Literacy/English

History Mysteries: History, Literacy and ICT at Key Stages 1 and 2

Aim: The aim of this project was to investigate whether effective reading by children and enactment of the stories would improve and sustain childrens writing and their learning of history.This action research project involved a mixed ability Year 4 class of 28 children. The research was in two phases. In the second phase, the year 4 children worked with all the children in year 2. The class teacher, who was the history coordinator, was supported by a teaching assistant and other staff in the school. Parents joined in with some of the activities.

The enquiring school: Using action research to enhance Key Stage 1 pupils' speaking and listening

Aim: This project was essentially about what it is that supports a school to become research-engaged. There were two dimensions to this investigation: (i) The aim of the specific research activity at school level was: To investigate the impact of rhyme and rhythm on the development of speaking and listening skills in Key Stage 1 (ii) Beyond the specific research at school level, the overarching aim was: To investigate the features of research engagement in the school which were significant in supporting and enabling the research activity.

An investigation into the independent learning skills used by male students at English Language A Level

Aim: A group of very able boys in a particular cohort appeared to struggle with AS/A level English Language despite good performances at GCSE level. This study specifically aimed to investigate the factors that limit boys performance at English Language A level and identify strategies that can improve their independent learning and motivation.

Whole staff approaches to extended writing classes at Key Stage 3 - a case study in using and doing research

Aim: To use evidence from a long-standing whole school initiative on reading coaching and the wider body of research into reading coaching, to design and assess intensive cross-curricular interventions that would generate measureable gains in extended writing skills at Key Stage 3, that could be sustained into GCSE.

The leadership of enquiry: learning internationally

Aim: Research undertaken by the Excellence through Collaboration and Enabling Leadership (EXCEL) networked learning community has focused on the extent to which learning can be enriched and extended by working in a cross-phase, cross-local authority and cross-national context. The key strands running through the research activities generated by EXCEL are pupil voice, internationalism and the creation of a culture of school-based research in which teachers and pupils have been empowered to lead their own learning.

Fostering ability

Aim: To identify more able students, develop teaching methods that encourage them to reach their full potential, and examine whether identifying the more able students enables teachers to be more effective in meeting their needs.