At Joseph Cash Primary School, in Coventry, more than two-thirds of pupils speak English as an additional language while 40 per cent are eligible for pupil premium. But this hasn’t stopped the school’s reading results in key stage 2 rising dramatically over the past two years, from 40 per cent to 74 per cent of pupils attaining the expected standard.
The English department was praised as “brilliant” by children’s author Nicki Thornton, who visited the school after teacher Ms Sandhu contacted her on Twitter. The Last Chance Hotel author, who was interviewed for the school newspaper, later wrote a letter to pupils saying: “I loved reading your fantastic newspaper reports and seeing all the ideas that came out of your careful reading.”
The team, which was the overwhelming winner in this category, has recently overseen a huge development of the English curriculum. New texts, which are started each half-term, are carefully chosen to be purposeful and raise aspirations, and each pupil receives their own copy. Staff have also introduced debating as a key part of the curriculum to help pupils develop the confidence to speak in front of others.
Physical changes to the school building have been made to enable easier access to the school library, including for families. Since 2016, reading results at key stage 1 have increased by 11 per cent while phonics screening results have increased by 26 per cent in the past two years.
Judges were particularly impressed with the English department’s Cashanory project, where children and staff read and record stories for families to listen to at home via the school’s YouTube channel. “The Cashanory reading aloud scheme for home listening stood out for us as very special but the teachers clearly go the extra mile in all kinds of other ways,” they said. “There is a strong emphasis on talk for learning, debating activities are a special feature...and the teachers generate exciting classroom scenarios for storytelling.”
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