Case Study 1: Lambeth, Inner City London
School background
Case Study 1 is from a large, two-form entry primary school situated in the inner London Borough of Lambeth, close to Brixton. The area is mostly residential and has a high level of deprivation. The school serves a diverse ethnic community and has a school population of over 400 pupils. The school has recently undergone a major refurbishment programme following the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools on to one site.
How have the materials been used in school?
A year 5 teacher had been using the reading books with 4 10-year-old pupils in her class - 2 boys and 2 girls. The teacher worked with the pupils on a 1:1 basis in the classroom. Each pupil read a different book. Individual reading sessions lasted about 10 to 15 minutes about twice a week.
What did the school think of the reading books?
The books were easy to use with pupils on a 1:1 basis but the teacher also felt they would be suitable for group work. The mixture of fiction and non-fiction texts within each of the books was felt to be a particularly useful aspect,
'they give information about Big Foot and then they use Big Foot in the story and introduce characters, that's nice, it's more realistic'.
The teacher felt some of the pictures were quite 'loud' and that sometimes the text obscured the pictures. She felt that making the books larger in size might overcome this. The text and the themes were also considered good.
'When I first started using the books with the pupils they were worried about what sort of books they were going to be but after one or two sessions they started showing interest'.
The pupils stayed on-task whilst they were reading the books. However, the teacher felt the books could be slightly longer.
'The length of the books are good but by the time you have the pupils' interest the book is finished. If the books were a little longer that would be more effective'.
The teacher used the teaching guide and had found the activities in it useful . The teacher also said,
'the Quiz section is good and the pupils liked the jokes'.
The Before Reading page was highlighted as a good idea.
What did the school like most about the reading books?
"I most liked how they turned the information into stories and the Quiz page and the guidance for the teacher is good because it tells you exactly what to do and teaching assistants could use it as well'.
What do the pupils think?
Each of the pupils was asked to give the reading books a 'thumbs up' or a 'thumbs down'. 3 pupils gave a thumbs up and one pupil gave a half thumb.
Overall
The school were, on the whole, positive about the reading books. Both the teaching assistant and the pupils had enjoyed using them. The pictures in the books were particularly well liked.
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