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44 | www.teachwire.net of English are not in place. Furthermore, they suggest that oral composition activities take place less frequently than they should. If teaching spoken language is an area of weakness for you, begin by increasing your familiarity with the national curriculum objectives for spoken language, and the non-statutory guidance that accompanies them. The Progression in Spoken Language document created by Primary English is a useful tool to use for this ( tinyurl.com/tp-Progression ) . You can also visit the Voice21 website ( voice21. org ) for ideas about how to teach the different aspects of spoken language. Finally, make sure you build oral composition into writing teaching sequences: if children can’t say it, they can’t write it. Selecting texts Most schools teach English through texts, using these as models for the writing that children will create. The Telling the Story report suggests that teachers should choose texts for their merits as texts to teach English rather than because they link with the broader curriculum. This is not far from the advice I give to the schools I work with, and which goes something like this: if the curriculum-linked text is high quality and exemplifies the written features you want your children to learn about, use it! If the text links with your wider curriculum but is at the wrong pitch or lacks the depth and richness you are looking for, choose a different text. Reading for pleasure Primary schools are working hard to ensure that reading for pleasure is put at the centre of their provision, and this is acknowledged in the Telling the Story report. It explains that story times are a regular feature in Reception and KS1 classrooms, that children enjoy and value these sessions, but that in KS2, despite having a place on timetables, teachers frequently run out of time to read to their children. This is certainly something that I encounter in my advisory work. One suggestion I’ve made to schools is to help secure regular story times in KS2 by moving story time to a part of the day where it less likely to be missed off. Immediately after lunch time can work quite well. I also suggest using assemblies to read a short story or book to the children. Keeping up with CPD Continuing professional development and training came through as an area for development. The report notes that teachers in Reception and KS1 do receive training in phonics. Beyond this, the main type of English training tends to be on moderation of writing, and teachers make little mention of the English associations or the English hubs. The report authors suggest that as a result of this there is a need for training to improve subject knowledge. I’ve CPD TIPS Engage with your local English hub and make use of their expertise. Consider an individual or school membership to at least one of the English associations. The UKLA and National Literacy trust are good places to start. Make contact with your local Independent English Consultant. There are lots of us about, with many years of expertise in training teachers in English. Create a staff CPD library. Fill it with books about English teaching. Staff could read these at their leisure, or you could use them to create your own CPD sessions. Rachel Clarke has 28 years’ experience as a primary educator. She is celebrating her 10th year as the director of Primary English, an independent consultancy working with primary teachers across the world. @PrimaryEnglish provided some of my own CPD recommendations in the panel above. In this piece I’ve covered just a few of the areas included in the report. There are plenty more to consider, including spelling, teaching comprehension effectively, reading fluency, and vocabulary. The report prompts us to consider how we are teaching English in our schools and settings. Not to create a tick list in preparation for inspection, but to evaluate our practice and consider what changes we may want to make to ensure that all children achieve success. TP