VIEWS From the pen of…JANE CONSIDINE


Why it’s time to shake-up the teaching of spelling once and for all


In our regular series highlighting authors in education, we hear this month from JANE CONSIDINE, author of The Spelling Book: Transforming the Teaching of Spelling, who argues that the old ways of teaching spelling must change.


Fear of the weekly spelling test has long had a negative impact on pupils’ confidence. I’ve seen how attitudes and approaches to spelling have changed very little in the last 25 years, despite new research and evidence about what helps children improve their spelling attainment. Post-lockdown, widening attainment gaps now make this issue of children losing confidence with written English even more pressing. The potential for a devastating negative impact on their self-esteem and future prospects is real. What we do know is that spelling tests are not the solution to this


problem. The weekly spelling test often only demoralises pupils, stresses out parents and piles up mindless, number crunching exercises for teachers. In my experience, anxiety around ‘getting it wrong’, or the humiliation of failing the weekly test can build a destructive spiral in pupils’ minds. Equally, the confusion between testing and teaching has long had a hold over the profession, with both teachers and pupils trapped on the treadmill of this unhelpful yardstick of failure. Alongside this, and despite the best efforts, even those pupils with good test scores lack improvement in their real, independent writing. Something has to change. Schools need a system that fosters a


healthy spelling culture. Spelling skills, habits and knowledge should be developed as a community approach that supports all involved to flourish as proficient spellers. The best spelling schools enable children to be ‘spelling detectives’ by teaching the steps of spelling, as well as facilitating them to engender good spelling habits. This attitude toward spelling encourages a positive ethos amongst pupils, and teachers, that focusses on the journey rather than the destination. I believe in exploring new ways to fundamentally overhaul the


spelling test culture and I would like to see a shift that replaces fear with engaging, practical skills that will build writing confidence throughout primary schools. It is vital to encourage playful risk-taking and explorative investigation when learning about spelling. The goal should be to make children feel like ‘word warriors’ and creative problem- solvers, whilst arming teachers with practical skills and insights. This culture will establish structure and encourage pupils to be brave spellers, as well as kind to themselves in the world of spelling. In my new book The Spelling Book: Transforming the Teaching of


Spelling, I propose a new spelling system that allows teachers to teach spelling, not test spelling. I am passionate about offering teachers and children fresh new ideas and structures for classroom practice when it comes to spelling. The system that I have designed gives teachers weekly investigations and activities that will allow their pupils to progress in their spelling attainment, as well as help them to foster a love of spelling, instead of fearing the dreaded weekly test. It is my mission to help create a new generation of audacious spellers who love the weird and wonderful challenges of words and feel ready and equipped to tackle the challenges of English with joy, confidence and creativity! .


The Spelling Book: Transforming the Teaching of Spelling by Jane Considine is out on 14 June 2021 (available for years 2-6), published in paperback by The Training Space, £19.99. www.thetrainingspace.co.uk


May 2021 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION (BESA) Take the “Catch-Up Challenge”!


In her regular column for Education Today this month, JULIA GARVEY, Deputy Director General at school suppliers’ association BESA, discusses the association’s “Catch-Up Challenge” and what it means for you.


There has been lots of talk in the media about ‘catch-up’ and ‘lost learning’ post lockdown. Barely a week goes by without a piece of research appearing identifying the different ways in which children have been negatively impacted by school closures. Whilst these reports are fascinating, and terrifying, in equal measure,


schools don’t need to be reminded of the challenges they face. Teachers at all levels are more than aware of the hurdles they face, and the particular difficulties being experienced by their students. Attention is now turning to ways to address the crisis, with tutoring,


summer schools and free classroom resources all mooted as a possible route out. Are any of these the right approach? It is our belief that there isn’t a one size fits all solution. What is right for


one school may not be right for another, and schools should be free to identify their own requirements and strategies. We believe the best way to solve these issues is to provide schools with the additional funding they need to select the support programmes that work best for their pupils. Whilst the idea of free curriculum resources made available for all might


at first appear attractive, the pallor can quickly fade if the materials are not of sufficient pedagogical quality or create additional teacher workload. And for any school also looking to improve their Ofsted rating, there are additional challenges that will impact their school improvement plan, that go beyond the need for a high-quality sequenced curriculum. We would like to help. BESA represents over 400 educational suppliers who are all committed


to helping raise the educational outcomes of pupils. Our members provided over £36m of free resources and support from March-June 2020 and were on hand to help teachers adapt their practices to support home learning. These same members are now coming together to support our Catch-up Challenge which is launching this week. The Catch-up Challenge is designed to help you identify the best ways


of supporting your students right now. In many cases the best solution will already be known to you. If you


already have a professionally produced resource or a teaching intervention in place that is working, then you should have the freedom and funding available to extend this to all pupils who need it. For those schools who have not yet found suitable resources or an


approach that meets their needs, our members are pledging their support free of charge, to guide you in your search. Each participating member is offering a limited number of hours of free consultancy/support matched to the Ofsted criteria that is of most importance to you. These conversations are designed to help frame your requirements and guide you towards tried and tested solutions that will address your priorities. The Catch-up Challenge will be run via our LendED.org.uk portal – the


same site we have been using to provide free home learning resources over the last 12 months. There is no charge to take part and we hope to match all schools who need it with at least one hour of free consultancy, but this will be subject to demand. In the meantime we will continue to press for better funding for all


schools via our Resource our Schools campaign. For more information about the Catch-up challenge go to LendED.org.uk/catchup


Julia Garvey Deputy Director General, BESA Besa.org.uk


www.education-today.co.uk 13


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