“The head of the school that ranked top of today’s primary school league tables attributed her success to “ignoring” most of the Government’s flagship literacy and numeracy strategies.
Barbara Jones, head of Combe Church of England Primary School, a tiny village primary near Witney in Oxfordshire, urged teachers to trust their own professional judgement about how best to teach children to read, write and add up. Every 11-year-old at the school was at least three years ahead of their age group in this year’s English, maths and science tests – making it the top ranking primary out of more than 20,000 in England.”
She goes on to say:
“We don’t use the literacy or numeracy strategy as prescriptively as we have been asked to,” she said.
“We use a variety of approaches and that’s where I think the Government has got it wrong in that they advocate one way and then a few years later they suggest another way.
Phonics is not the only answer. There isn’t one ideal way of teaching reading. Children do not all learn in the same way because we are all different. It is a pity that people jump on these bandwagons and quote examples of schools that see their results increase.
You have got to use a bit of common sense. We don’t rush things. If it is going to take a fortnight to do something it is going to take a fortnight. The problem is when you take four days just because the literacy strategy or some other directive says you should. We have never done that. I think what they are doing is eroding teachers’ confidence.
I just feel that sometimes the baby is thrown out with the bath water.”