Project overview
If you know nothing yet about the national pilot project Building Bridges in Literacy P6 - S2 you can find out here. This section of the site gives a summary of the aims of the project as well as timescales for the work carried out. You can also find out how the project was staffed.
Aims
All local authorities were invited to nominate a secondary school and one or more associated primaries to take part in the national pilot project. Schools undertook action research based on locally identified priorities, with the following aims and objectives:
- To raise attainment in reading and writing, in the P6-S2 years, through the development and sharing of effective practice, drawing on recent research in learning and literacy, including the use of interactive and investigative approaches.
- To sustain raised levels of attainment beyond the time of the project for these and following cohorts.
Specific objectives
- To promote a coherent approach to strategies for teaching and learning in English language in the P6 - S2 years, both within and beyond English language lessons, and, wherever possible, in conjunction with the school librarian.
- To establish the teaching of 'literacy across the curriculum' in at least one subject area in the project secondary schools, and to share this effective practice with other departments, in conjunction, wherever possible, with the school librarian.
- To ensure smooth and effective curricular transition.
- To build on the outcomes of Assessment is for Learning, Project 1: Formative Assessment.
- To promote the concept of the critical friend as a model for CPD.
- To disseminate findings and facilitate consideration of the outcomes within and beyond the authority.
- To establish strategies for embedding the best practice that emerges from the project, resulting in improvements in practice relating to the teaching of literacy and to transition arrangements.
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Timescales
Timescales for the various phases of the project, with dates and milestones. Sections ran from June - October 2003, October - December 2003, January - March 2004 and April 2004 - Easter 2005.
Phase 1 June - October 2003: Preparing the ground
June: National conference.
June: Establish local authority project team and identify leader.
June - end September: Undertake audit.
September: Identify key priorities; attend first area seminar - guidance and support.
September - October: Draw up local authority action plan: agree actions, roles and responsibilities, use of funding, timescales.
Phase 2 October - December 2003: Establishing practice
October: Action plans shared with LT Scotland Building Bridges support team; related projects with common themes linked; planning for learning and teaching underway.
October - December: Action research project under way; shared planning, team teaching, shadowing, critical friendships; support from faculties of education, local authority, LT Scotland, HMIE.
November: Attend second area seminar to share initial experiences; further guidance and support.
Phase 3 January – March 2004: Development, reflection, review
Jan- March: Refine classroom practice; monitoring and evaluation under way.
Feb/March: Individual action research projects continuing with support from faculties of education, local authority, LT Scotland, HMIE.
March: Attend third area seminar – discuss developing case studies.
Phase 4 April 2004 – March 2005: Sharing the outcomes
April/June: case studies under way.
June 2004: National conference discuss developing case studies.
September 2004: dissemination.
October 2004: case studies first draft completed.
Winter 2004: peer evaluation of draft case studies.
Spring 2005: sharing ideas including materials and case studies.
Easter 2005: project evaluation.
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Staffing
Each local authority was funded to allow involvement of staff as follows:
Five teachers per authority project - identified from associated secondary and primary schools (four teachers are funded):
- Primary senior manager (preferably with responsibility for literacy, and teaching in upper primary)
- Primary teacher in upper primary
- Secondary English specialist (PT, or in liaison with PT)
- Secondary subject specialist (preferably PT)
- Secondary senior manager, curriculum responsibility (not funded)
One school librarian per authority project was also funded.
Support for the pilot schools was provided by a project team consisting of:
- LA link officer per authority
- HMIE regional involvement
- ITE regional involvement
- LT Scotland development officer
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