of Words to Inspire 
The grammar for writing pedagogy | Writing resources for teachers | University of Exeter 
Voice 21 
Katya Balen 

Blogs

Teaching grammar for purpose rather than for evidence | HFL Education 

Texts

‘Tell Me: Children, Reading and Talk’ by Aidan Chambers  
The ‘Opening Doors’ series by Box Cox 
‘What is Poetry?’ by Michael Rosen 
Going Through the Old Photos - The Children’s Poetry Archive 

 

In our previous blog, Progression in foundation subjects – Part 1: Layers of learning, we explored an overview of how children make progress in foundation subjects. In this blog, I aim to address the question; ‘How do children make progress in history?’

As a younger teacher, at the beginning of my career, I used to think that the children in my class had made progress in history when at the end of the unit they were able to memorise important events, dates and people from the unit of work. In my first teaching post, I remember teaching Year 4 children all about the Roman invasion of Britain and being very pleased that they could enact a Roman army attack with their carefully designed and built shield held in the ‘testudo’ formation! Whilst this was a lovely outcome, I remember thinking that there were absolutely no links to the next topic I taught in history. When at the end of the year I needed to reach a judgement about how my children were doing in history; I was flummoxed. If the units of work had no links, how had they made progress? How had they become better at history? 

Later in my career, I found myself teaching the same Romans unit of work to a Year 3 class. I also noted that this school taught the Ancient Egyptians in Year 6 whilst the school down the road taught that unit in Year 3. This gave me huge pause for thought and left me with a lot more questions.

How could we say that children were making progress in history if every school taught topics at different times? Was there no hierarchical or linear nature to the progress? Isn’t progress measured by becoming more proficient? Does progress in history just look like an ever-increasing amount of knowledge and vocabulary about different time periods and events, in Britain  and abroad? 

Recently, I have devoted a lot of time to trying to answer these conundrums. I will attempt to explain my thinking to you in the hope that it may help you begin to answer these questions yourself. I am sure that my thinking is unfinished, but for now, let’s ask ourselves…

What does it really mean to get better at history?

Let’s start by looking at what Ofsted says about the curriculum.

‘The end result of a good, well-taught curriculum is that pupils know more and are able to do more.’
Inspecting the curriculum - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Paragraph 5

Personally, I think there are two aspects to this: Firstly, as children move through our planned curriculum, they will  accumulate an ever-increasing bank of knowledge about the narrative of Britain; how this place came to be the way it is, what were some of the significant events and individuals who shaped it. They will begin to see our history as a narrative. Similarly, they will also gather knowledge about other worldwide civilisations. But I think this type of ‘knowing more’ is not enough. What links all these projects and units of work? What are the key concepts that straddle all the learning?
So the second aspect of knowing more is about developing understanding of the concepts and threads that hold our history curriculum together.

Learning in history - layers
 

The diagram above shows the different layers of learning that could be found in history. Across the top we have our units of work or topics that are substantive content led by the national curriculum such as The Romans, Ancient Egyptians, the Great Fire of London etc. The second layer contains the historical concepts that run through every history curriculum. They are a bullet point within the aims of the national curriculum for history (at key stage 1 and 2).

They run through everything in our history learning because, in their simplest essence, they ARE what makes history the subject it is. The study of people and the past is all about the similarities and differences, causes and consequences. 

As children move through the history curriculum, they will repeatedly encounter these historical concepts with the aim of developing a richer, deeper and more complex understanding of each one with every new context they meet it in. I think that these concepts are what link all units of work and it is here that you can see if children are getting better at history or just gaining a wider fact base. (Which might help them win a pub quiz but not necessarily help them improve at history!)

Let’s take the example of cause and consequence. How would a child make progress in history in the concept of cause and consequence?

The aim of the history curriculum here, is that children will begin to understand that things have not simply ‘happened’ without reason.

They will learn that historical events are caused by things that occurred before them and these events create changes that have consequences.

I believe that children can make progress within this concept in two ways: 

• In a more hierarchical, linear manner; with each year and topic they study, they become more proficient and build their skills incrementally. 
• In a manner more like mastery where children develop a rich schema around the concept by meeting it many times in many different contexts throughout the curriculum.

The table below is an example of what a hierarchical progression of the concept of cause and consequence could look like. As children move through the age phases, they become more proficient and adept at understanding and working with cause and consequence. Having an understanding of what these concepts look like in different year groups can really help us pitch our lessons appropriately and can underpin our assessment too.
 

What could these linear progression statements look like in our classrooms? 

The alternative to the linear progression could be schema development.  

Consciously planning many opportunities for children to engage with the historical concepts in different contexts, will help their understanding and their schema around these concepts naturally grow and develop. 

What could that look like in practice?

Let’s imagine a child in EYFS. They may be encouraged to listen to stories about events and people from the past. An adult may point out some of the key causes of events. They will be busy understanding that their own actions have consequences such as choosing what colour to mix, where to place a new track in their train set, noticing what happens when they push cars over different surfaces. Most of the beginnings of the concept of cause and consequence are grounded in the child’s personal, everyday experience and may fall under the categories of knowledge and understanding of the world, personal development and more.

Moving into KS1, children may learn about what their school used to look like in the past. Through looking at and exploring photos they may comment on the similarities and differences (another historical concept) and begin to notice that the school today is much bigger, has a new part to the building, has more play equipment. We can begin to think about why. More children were born and needed to go to school (cause) and so a bigger building was needed (consequence). We can develop this concept by discussing our new king. Why did we need a new king? After the death of our queen (cause) King Charles III was crowned (consequence). Through simple stories about figures from the past we can talk about why things happened at a very simple level. 

Children often learn about the great fire of London. It is a joy to ask children about their learning as inevitably they will tell you with great glee that Samuel Pepys buried his cheese and wine! However, if we want to develop their understanding of history, we may draw attention to some of the causes (houses were made of wood, they were built closely together), and some of the consequences of the fire, (houses were built differently as a result, the fire service began to emerge). We may remind children where they have encountered this concept in prior learning thus strengthening their schema.

In KS2, children will encounter early history when they study the Stone age to Iron age. Possible contexts for developing their understanding of cause and consequence here may be, the discovery of metal (cause) and how that led to better farm tools, ultimately more food and improved health and longevity over time (consequences). Another example of this historical concept may be to examine the causes of the Roman invasion of Britain. We might investigate with children why the Romans invaded, looking at reasons such as establishing a bigger empire, owning more crops and slaves, having access to more metals and other natural resources (causes and a direct link to the consequences learned about in the iron age). We could then look at evidence of the consequences for Britain by examining the new roads, towns, religion, ways of reading and counting etc (consequences).

In looking at the wider world, we could investigate how the ancient Kingdom of Benin became so wealthy, (consequence) by looking at the Benin bronzes, foods and spices etc (causes) that attracted European visits. Thinking about social, political, religious, economic and military causes of significant events and discoveries are fantastic opportunities for children to engage with history in a meaningful way and develop their schema around this concept. 

Of course, if we want these teaching moments to be meaningful, we need to draw the children’s attention to the concept and where they have met it before. Highlighting the prior learning and where they will meet the concept again in subsequent topics, ensures that a constant thread is pulled through the history curriculum enabling children to progress.

We need to continually draw the children’s attention to the concept and where they have met it before.

In summary, how do children get better at history?  Here are three factors that leaders may wish to think about:-

1. Children can get better and make progress within the concepts that underpin history hierarchically, if these are planned for in an incremental way, as show in the table above. 
2. They can develop a rich schema around these concepts, in order to master the ideas, by purposefully meeting the concept in many contexts throughout the curriculum, with the adult drawing their attention to the concepts as they are revisited.
3. The points above might work best when we purposefully plan the opportunities and highlight them to the children. ‘Do you remember when you looked at some of the causes of the great fire of London? Today we are going to look at the causes of…’, which might require a combination of both points 1 and 2.

In your school; is there an understanding of the historical concepts that underpin learning in history (such as similarity and difference, cause and consequence)? Do adults purposefully draw pupils’ attention to these concepts (to allow pupils to develop schema)? Do adults understand how this learning might grow and develop over time as pupils mature (thinking about the progression table idea)?

In subsequent blogs, we will exemplify further concepts in other foundation subjects asking the key question, what does it mean to make progress?

How can Cuisenaire Rods help us to develop maths fluency?

They can of course be used to add and subtract numbers with children using counting strategies and number tracks. However, Cuisenaire Rods are a great resource to help expose the structure behind calculation strategies and support children to move on from being reliant on counting.

In this blog, we will explore how Cuisenaire Rods can support:

• understanding of reordering and adding complements to key benchmarks;
• using compensation when adding and subtracting;
• exploring the strategy of equal difference.

One top tip before we begin…

If children are unfamiliar with the value of each rod, lining them up with a ruler can be really useful! The videos embedded in this blog model this.

Reordering and complements to benchmarks

What is the easiest way to find the total of 3 + 5 + 7? 

Choosing an appropriate calculation strategy is all about making the maths easier for ourselves! In this case, using what we know about complements to 10 (a helpful benchmark) may be a useful strategy. The following video shows how we might model and expose this strategy.

Once the calculation strategy has been exposed and understood using 1-digit numbers, this can then be applied to calculations using larger numbers

So, in Year 2 (and subsequently), we could use this strategy to explore complements to 100. The green rod was worth 3 ones but let’s say it is now worth 3 tens or 30. The yellow rod is worth 5 tens and the black rod is worth 7 tens. 

30 + 50 + 70 could be reordered so that the complement to 100 is found (30 and 70) before adding the 50. Children should be encouraged to reason that: ‘I know that 7 tens and 3 tens is 10 tens or 100, and then I will add the other 5 tens’.

Each time we model, it would be worth reminding the children that we are using a strategy to make the maths easier because we are using our known facts.

In Year 4 (and subsequently), exploration can progress to fractions and decimals.

Finding complements and reordering could be a useful strategy for Year 4 pupils learning to add fractions with the same denominators.

In Year 5, we can apply this to adding decimal amounts. In these next two videos, rather than representing a one, the white Cuisenaire Rod is used to represent tenths and then fifths. 

Compensation (9 is near 10)

What is compensation?

When we add 9, we may think to ourselves, ‘9 is close to 10, so I can add 10 and then subtract 1’. We are changing the amount we have added (10 instead of 9) and so we need to compensate after adding 10 by subtracting 1.

‘I have added 10 which is too many. 9 is 1 less than 10 so I need to subtract 1.’

How can we use Cuisenaire Rods to expose this strategy? 

What about if we were to subtract?

Let’s take the calculation 15 – 9. Many children may be able to recall this as a known fact. However, this is a useful calculation to start with when wanting to expose the structure behind the strategy. The following images and language show how this could be modelled using Cuisenaire Rods: 

‘9 is 1 less than 10 so subtracting 9 is very close to subtracting 10. I can subtract 10 from 15’.

When modelling this, we could use the orange rod to represent the 10. Then replace this with the blue and white rods to show that 10 is also represented by 9 and 1. 

‘15 subtract 10 is 5. I can use my place value knowledge for this. 1 ten and 5 ones subtract 1 ten, leaves 5 ones’.

‘I have subtracted 10 which is 1 more than 9 so I need to add 1 back on. 5 + 1 = 6’.

’15 – 9 is equal to 15 – 10 + 1.
15 – 9 equals 6’. 

Once the calculation strategy is exposed and understood, children can explore more complex calculations. For example, using compensation to calculate 3562 – 198 could look and sound like this:

‘Subtracting 198 is like subtracting 200 and then adding 2 back on.

3562 – 200 is 3362. 3362 + 2 is 3364. Therefore, 3562 – 198 = 3364’

Exploring equal difference

If we needed to subtract 9 from 17, perhaps it would be easier to represent the calculation as 18 – 10.

How does this work?

To make the calculation easier, we have added 1 to both numbers and this maintains the same difference. The difference between 17 and 9 is equal to the difference between 18 and 10. This is called ‘equal difference’ and is an alternative method to compensation.

In the compensation strategy, we adjust after we have performed the subtraction. Whereas in equal difference, we adjust first, and then perform the subtraction. 

It is important children understand that if we add or subtract the same amount from both numbers (the minuend and the subtrahend) then the difference remains the same.

In the example here, by adding 2 to both 28 and 13 we get 30 – 15 which the children may be able to use known number facts to solve. Alternatively, we could subtract 3 from both numbers to get 25 – 10.

This is about finding more manageable ways of solving the calculation and that choice may be different for different children.

The following video shows how equal difference could be explored using Cuisenaire Rods before this knowledge is then applied to calculations. 

Now that we have explored these strategies, are there other strategies that you could use Cuisenaire Rods to explore? I wonder what near doubles would look like with Cuisenaire Rods? Or ‘Think 10’?

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As educators, we are very familiar with the term ‘feedback’. Its plays a vital role in our own CPD and providing feedback – in all its forms - takes up a large proportion of our time. Feedback can be transformational. We know that “providing feedback is well-evidenced and has a high impact on learning outcomes,” (Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), T&L Toolkit but we also recognise that when “Done badly, it can even harm progress.” (EEF, Teacher Feedback to Improve Learning)

Before we explore forms of effective feedback in the writing classroom, let’s remind ourselves of the purpose of providing feedback: to move learning forward. This blog by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), provides a series of recommendations to support teachers and leaders to ensure that pupils are making effective use of the feedback they receive. As Dylan Wiliam states, “no matter how well the feedback is designed, if students do not use the feedback to move their own learning forward, it’s a waste of time. It is essential that the feedback is productive.” (Helping or Hindering? 2014)

In classrooms where writing is valued, there can be a beautiful synergy between the joy of writing and the art of providing reflective, motivating feedback. When used thoughtfully and constructively, this feedback has the power to inspire, motivate, and guide young writers, contributing to improved self-esteem and the development of writer identities.

The joy of self-expression

“Writing is something that is both personal and intensely social, both analytical and emotive." (Young & Ferguson 2021)

If writing is a form of communication and expression, then it is our job as educators to ensure that our young writers feel safe and motivated to leave a little piece of themselves on their page. The art of providing feedback to writers is being able to mentor and guide them to make improvements, whilst allowing them to maintain agency and autonomy so that they can still feel a sense of ownership and responsibility. Writing is a powerful human act, and it is imperative that our feedback remains human too – whatever form it is delivered in.

Seeking feedback in supportive settings

Feedback is most valuable when it provides actionable suggestions for improvement. Instead of simply pointing out errors, offer guidance on how to address them and provide a purpose for this.

We can begin by shifting the spotlight from just the final product to the entire writing process. Acknowledge the effort put into generating ideas, planning, drafting and revising. Highlight the value of revision as a tool for improvement, reinforcing the idea that writing is an evolving craft that requires time and dedication. Use feedback as an art that shapes the budding authors of tomorrow.

Do children know that real authors add, remove and substitute words and full sentences all of the time, and often as a result of feedback from others? Do they see making improvements as a positive step to improving written outcomes and readability for a real reader? And as a result of all of this, do they seek feedback themselves?

In all its forms, feedback should be delivered by a trusted source, with ample time and opportunity to respond and use the feedback provided.

“I’m ready for my feedback!”

“Feedback is what happens second, after high-quality teaching and careful selection of assessment tasks that reveal how well students have understood the learning.” (Dylan Wiliam, 2021)

High quality instruction and effective formative assessment will reduce the work that feedback needs to do. First, it may be worth evaluating the impact of your writing curriculum. This blog on what makes an effective writing curriculum will help you to make further considerations.

Let’s consider how we can use timely and specific feedback for writing in the classroom:

For you, my reader

When writers have a clear goal in mind, it enables them to reflect on their intent and effect throughout the writing process. Do children know who they are writing for? Do they have their audience in mind throughout?

When the answer is yes, this can enhance engagement and motivation hugely. Whether it’s a friend, teacher, parents, or a broader audience, having a specific audience in mind gives young writers a sense of direction. The feedback we provide should also relate to this notion.

Evidence shows that feedback is less effective when it is about the person. So instead of using generic comments such as, “fantastic writing!” or “you’re a natural!”, let’s relate this feedback to the impact the writing has on their reader. Be specific about what you appreciate in their writing. Highlight specific sentences, phrases, or details that stand out. For instance, you might highlight a specific area and say, “I love this vivid description of the setting in your story—it really transported me there,” and give specific examples.
When improvements or adaptations are required, provide a purpose here, too. For example, if the child wrote:
 

Always start with a specific piece of positive praise – “I love how you have thought about giving your reader information about how the dog ran and where it was running to. This is essential.”

Then, provide one clear suggestion that guides them to improve further, with their reader in mind:

“How could we develop this even further to help our reader understand the reasons for the dog’s urgency and speed?" Or “Which words - verbs/noun choices - could be tweaked here to help the reader understand and empathise more?”
 

“Fantastic! Now your reader will really understand the dog’s reason for sprinting. We understand him more and can relate to his excitement.”

Keep reading for more about this ‘conferencing’ approach and other feedback approaches.

We’re live in 3, 2, 1…

Live marking has recently been deemed by many as the more superior form of ‘marking’. Whether this feedback is delivered as a whole class, with target groups or individuals, in written form or verbal, it can allow us to address misconceptions as they arise and adapt our teaching as necessary.  In addition to reducing teacher workload, live marking or ‘fast feedback’ is considered a useful tool for quick wins. However, the EEF advises that “teachers should judge whether more immediate or delayed feedback is required (EEF Feedback Recommendations, 2021) to ensure that feedback is personalised and impactful”.

Live oral feedback can allow pupils to make impactful changes or reflect deeply as they write in the moment.

Many schools implement pit stops/mini plenaries within whole-class feedback to provide opportunities for whole-class improvement. Here, children can check and ‘live mark’ themselves during the writing process.

On the contrary, delayed feedback might provide pupils with time away from their writing. Returning at a later point may help them to evaluate their initial choices more effectively.

Continue to consider the timing of your feedback and when it is most impactful for individual learners. Ask yourself: Is it moving learning forward? Is it addressing the learning gaps that your pupils have?
Is it serving the needs of struggling writers?

Conferencing 

Conferencing can be used within, or away from, ‘live marking’ in the moment. It provides a short and supportive moment for teacher-pupil dialogue. So, what might a ‘conference’ look like? 

1. First, put the writer at ease. Start with simple, open-ended questions that prompt effective dialogue.
   “How’s it going?”  “Tell me about your writing so far!” “Is there anything you’d like to read aloud?” “Anything I can help with?”
2. Encourage them to read their writing aloud. You can then ask more specific questions to prompt the writer to think about the impact on their reader. “What did you want your reader to imagine/feel here exactly?” “I felt quite fearful reading this bit. Was that your intention? How could we add to this emotion?”
3. Using the knowledge gained from the discussion, provide one piece of really clear feedback - based on the success criteria - for them to implement. 
4. Make them feel proud and successful – be specific and human throughout.

If pupils require further support (perhaps with the transcriptional elements of their writing) this can then inform your assessment and future feedback or support. 

Read more about conferencing over at the Writing for Pleasure Centre.

Written feedback

Whether in marks, scores, comments or through use of tools such as sticky notes and speech bubbles, its success will vary depending on when and how it is delivered and of course, when children have time to act on it. Remember: is it timely? is it specific? Read more about this in the EEF Guidance Report.

Here are some impactful examples of written feedback that you may wish to try with your writers:

“You can’t edit a blank page”

True – but a blank page can certainly be useful for providing feedback during the drafting process. Some teachers find that leaving a blank page next to pupils’ writing is beneficial for recording personal notes and peer/teacher feedback. This is particularly useful if you didn’t have time to feed back verbally during live marking and/or want to provide some focused suggestions in the form of sticky notes or when you are away from the child. Remember to follow this up with dialogue and give the writer time to respond.

Build independence with signpost marking 

A simple arrow, highlighted area or asterisks in the margin can point children in the right direction to areas that may need a further look. Again, time and further dialogue may be needed here too.

Box marking 

A simple highlighted box around a small, focused area within longer pieces of writing can be used to provide specific and focused feedback during live marking moments or even conferencing. Within this box, you may guide writers to make compositional or transcriptional improvements. Using the knowledge gained from this focused feedback will support them when editing or proofreading the rest of their piece independently or with a partner.

Peer perspectives

Foster a collaborative writing community by incorporating peer feedback into the process. Encourage students to share their work with classmates, promoting a culture of constructive critique. This not only provides additional perspectives but also cultivates a supportive atmosphere where students learn from each other's strengths and areas for improvement. However, this needs to be planned carefully within supportive environments, so children feel safe and successful taking part.

Like any form of teaching, children need to be explicitly taught how before having some time to practise. Prepare them by:

• Walking them through it: model what effective peer discussion can look like and help them to understand the purpose of successful collaborative dialogue 
• Getting them reading their writing aloud to their friend
• Maintaining agency so learners see feedback as providing ‘suggestions’ for correction or improvement
• Providing question prompts that allow their peers to elaborate on their thinking and justify their choices
• Using speaking frames to guide their conversations: focus on specific praise and a specific area for improvement (linking back to the effect on the reader)
• Being positive and specific!
• Allowing the writer themselves to make any necessary amendments – there’s no scarier feeling than seeing someone else’s red pen heading towards your precious writing
• Making use of resources such as sticky notes if written feedback plays a part in peer responses
• Trying working in groups of 3 or 4 instead of sticking to pairs
• Providing ample opportunity for reflection and evaluation.

It is important to note that peer feedback is not a replacement for teacher conversations. Feedback should be inclusive and immersive and when children know that it is a supportive component to improvement, this will hopefully remove the fear factor and put them at ease having these discussions.

Explore the EEF’s teaching and learning toolkit to read more about how other high quality, carefully planned interactions between pupils can contribute to success.

Read about how this Year 6 class sought and received feedback from a range of esteemed experts. (The Writing for Pleasure Centre, 2022)

Pupil voice 

A good place to begin with developing feedback for writing in your school could be by conducting a pupil voice questionnaire. Ask your young writers, “what do your friends think about your writing?” and “how do you know?” or “tell me about a piece of writing that your friend wrote.” This will give you a real sense of whether peer feedback is actually happening, if it is happening effectively within an authentic environment and whether children see themselves as real writers.

Showcase their work

Celebrate the achievements of young writers by showcasing their work. Whether it's through classroom displays, school publications, or sharing with their readers, giving young writers a platform to share their creations boosts their confidence and reinforces the value of their efforts.

In the world of writing instruction, feedback is not about correction - it's a conversation that shapes the next chapter of a student's literary journey. By celebrating strengths, providing specific guidance, and fostering a growth mindset, teachers can inspire a love for writing and empower their students to become confident and skilled authors.