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Spotlight on the Writing Curriculum Consultancy

This consultancy aims to provide you with an independent assessment of your writing curriculum's success. It will consider what might need some attention and is similar to a deep dive, except with more time.

It will consist of the following (these are examples with other aspects being looked at as necessary):

Evaluation of your curriculum leaders’ long- and medium-term thinking and planning.

  • Consider fidelity to the National Curriculum’s programme of study
  • Look at how your pupils’ context has been taken into consideration
  • Consider how well you know your strengths
  • Discuss your current points for development
  • Evaluate how appropriate your policies and procedures are
  • Consider how vocabulary is being developed
  • Evaluate progression mapping across the school
  • Consider how cumulatively and cohesively your pupils acquire knowledge

Learning Walk

  • Examine how curriculum implementation is aligned with the intent
  • Check that agreed protocols are being followed
  • Consider if teachers' subject knowledge is strong enough
  • Consider if the classroom environment supports learning
  • Look at how CPD and training are supporting better outcomes
  • Consider how the needs of SEND pupils are being met
  • Evaluate how teachers are helping pupils to know more and remember more
  • Consider how more able pupils are being challenged
  • Focus on learning behaviours

Book Scrutiny

  • Check that presentation is in line with school policy
  • Consider if the quality and quantity are appropriate
  • Look at how pupils are building on prior knowledge
  • Evidence of subject-specific vocabulary being used
  • Books show that teacher subject knowledge is strong
  • Evidence of progression over time
  • Evidence that pupils are being asked to follow agreed protocols
  • Needs of all pupils being met

Staff Voice (selection of teachers that will have been seen during the learning walk)

  • Consider why the lesson taught was being taught
  • Consider what they would consider successful in that lesson
  • Discuss what comes next
  • Consider how they build on prior knowledge
  • Consider how well they know the expectations for the end of their year, the year before and the one after
  • Discuss how feedback is provided and how intervention works
  • Consider the impact of assessment
  • Consider the impact that CPD has had on their practice

Pupil Voice (3 groups: KS1; lower KS2; Upper KS2) – usually same pupils as ones in book scrutiny

  • Consider what happens if they get stuck
  • Discuss which work they found easy
  • Discuss work they found challenging
  • Discuss what doing well means to them and how they know
  • Consider how they deal with feedback
  • Consider what a typical writing might look like

If you are interested in booking one of our consultants for a one-day curriculum session, please email consultancy@focus-education.co.uk or call 01457 821 818.