S
o, why did you become a teacher?Was it the idea of working with
children – surrounded by all their charming, challenging curiosity
– that appealed? Perhaps you dreamt of making a real difference
in young people’s lives; instilling self-belief, inspiring a lasting love
of learning, and helping to create positivememories? Or maybe you just
really like school dinners?
Whatever your reasons for signing up, it’s probable that the prospect
of training pupils to performwell in tough tests of reading, writing,
grammar and spelling at the ages of seven and eleven wasn’t amongst
them. This year’s SATs, designed to reflect the priorities and goals of
the newprimary curriculum, certainly provoked unprecedented levels of
criticismand controversy throughout, arguably reaching a zenith (name
the antonym, for 1mark) in the aftermath of the ‘ridiculously hard’ KS2
reading paper, with reports of children reduced to tears and teachers left
stunned by its level of difficulty. This wasn’t the experience for everyone
– and time will tell what, if anything, will change for 2017 – but there’s no
getting away from the fact that the tests themselves are here to stay.
At Teach Reading &Writing, we don’t dismiss the importance of high
standards, rock-solid competence in the basic nuts and bolts of language
use, and rigorous assessment to ensure that all children, regardless of
background or any special needs, are getting the education – and thus,
the start in life – they deserve. At the same time, though, like you, we
recognise that there ismuchmore to literacy than what can easily be
measured through examination. Our aim is always to strike a balance
between providing a range of ideas and strategies for delivering the
curriculum in as engaging and effective way as possible; and
celebrating the sheer joy that comes from
sharing stories, discovering books, writing
for pleasure as well as purpose and generally
communicating with each other as human
beings. We hope that’s what you find here.
Have a great summer,
Joe Carter, Helen Mulley & Charlotte Smith,
associate editors
Our experts
INTHIS
ISSUE...
RACHEL CLARKE
is the director of Primary English
Education Consultancy.
DOUG LEMOV
is a consultant, author and a
charter schools founder.
PHIL EARLE
is an author and writer in
residence for BookTrust.
CAREY FLUKER HUNT
is creative projects manager at
Seven Stories.
SHAREENMAYERS
is the lead primary English adviser
for Sutton Improvement and
Support Services.
PIE CORBETT
is an educationalist and author
ISABELLAWALLACE
is an author, visiting lecturer and
former teacher.
PICKTONAND CHEN
are primary education
advisors in Kingston
upon Thames
TEACH READING & WRITING
3
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Cover inset illustration
Mick Inkpen
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