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Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the strategies delivered through Big Writing.

The change in our SATs results is amazing :

2005 KS2 results ? 38% level 4+ / 5% level 5

2006 KS2 results ? 84 % level 4+ / 27% level 5

Dear Ros, I am sitting here with the sounds of Mozart filling the air.....so peaceful and relaxing!

I was at your training day at the Spa in Tunbridge Wells. As you will have gathered we have jumped wholeheartedly into big writing. The staff were so inspired by your day they asked for a special staff meeting to write an action plan! We have ordered every sparkly pen and pencil left in Kent! Ikea has done great business, so has HMV, at this rate Mozart will be at number one in the album chart and what can I say apart from the children are loving it.

The positive vibe around the school is amazing and today I am experiencing it myself as my Deputy is out and I have led the big writing with her class. I wish I taught all the time! After looking at your website I have ordered so many resources.The teachers nearly burst a blood vessel when your interactive cd rom arrived, it is outstanding, you should push that on your courses as it has really invigorated the whole writing process. Thank you again, I will let you know our results........I am more than hopeful now!

2003 L4+ 34% L5 3% (Bought 'purple book' and went on training - Spring 2004)

2004 L4+ 57% L5 7%

2005 L4+ 85% L5 19%

2006 L4+ 89% L5 46%

We can't believe the dramatic improvement in our children's writing skills - thank you!

Our writing results have gone through the roof again this year. Across KS2 we have done better than expected. We had 31% level 5s in English at Y6 in a class with 41%SEN children. The interesting thing is that we are getting as many children achieving L4+ in writing as in reading.

Our writing results this year are a phenomenal 89% Level 4+ (46% level 5)!

I thought you would be really interested in our recent English SATs results.

I have taught my class for 2 years and took them up from year 5 to 6. To cut a long story short.. at the end of year 5 I had 1 level 4 in writing and most of the class were a L3c. Very poor writers.

At the start of year 6, I decided to do 'Big Writing' as I had worked with it at my previous school and seen awesome results. The great news here, is that yet again, VCOP (etc etc) has worked wonders.. miracles even!

In year 5, my kids had a grand total of:

3/30 Level 4s in writing = 13% and 0 level 5s.

End of this year in SATs they achieved:

24/30 = 80% L4+ and 5/30 = 17% L5.

I started Big Writing BIG TIME in September and continued it throughout the year.

Their other SATs grades are just as high too and higher. They have done us proud!!!!

I found the day truly inspirational Ros, (I assure you, to keep me hanging on every word for more than 5 minutes on these courses is an achievement and you managed it all day! Fantastic !)

A colleague told me to watch HOW you delivered as well as WHAT you delivered and I realise that all you were doing was practicing what you preach. I have been teaching in a similar style for 12 years without any recognition or advice (I know we don't do it for recognition but it's nice now and again to know what we are doing is on the right tracks.)

You have truly inspired me, given me the green-light to allow my class to fly. (they've noticed a difference, I've noticed a difference and parents have noticed a difference in just 3 weeks :-) It's not that I've changed my style - it's just got BIGGER!

I know your input was aimed at writing, but I feel it has spread across the rest of the curriculum too. thank you ever so much!

Huge grins because I'm loving it!

Love Lane Primary School is on the Isle of Wight. The current Headteacher, Steve Bartlett and his staff committed to take it out of Special Measures (graded 5/6 two years ago). As raising standards in writing was a key issue the school eagerly adopted Big writing. This month (May 2006) they were removed from category as a result of inspection, being awarded a 3 over all with Teaching and Learning at 2. Steve says the inspection team were impressed by the standards of writing they saw. The following are quotes from the inspection report:

?However, teachers' rising expectations of what the pupils can achieve and improvements in the quality of teaching enable the pupils to make good progress in the majority of lessons. Assessment data is used to effectively track progress in writing and staff respond positively to gaps in the pupils learning by adapting the curriculum and providing additional support. Intervention approaches need to be regularly reviewed as the pupils catch up on previous underachievement.

Results in writing improved throughout the school last year; this has been a key target in the school's improvement and indicates the success of the initiatives. The use of assessment data to inform teaching was a weakness at the time of the last inspection. It is now good in writing.? ( OFSTED, May 2006)

Steve says:

?The Big Writing has had, and continues to have a significant impact upon all of the children. The real key to it has been the passion and enthusiasm that the staff have adopted, and continue to do so. We thank you for your involvement because without it we would have struggled to have made the progress that we have.?

Everyone at Andrell Education Ltd offer our sincere congratulations to the Head teacher, staff and pupils of Love Lane Primary School.

The Deputy Head teacher, Isabell Pasternicki wrote the following to Ros on the 22nd February 2006:

?Dear Ros,

Just to let you know we have just had OFSTED and the inspectors were very impressed by our whole school approach to Big Writing, the feedback given by staff and the tracking of children?s progress. They mentioned other schools in Birmingham where they had seen it in operation. They said although it was early days yet, they felt confident there would be an improvement in the quality of children?s writing as time goes on.

They recommended that we now apply the principles of close marking, next steps and regular reviews of targets to Reading, Mathematics and Science.

Regards, Isabell.?

Delegate(s):

Jacqueline Scott and Nina Givens
(Primary Strategy Consultant in Numeracy)

Content:

Good pace, content and coverage

General Comments:

It was refreshing to hear the good points of the NNS being referred to.

What a fabulous day! Many thanks. We will be 'spreading the word' in our schools.

Thank you.



Delegate(s):

Judith Rainford
(Primary Strategy Consultant in Literacy)

Content, Delivery, Materials:

Excellent

General Comments:

As an LEA we have tried and tested these materials and found them to make a significant impact on raising standards. It has been refreshing today to hear Ros genuinely committed to raising standards for our children .... We will continue to promote these materials widely across the LEA. Thank you for a brilliant day.

Knoplaw Primary School in Newcastle received INSET on Big writing in Spring 2001, whilst still a first school. They were inspected in November 2005 on the revised inspection format, during their last year without a Year 6 following re-organisation, and writing was significantly praised with the R.G.I. commenting that it was the best he had seen for the age of the pupils. The Head teacher, Pauline Dutton, sent us the following excerpts from the OFSTED report:

?The results of the Year 2 national tests in reading, writing and mathematics have been exceptionally and consistently high in the past three years?.Results in writing are exceptionally high and reflect the high quality teaching throughout the school.? (OFSTED, November 2005).

Everyone at Andrell Education Ltd offer our sincere congratulations to the Head teacher, staff and pupils of Knoplaw Primary School.