How can we ensure every child leaves KS1 with a secure foundation in writing? 📝
It’s about more than just the final product: it's about the process. Explore our evidence-informed approach to handwriting and transcription here: researchschool.org.uk/newcastle/ne...
5/5 That’s a wrap for this term! We’ll be back during the Easter holidays for a special "bonus" look at our final recommendation: Literacy Interventions. 🐣
Read the full report here: d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/e...
Have a restful break, everyone! ☕✨
4/5 A key strategy is Accountable Talk. This moves talk from a social activity to a rigorous academic one by encouraging students to:
🔹 Listen actively
🔹 Build on ideas ("Adding to what Sarah said...")
🔹 Challenge respectfully ("I disagree because...")
3/5 The guidance emphasises that talk must be structured. This means moving beyond talk to your partner and providing:
✅ Scaffolds (like sentence stems)
✅ Specific roles for students
✅ Clear expectations for using Tier 2 & 3 vocabulary.
2/5 High-quality talk isn’t just chatting, it’s a vital cognitive tool. 🗣️
By providing opportunities for structured talk, we allow students to rehearse thoughts and refine vocabulary, building a firmer foundation for their writing.
It’s the bridge between understanding and expert expression.
1/5 It’s Monday and it is #LiteracyThread time! 🎓
To continue our deep-dive into the @theeef.bsky.social
Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools guidance report, we are looking at Recommendation 6: The power of structured talk. 🧵👇
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Master the Evidence: Smarter Decisions in 45 Minutes!
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Don't guess. Use evidence that works.
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Read the full EEF guidance here: d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/e...
6/7 The goal? To help students move from knowledge-telling to knowledge-transforming.
When we treat reading and writing as two sides of the same coin, we help students think like experts in our subjects.
5/7 We can also use reading to anticipate misconceptions.
In Psychology, for example, we might highlight phrases experts use such as: "This theory is supported by..." to steer students away from the common error of saying a theory is "proved".
4/7
✅ Annotation: Use underlining or margin notes to identify specific features, like evidence cited in a Science text or cause and effect language in Geography.
✅ Checklists: Create these based on the model writing students have just read to use in their own work.
3/7 How can we bridge the gap between reading and writing?
✅ Write before reading: Bullet point prior knowledge or generate questions they hope the text will answer.
✅ Summarising: Ask students to write a one-sentence summary of a paragraph to monitor their own comprehension
2/7 Writing is one of the most cognitively demanding tasks we ask students to do.
By reading high-quality texts in our subjects, we give students a model to observe the specific conventions and language of our disciplines.
1/7 Happy Monday! 👋 This week, our #LiteracyThread continues exploring the @theeef.bsky.social Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools guidance.
We’re onto Recommendation 5: Why we must combine writing instruction with reading in every subject. 📖✍️
How can we refine our approach to problem-solving in Maths? 🤔
Join us & @greatnorthmathshub.bsky.social for a FREE webinar on Wednesday 25th March!
📊 KS1–KS4 focus
🕒 4:00 - 4:45 PM
✅ Top tips & Q&A
Register now via the QR code or the link: forms.gle/PikF5Cr6KHYb...
📢 We are thrilled to be presenting at the 2026 EYFS Conference: Wired to Learn at St James’ Park!
Join us and keynote @ProfSamWass to explore early years neuroscience.
📅 Thursday 11 June 2026
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6/6 💡 Ultimately, when we break down writing, we are providing the scaffolding necessary for all students to articulate their expert disciplinary knowledge with precision.
#DisciplinaryLiteracy #EEFGuidance #SecondaryLiteracy
d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/e...
5/6 🤝 Fluency is vital. For students who struggle to get started, consider:
Collaborative writing: Paired work can lower the stakes & generate better ideas.
Scaffold planning: Use graphic organisers or sentence stems to remove the blank page barrier so they can focus on the substance of their ideas.
4/6 Modelling is the key. Don't just set the task. Model the thinking behind it. Show students how you:
Plan an answer
Pause to monitor your own sentence structure for clarity
Evaluate your work against a success criteria.
3/6 🧩 The @theeef.bsky.social suggests we treat writing like a complex task that needs deconstruction. We can support students by explicitly teaching the three stages of the writing process:
Planning
Monitoring
Evaluating
2/6 ✍️ Writing is cognitively demanding. Students are often juggling spelling, punctuation, grammar, and structural conventions while simultaneously trying to organise complex subject knowledge. For many, this cognitive overload leads to disengagement or low-quality output.
1/6 🧵 This week, we turn our attention to the writer’s block often faced by students in the secondary classroom. Rec 4 of the @theeef.bsky.social Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools Guidance Report focuses on breaking down complex writing tasks.
It’s been a powerhouse week at Newcastle Research School!
From robust Pupil Premium evaluation to exploring effective Professional Learning.
We’re proud to be driving evidence-informed practice & collaboration across the NE to raise standards for our most disadvantaged learners.
Join us & Lindsey Fagan from @greatnorthmathshub.bsky.social for our FREE Maths Problem Solving webinar (KS1–KS4)
Rooted in @theeef.bsky.social guidance, we’ll dive into evidence-informed strategies for every classroom.
📅25.03.26
🕐4.00-4.45
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Calling all Year 2 teachers in the North East! 📢
Sign up for Stepping Stones, a new EEF-funded 15-week pilot program focusing on metacognitive strategies to boost mathematical reasoning.
⏳ Deadline: 30 April 2026
Full details and sign-up here:
🔗 educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-...
👀The latest @theeef.bsky.social resource from @corinnesettle.bsky.social for adaptive practice.
'Check. Adapt.' relies on:
1️⃣ Clear learning intentions
2️⃣ Evidence from ALL learners
3️⃣ A safe environment to make mistakes
🔗 educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/checkin...
Post 7/7
Closing the gap starts with the words we choose to teach. By being "word-conscious" in every lesson, we empower students to express their brilliance.
Join us next Monday for Recommendation 3: Breaking down complex texts! 📚
Full report: d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/e...
Post 6/7
Planning is key. Departments should collaborate to identify the 15–20 essential words for each topic. By selecting these during curriculum design, we ensure students encounter them multiple times in different contexts. Consistency is everything! 📈
Post 5/7
One of the most effective tools is the Frayer Model. Instead of just a definition, it asks students for characteristics, examples, and non-examples. This moves learning from "I’ve heard that word" to "I can use that word accurately."