http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... ce-academy
It is increasingly becoming clear that we have young people with insufficient reading and writing skills - basic skills - impeding their capacity to access other subjects.
This is such a heartwarming, inspiring place - Baverstock Academy - but it shouldn't have to be like this for so many of these young people.
This is a 'must watch' for anyone involved with struggling pupils - and older pupils who are turned off education.
At the time of me starting this thread, we have just provided another two-day phonics training event - and our attendees included two teachers from a sixth form college describing just how many of their pupils really do not have the basic literacy skills they need to properly access the full curriculum.
These teachers were so utterly committed to finding out how best to address weak literacy skills - and of course they had no background in phonics teaching - they had not been trained in any way in how to teach, or remediate, reading and writing.
I keep calling for ALL teachers to be trained in teaching and remediating the basic skills of literacy - reading, spelling and handwriting.
I shall keep on calling for this expectation.
