29 Jun 2005 - Living Literacy-BRINGING LEARNING TO LIFE
BRINGING LEARNING TO LIFE
Phase two of a highly successful educational project,
aimed at encouraging youngsters to learn from real life
positive experiences, has been given the green light
and extended to include all primary and junior schools
in the Bolsover District.
The Bolsover Living Literacy Programme has been
commissioned by the Bolsover Local Strategic
Partnership (LSP) and funded through the Government's
Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. The £80,000 programme,
which will run from September 2005 to the end of March 2006 aims to raise attainment levels in Key Stage 2 English by targeting 10 and 11 year olds (school years 5 and 6).
Schools are offered a package of four separate modules with each module specifically designed to focus on a key strand of the National Literacy Strategy.
Each module has been designed by local specialist organisations and will be delivered in a non-school setting, the key features of the programme are:
· A day of sport and outdoor adventure activity with Bolsover District Council at Kissingate Leisure Centre and Pleasley Vale Outdoor Activity Centre.
· A day at Creswell Crags with a specialist story teller.
· A day at Willow Tree Family Farm in Shirebrook.
· A creative experience provided by professional artists from Junction Arts either linked to one of the activities above or as a stand-alone day.
· Planning frameworks for each of the modules to maximise impact on the children's experience once back in the classroom.
· Free school transport to and from each venue.
Phase one of the programme ran January to March earlier this year and was very popular with all fourteen schools that took part. The initial indications from our evaluation is that participating children's levels of attainment in literacy have dramatically improved over the duration of the programme, with one school reporting an average rise of almost one level in one term.
A steering group comprising of Bolsover District Council, Bolsover Community Economic Development Team, Junction Arts, Creswell Heritage Trust, LSP Education and Training Group and Willow Tree Family Farm Trust has been established to ensure the project runs smoothly. The programme has been further refined by working in partnership with the Derbyshire LEA Literacy team.
The programme supports the government's primary school strategy, "Excellence and Enjoyment", which aims to make learning more exciting for children in and out of the classroom.
Local Strategic Partnership Education Action Group Chair, John Young, said '”Over eight hundred year 5 and 6 pupils participated in the first phase of the programme and it is fantastic news that the project will now be extended to include every primary school in Bolsover District.
“Long gone are the days when pupils learnt from dull lifeless theory books. This 'hands on' approach to learning is very exciting, our job along with other partners, is to provide the 'wow' factor and children will not only have a great time, they will not even know that they are learning.
“That's the way education in the 21st century ought to be and is the reason why the LSP and its partners have invested so much time, effort and money in this new collaborative approach. We are confident that the English SAT results of participating schools will eventually speak for themselves”.