Secondary level resources 

Search for secondary resources in our bookshop
Interested in using resources to develop your whole-school reading culture? Visit Reading Connects

Resources marked with *** are highly recommended by Julia Strong, NLT deputy director, for developing literacy across the curriculum. 

From the National Literacy Trust

Books by Julia Strong, NLT Deputy Director. English Frameworking, Literacy Across the Curriculum, Literacy at 11-14 and Active Writing. All available to order through this website by clicking the links above.

Training courses and school Inset on raising achievement through whole-school approaches to literacy. Booking well in advance is normally essential. More information
Contact: Julia Strong at the National Literacy Trust. Tel: 020 7820 6266. Email: julia.strong@literacytrust.org.uk.

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Useful Government resources

All DCSF publications are available from the DCSF Publications Centre, PO Box 5050, Annesley, Nottingham NG15 0DJ. Tel: 0845 60 222 60. Fax: 0845 60 333 60. Email: dcsf@prolog.uk.com. You can also download documents from www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/

Curriculum Continuity: Effective Transfer Between Primary and Secondary Schools is available from www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/keystage3

***Grammar for Writing: Very practical book aimed at primary teachers but very useful for secondary teachers both to familiarise themselves with what is increasingly becoming practice in the primary sector and to use and build on similar approaches. Available free to schools.
DfES, ref. DfES 0107/2000. More information is available on the DfES website.

***Language for Learning at Key Stage 3. Includes useful cross curricular objectives for years 7, 8 and 9. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority tel. 020 7509 5555

***Language at work in lessons - Literacy across the curriculum at key stage 3. Useful practical examples showing how curriculum areas can relate to the objectives in the English framework. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority tel. 020 7509 5555. More information is available from http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_5740.aspx

***Matching the NLS English Framework objectives to the QCA Language for Learning objectives. If you had started using the QCA objectives and want to relate them to the framework objectives, there is a grid that does this for you on www.literacytrust.org.uk/Database/Secondary/objectives.html

Getting back on track A practical guide for teachers aimed at helping pupils whose progress stalls during key stage 3 (August 2007).

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Whole-school approaches

Books by Julia Strong, NLT Deputy Director. Literacy Across the Curriculum and Literacy at 11-14. Available to order through this website by clicking the links above.

Closing the Learning Gap, Mike Hughes. Very useful practical book on teaching and learning styles. This book focuses on eliminating the discrepancy between what we know constitutes effective learning and what we know goes on in classrooms. Network Educational Press, ISBN 1-85539-0515

Collaborative Learning Project. This project supports a network of teaching professions across Europe, to disseminate accessible teaching materials in all subjects for all ages. Director: Stuart Scott.
Contact: Collaborative Learning Project, 17 Barford Street, Islington, London N1 OQB. Tel: 020 7226 8885. Email: stuart.scott@collaborativelearning.org. Website: www.collaborativelearning.org.

Expressways: developing oral and literacy skills in religious education, Luke Bazeley. Guide providing strategies and activities for developing literacy and oracy skills through religious education work. It is written in three parts covering talk and discussion, reading and researching, and written work. ISBN: 1851752595
Contact: SCM-Canterbury Press, St Mary's Works, St Mary's Plain, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 3BH. Tel: 01603 612914. Fax: 01603 624483. Email: admin@scm-canterburypress.co.uk. Website: www.scm-canterburypress.co.uk.

First Steps / Stepping Out. First Steps is a Western Australian programme which provides a framework for developing children's literacy and which offers a diagnostic tool and materials, including software, to help record and report on children's literacy development. Many teachers in the UK have trained as First Steps tutors. This has been built upon to develop Stepping Out, a professional development resource following many of the same learning principles. In the UK, the programme has been tailored to enhance the implementation of the Key Stage 3 Literacy Strategy. It consists of training courses and published standards in middle and secondary schools.
Contact:  Steps PDC, Unit 78, Shrivenham Hundred Business Park, Major's Road, Watchfield, SN6 8TZ. Tel: 01793 787930. Email: admin@steps-pd.co.uk. Website: http://www.steps-pd.co.uk

How to ... undertake a literacy audit. Guide produced by the Basic Skills Agency as part of a series intended for those working towards the BSA Quality Mark for Secondary Schools, but also of use to any school looking to improve standards of literacy across the curriculum. Available free of charge. Ref: A1027
Contact: Basic Skills Agency publications order line. Tel: 0870 600 2400.

Literacy in the Secondary School, David Wray & Maureen Lewis. Includes a history of the government focus on literacy, plus a description of the EXCEL project plus chapters by teachers from a range of disciplines on teaching literacy through the medium of a variety of subject areas.
David Fulton Publishers, ISBN: 1853466557

NATE Built which stands for 'Building Understandings in Literacy and Teaching'. Interactive video-based CD-ROM material on literacy teaching and demonstrates fundamental ideas about language and literacy in education. Cost £45 & £35
Contact: NATE, 50 Broadfield Road, Broadfield Business Centre, Sheffield S8 OXJ. Tel: 0114 255 5419. Fax: 0114 255 5296. Email: info@nate.org.uk Website: www.nate.org.uk

NATE Use of Language in the National Curriculum, Richard Bain. Guidance on how to develop a whole school policy in both primary and secondary schools, providing a step-by-step guide to identifying the issues in school, organising a working group, reviewing classroom practice, agreeing priorities and setting targets for improvement. Includes photocopiable information and discussion sheets, as well as planning formats to assist policy development. Cost £3.50.
Published by NATE (1995). Contact: NATE, 50 Broadfield Road, Broadfield Business Centre, Sheffield S8 OXJ. Tel: 0114 255 5419. Fax: 0114 255 5296. Email: info@nate.org.uk Website: www.nate.org.uk

Teachit website - over 1,800 pages of materials for secondary English teachers available completely free. The UK's biggest online library of English teaching resources for photocopiable worksheets, lesson plans and schemes of work - everything you need for planning tomorrow's first lesson or (for the very efficient) next term's scheme of work... these are downloadable and photocopiable. Includes downloadable posters of the six non-fiction text types.

Use of Language Across the Secondary Curriculum, Eve Bearne
ISBN: 0-415-16516-4. Published by RoutledgeFalmer.

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English language and curriculum

English for Tomorrow.  Examines what is happening to the English curriculum as a result of the impact of new technologies, and what is the likely direction the English curriculum will need to take in order to carry English teaching into the 21st century. Cost £13.99. Published by Open University Press (1997).
Available from NATE Publications, 50 Broadfield Road, Sheffield S8 0XJ. Tel: 0114 255 5419. Email: natehq@bt.connect.com.

Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson. A very entertaining and informative reference book about the history of the English language. Many useful explanations of false grammatical beliefs. A supporting reference book, Troublesome Words, is also available.
Published by Penguin.

National Curriculum website. www.nc.uk.net

The Languages Book. A brilliant collection of material on languages resulting from collaboration between the Institute of Education and the English & Media Centre. Full of inspiring material for lessons. Cost £5.75
Contact: English & Media Centre. Tel: 020 7383 0488. ISBN 0 907016 27 8 www.englishandmedia.co.uk.

***Teachit website - over 1,800 pages of materials for secondary English teachers available completely free. The UK's biggest online library of English teaching resources for photocopiable worksheets,lesson plans and schemes of work - everything you need for planning tomorrow's first lesson or (for the very efficient) next term's scheme of work;.these are downloadable and photocopiable. Includes downloadable posters of the six non-fiction text types.

Texts in Context, a major new online resource for English and history with hundreds of sources from the British Library's unique collections, is available at www.bl.uk/learning.

What's in a word? Vocabulary development in multilingual classrooms, Nora McWilliam. Offers practical approaches to developing children's word power in the classroom, with the aim of developing teachers' understanding of how words and their meanings underpin all children's learning in all curriculum areas. Includes a guide for teachers to plan and resource a 'word-aware' curriculum which includes attention to children's cultural identities and their home languages.
Published Trentham Books (1998). Cost £14.95.
Available from NATE Publications, 50 Broadfield Road, Sheffield S8 0XJ. Tel: 0114 255 5419. Email: natehq@bt.connect.com.

Wordskills: a practical handbook for improving young people's use of English. A handbook for those working with young people on how to help improve fluency and word power, develop accuracy and subtlety in expression, and heighten understanding of everyday language. The handbook divides into two parts: the first offers straightforward explanations of how the English language works, and the second gives practical exercise ideas. A glossary of terms is also included. Cost £6.95. ISBN 0 86155 186 9
Contact: National Youth Agency, Sales Department, 17-23 Albion Street, Leicester LE1 6GD. Tel: 0116 285 3709.

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• By Julia Strong, NLT Deputy Director

• English Frameworking
(available to order through this website by clicking the link above)

***Hodder English starters, Word Level and Sentence Level , by Sue Hackman, Alan Howe and Patrick Scott, published by Hodder and Stoughton, tel. 01235 827 722

Fast Forward by Sue Hackman. Useful catch-up material published by Hodder and Stoughton, tel. 01235 827 722

The Literacy Kit, written by a team of experienced teachers and consultants and  published by Oxford University Press, is a  three-strand approach for implementing the Framework, with Lesson Starters for pacy, interactive ways to begin, OHTs for whole class teaching, and colourful, well designed student's books for independent work - plus a planning CD-ROM. It is structured to reflect the Framework document. For further information and to order please contact schools.orders@oup.co.uk

Oracy

Confidence in Communication: toolkit and training programme, developed by the English Secondary Students Association, the toolkit is aimed at increasing students' communication skills, particularly verbally. It includes modules on active listening, talking to authority, mediation, and presentation skills. ESSA also offers training for students. For further information contact Helen Trivers: Helen.trivers@studentvoice.co.uk, visit www.studentvoice.co.uk or call 0207 022 1910.

Meaning to talk. A series of items aimed at supporting good practices within oracy. Three items in the series. A booklet for teachers, to support teachers running a parent's evening on the importance of talk with practical ideas, using active speaking and listening techniques, to engage and enthuse carers and parents. Costs £2. A Good practice guide detailing case studies from schools where the transition from year 7 to 8 has been improved with a focus on oracy. Costs £5. A parents and carers leaflet, designed to complement the teachers booklet, it is suitable for distributing to carers and parents. Costs £1.
To order any item in the series visit www.basic-skills.co.uk

Talking rights: taking responsibility. A NATE publication bringing together oral activities for English and Citizenship, designed to help teachers meet the attainment needs of the English speaking and listening curriculum for Key Stages 3 and 4. Cost £13.
Contact: NATE, 50 Broadfield Road, Sheffield S8 0XJ. Tel: 0114 255 5419.

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Guided reading

Group Reading at Key Stage 3. In partnership with the Key Stage 3 National Strategy, NATE has produced a range of resources to exemplify approaches to group and guided reading in Years 7, 8 and 9. Classroom materials are intended to develop independent learning and encourage pupils to engage in active and interactive reading and discussion of the selected texts. Teaching materials can be downloaded free of charge from www.nate.org.uk. There are also discounts for group and class sets of the featured texts. Contact: NATE, 50 Broadfield Road, Sheffield S8 0XJ. Tel: 0114 255 5419. Email: natehq@btconnect.com.

The Guided Reading Year 7 teacher file, published by Badger Publishing, comprises both a teacher's booklet of lesson plans, worksheets and OHTs, and a student's book of photocopiable activity sheets around the seven featured texts, by authors including Michael Morpurgo, Philip Pullman and Anthony Horowitz. It aims to provide practical help for teaching guided reading to mixed-ability classes at key stage 3. Cost £49 (discounted sets of featured books also available). A separate similar resource is also available for Year 8.
Contact Badger Publishing on 01438 356907 or visit www.badger-publishing.co.uk.

Guided Reading Packs, published by NATE and targeted at KS3 teachers, provide a description of the principles of guided reading and a down-to-earth approach for employing them in the classroom. The basic 'foundation' pack also contains a selection of photocopiable work sheets and prompt sheets. Cost: £8.95 for members or £9.95 for non-members. ISBN 0 901291 96X.
Contact NATE on 0114 255 5419, email natehq@btconnect.com or visit www.nate.org.uk.

***Accelerated Learning in Practice/Accelerated Learning in the Classroom, Alistair Smith. Books on brain-based for accelerated motivation and achievement. Cost £19.95 (paperback).
Contact: Network Continuum Education, The Continuum International Publishing Group, The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX. Email: enquiries@networkcontinuum.co.uk. Website: www.networkcontinuum.co.uk.

The ALPS Approach: Accelerated Learning in Primary Schools, Alistair Smith and Nicola Call.
Contact: Network Continuum Education, The Continuum International Publishing Group, The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX. Email: enquiries@networkcontinuum.co.uk. Website: www.networkcontinuum.co.uk.

Brain Friendly Revision, University of the First Age. This book aims to help create an effective revision programme for students, based on research into how the brain works and how learning occurs. Published 2002. Cost £15.95.
Contact: Network Continuum Education, The Continuum International Publishing Group, The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX. Email: enquiries@networkcontinuum.co.uk. Website: www.networkcontinuum.co.uk.

Brainwaves. Who Cares? Trust booklet that aims to help 10 to 13-year-olds to develop literacy and thinking skills through encouraging imagination and the enjoyment of reading, writing and creativity. Cost £1.75 (discounts for multiple orders).
Contact: The Who Cares? Trust, Kemp House, 152-160 City Road, London EC1V 2NP. Tel: 020 7251 3117. Website: www.thewhocarestrust.org.uk.

The creativity connection in language and literacy, Ann Whittle. This booklet discusses contemporary theories on the human brain and what they mean for literacy development, the age at which we begin formal teaching, and how we attempt to harness creativity in the classroom. Cost £5.95.
Contact the National Centre for Language and Literacy on 0118 378 8820 or visit www.ncll.org.uk.

***Closing the Learning Gap. Book on teaching and learning styles, focusing on eliminating the discrepancy between what we know constitutes effective learning and what we know goes on in classrooms. ISBN 1-85539-0515.
Contact: Network Continuum Education, The Continuum International Publishing Group, The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX. Email: enquiries@networkcontinuum.co.uk. Website: www.networkcontinuum.co.uk.

Creating a learning to learn school. Guide developed as part of the Campaign for Learning's Learning to Learn project, which aimed to help pupils to understand how they learn best and can motivate themselves. £12.95.
Contact: Southgate Publishers. Tel: 01363 776888. Email: dj@southgatepublishers.co.uk. The guide and other resources can also be downloaded from www.campaignforlearning.org.uk.

Developing Information Skills Through the Primary School Classroom, by Geoff Dubber. A guide for teachers, librarians and support staff on how to teach the essential 'learning to learn' skills needed by all young children. Cost £4.50 (£3.50 to SLA members).
Contact: School Library Association, Liden Library, Barrington Close, Liden, Swindon SN3 6HF. Tel: 01793 617838. Fax: 01793 537374.

Formative assessment. The key website for formative assessment is the Kings' College website www.kcl.ac.uk - the site also includes information on cognitive acceleration in maths and science (CAME and CASE).

Improving Thinking Skills through the Literacy Hour, Mike Lake & Frankie Fisher. Book consisting of twelve detailed lesson plans that form a framework for the implementation of thinking and reasoning skills into the literacy hour. Each lesson is based on a piece of text eg letter, poem or report, and concern personal / social issues such as self-esteem, bullying and peer pressure. ISBN 1-84190-023-0. Visit: websites.uk-plc.net/Imaginative_Minds/products/Improving_Thinking_Skills_Through_the_Literacy_Hour.htm

The Learning File. File of practical activities for teachers to use to improve pupils' thinking skills. It is designed for display on an OHP and comprises over 110 colour acetates, as well as photocopiable worksheets and a teachers' guide. Cost £185.
Contact: Learning Files Scotland Ltd, Pollock Castle Estate, Newton Mearns, Glasgow G77 6NT. Tel: 0141 639 5836. Fax: 0141 616 3588.

Learning to Learn for Life: research and practical examples for the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 Rebecca Goodbourn, Steve Higgins, Susie Parsons, Kate Wall and Julia Wright
This is the first book in the Learning to learn for life series for everyone interested in developing better schools and lifelong learners. Teaching children how to learn is key to their success, not only through their school years but for the rest of their lives. This book gives expert guidance on how to help younger pupils learn most effectively and how to give them the best possible chance to achieve their full potential. ISBN: 1-85539-178-3. Price: £14.95.
Contact: Southgate Publishers Ltd, The Square, Sandford, Credition, Devon EX17 4LW. Tel: 01363 776 888. Website: www.southgatepublishers.co.uk

Let's Think! -  Resource pack for primary schools developed by Hammersmith and Fulham LEA working with Kings College London and 14 local primary schools. The aim of the package is to encourage young children to understand their own learning and thinking strategies. Complete set (including Teacher's Guide, Resource pack and 3D materials) £135 plus VAT. Tel 0845 6021937 www.nfer-nelson.co.uk

www.optimal-learning.net website of Trevor Hawes - educational consultant specialising in applying neurological discoveries to classroom teaching.

***Mind Your Head - Get to know how to learn.
Reviewed by Julia Strong
Mind Your Head! Get to know your brain and how to learn is a gem of a resource. In 32 well-illustrated pages it tells you the key things every teacher needs to know about how the brain works, how learning takes place and thus what ingredients teachers need to include in their teaching repertoire to maximise effective learning.
As every teacher knows, when you really understand something well, you can express it clearly and make it sound so simple. This book does precisely that. It demystifies this vital subject and presents the material in a highly accessible style. Instead of adding to the sense of guilt about things you haven't quite worked into your teaching, it provides a practical springboard that will help you get there. For anyone teaching students about the brain, it would be an invaluable resource too.
As the foreword neatly expresses it, "The material is laid out in an informal manner allowing teachers to 'dip in' and 'cherry pick' from its contents. There is something to suit every teaching style and learning preference, so enjoy the book, employ the strategies and celebrate success with your pupils."
Available from North Eastern Education and Library Board, Antrim Board Centre, 17 Lough Roa, Antrim BT41 4DH. Tel: 028 9448 2200. Website: www.neelb.org.uk. ISBN 1 85266 0872. Cost £3.50 plus p&p.

Mapwise - Accelerated learning through visible thinking, Oliver Caviglioli and Ian Harris. Information about using visual mapping in teaching and learning, a concept developed through work with SEN pupils but also relevant in all sorts of educational contexts. The book describes the DOM technique, which stands for dump, organise and map, that takes students through a process of brainstorming ideas, grouping them together and then using visual mapping to organise and structure their thoughts before writing.
Published by Network Press. Tel: 01785 225515.

Power Up Your Mind, Bill Lucas. Book written by Bill Lucas, chief executive of the Campaign for Learning, on current thinking about human performance and new insights about the way our brains work best, both in the workplace and in our daily lives. It contains anecdotes, stories and practical advice, much of it based on work-based training and organisational effectiveness, but with information on various learning techniques that would be equally applicable to all ages. Cost £14.99.
Contact: Southgate Publishers, The Square, Sandford, Crediton, Devon EX17 4LW. Tel: 01363 776888. Email: info@southgatepublishers.co.uk.

Promoting Effective Learning. Guide produced by Perth and Kinross Education Development Service to assist both primary and secondary schools in reflecting on and reviewing their current strategies for promoting effective learning within a quality framework. It encourages schools to ask three questions which can be applied specifically to the evaluation and promotion of effective learning and effective teaching: how are we doing?; who do we know how we are doing?; and what are we going to do now? Cost £6.
Contact: Bryan Paterson, Perth and Kinross LEA. Tel: 01738 476200.

Reaching Out to All Learners, Peter Greenhalgh, Cheshire LEA. Booklet originally produced by Cheshire LEA to provide an overview of the basic principles of accelerated learning and details of useful resources. It has since been edited and updated by Alistair Smith in 2002. It includes ideas for sustaining the 'mind friendly learning framework in school; details about memory review, recall and retention; powerful facts about learning; and useful websites. Cost £3.95.
Contact: Network Educational Press, PO Box 635, Stafford, ST16 1BF. Tel: 01785 225515. Fax: 01785 228566. Website: www.networkpress.co.uk.

Strategies for Closing the Learning Gap, Mike Hughes. Practical companion to Mike Hughes' earlier book, Closing the Learning Gap. This book highlights some of the key issues emergent from recent discoveries about the brain and offers practical strategies for how to apply this research in the classroom. Published 2001. Cost £15.95.
Contact: Network Educational Press, PO Box 635, Stafford, ST16 1BF. Tel: 01785 225515. Fax: 01785 228566. Website: www.networkpress.co.uk.

Teaching pupils how to learn: research, practice and INSET resources. Bill Lucas, Jill Rodd, Toby Greany and Ray Wicks, Campaign for Learning, ISBN: 1 85530 098 1. The book is divided into three sections: the theory behind and context for Learning to Learn, the findings from the project and the Campaign's MORI survey of school children's attitudes and practical suggestions and a learning mat resource for those teachers wishing to take forward this thinking in their own school. It includes case studies from 24 action research schools throughout.

Think2Read project. The Think2Read project was set up in 2005 to support the teaching of literal, inferential and evaluative thinking. It aims to ensure that, when learning to read, pupils are developing comprehension strategies - prediction, clarification, questioning and summarisation - as well as decoding skills. The project website outlines the concept and provides free downloadable resources. Visit www.think2read.co.uk. Read an article on how the project developed as a result of work in a primary school on children's reading comprehension.

Think About It! - Thinking Skills Activities for Years 3 and 4
This book by Jacquie Buttriss and Ann Callander contains 36 lesson plans with differentiation and extension activities, and photocopiable resources. It is aimed at primary school class teachers, Gifted & Talented coordinators and literacy coordinators. Published by David Fulton, ISBN: 1 84312 234 0. Contact: David Fulton Publishers Ltd., The Chiswick Centre, 414 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5TF; Tel: 02089963611; email: Christopher.glennie@fultonpublishers.co.uk; website: www.fultonpublishers.co.uk.

Websites. Useful website on thinking skills can be found at www.alite.co.uk, www.accelerated-learning.com and www.learntolearn.org

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Blank fans & fan screws - Red Education, 0191 268 4141

Film Fix (detachable A1 whiteboard sheets) - Rahmqvist - 01784 439888 - order no 24370

***Pocket Charts - for display sentences: GLS supplies on 020 8805 8333, Teaching Trends on 020 8444 4473, or TTS on 01773 830255.

Spellbound Word Boards & Flip-over Books (and good wipeboard markers) DES 01727 858542

Spellmagic Sticky Foam Letters & Blank-out Tape (DIY cloze) - Gateway Products 01206 210999

***A4 White boards - PCET sell A4 whiteboards in packs of 30 for £28.78p tel: 020 8567 9206
- TTS Ltd sell sets of 30 A4 whiteboards for £14.95p
or sets of 30 boards, pens  and wiper felts inside plastic folders with zip tops all for £35.00 Tel 01773 830255

Yellow highlighting tape - Nexus 0800 137245

How to Evaluate Education Initiatives. Guide produced by the DfES to take schools through the various processes in a step-by-step approach to evaluation. It includes guidance on drafting evaluation strategies, defining objectives, gathering data and reporting findings.Available free.
Contact the DfES Publications Centre on 0845 60 222 60 quoting reference HEEI.

Bright sparks: an evaluation of a study support programme designed to support the process of transition, Barbara Roberts. Describes and evaluates the Bright Sparks programme. Considers issues related to study support in general. Analyses the Bright Sparks project in eight schools. Published by CEDC 2000 28pp A4. Price inc p&p: £6.55 code 158. Both Bright Sparks publications can be ordered together for £15.00

• Education Epidemic: Transforming secondary schools through innovation networks (July 2003)

Fast Forward, Sue Hackman. Activities to support key stage 3 pupils who are at lower levels. Published by Hodder & Stoughton.

First Steps / Stepping Out. First Steps is a Western Australian programme which provides a framework for developing children's literacy and which offers a diagnostic tool and materials, including software, to help record and report on children's literacy development. Many teachers in the UK have trained as First Steps tutors. This has been built upon to develop Stepping Out, a professional development resource following many of the same learning principles. In the UK, the programme has been tailored to enhance the implementation of the Key Stage 3 Literacy Strategy. It consists of training courses and published standards in middle and secondary schools.
Contact:  Steps PDC, Unit 78, Shrivenham Hundred Business Park, Major's Road, Watchfield, SN6 8TZ. Tel: 01793 787930. Email: admin@steps-pd.co.uk. Website: www.steps-pd.co.uk .

Toe by Toe - diagnostic system for the teaching of reading. More

***What Works in Secondary Schools - Catching up with Basic Skills. A very useful, practical analysis of effective practice in raising standards of basic skills.
Contact: Basic Skills Agency publications order line. Tel 0870 600 2400. Website: www.basic-skills.co.uk

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Study support
 

"Study support is learning activity outside normal lessons which young people take part in voluntarily. Study support is, accordingly, an inclusive term, embracing many activities - with many names and many guises. Its purpose is to improve young people's motivation, build their self-esteem and help them become effective learners. Above all it aims to raise achievement." From Extending Opportunity: a national framework for study support, DfES (1999).

The Study Support Toolkit. This is a vast resource produced by the DfES and comprising a number of separate publications which aim to inform, guide and enhance the development of study support programmes in primary, secondary and special schools. Their particular focus is to help schools to develop a strategic approach, linking study support activities with raising achievement and school improvement. The elements making up the full toolkit are:

• Study Support: making it work in schools - a large folder of practical advice in 'modules' to support staff self development and training to develop or expand study support programmes
• The Study Support Trainers' Pack
• The LEA Pack
• Introductory Guide for Primary Headteachers (with CD)
• Introductory Guide for Secondary Headteachers (with CD

Areas covered by the toolkit include setting up programmes, needs analysis, funding, sustainability, partnerships, monitoring and evaluation, managing, strategic development, training/staff development, staffing, volunteers, adults other than teachers, ICT, arts, sport, community partners and research evidence.
Contact the DfES Publications Centre on 0845 60 222 60. Code: 0163/2000

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