62. Which pupils should be on the SEN register?

While schools do not need to have a SEN register, the SEND Code of Practice does state that every school is “required to identify and address the SEN of the pupils that they support.” This is, to all intents and purposes, the SEN register. Whatever we call the record, there are questions about how we identify when pupils have SEN and when they should be recorded as such.

This staff meeting starter will provide staff with opportunities to discuss which pupils require provision “different from or additional to” that of their peers to access learning or engage in school and are therefore identified with SEN.

61. A framework for reading

Much has been written and debated about effective reading pedagogy and curricula, but the focus has largely been on early reading, helping pupils to crack the alphabetic code and blend black symbols on a page into words, sentences and paragraphs. But this is not all that reading is. Reading for meaning sparks imagination, ideas and emotions. This is how we encourage our pupils to love reading.

This staff meeting starter encourages staff to consider the pedagogy of the teaching of reading and think about how we can sustain excellent reading teaching right through to the end of year 6.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access two training modules relating to Ofsted’s research into English. The research review about reading covers text complexity and progression in comprehension, effective pedagogy and the importance of literary knowledge. The English subject report highlights the strengths and weaknesses seen in the school’s Ofsted visited and shares good practice around all aspects of English including reading. You can find both training modules in the ‘subject research reviews’ section.

60. High-quality interactions in early years

Boosting the quality of early education is important – it benefits every child and is especially vital for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. As children eligible for free school meals are already an average of 4.6 months behind other children by the end of EYFS, this is a big challenge. Research shows that meaningful, high-quality interactions are at the core of successful early education. But with so many challenges facing early years practitioners, how can we turn this research into practical action?

This staff meeting starter encourages practitioners to consider high-quality interactions as a guiding principle for all work in the early years. It provides discussion points for two evidenced-based approaches from the Education Endowment Foundation.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access three training modules based on Ofsted’s Best Start in Life series. The videos focus on what make a high quality education for children in the Early Years.

59. Dialogic teaching

Dialogic teaching aims to improve pupil engagement and attainment by improving the quality of classroom talk. Dialogic teaching can be particularly beneficial in helping pupils develop core skills of listening and responding to others; forming questions; exploring and evaluating ideas; reasoning and justifying opinions.

This staff meeting starter enables staff to consider how using a dialogic teaching framework can help them by encouraging pupils to share thinking, devise learning tasks, assess progress and guide pupils through the challenges they encounter.

58. Mathematical problem solving through metacognition

Recommendation 5 of the EEF’s ​‘Improving Mathematics in key stage two and three’ guidance report suggests that helping pupils to develop metacognitively can be effective in developing their problem-solving knowledge. This means the pupils will have the ability to independently plan, monitor and evaluate their thinking and learning during the problem-solving process. But what does this look like in the classroom?

This staff meeting starter promotes discussion about how to encourage pupils to take responsibility for and take an active role in, their own learning through developing metacognition: the ability to independently plan, monitor and evaluate their thinking and learning.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access a training module about using metacognition in the classroom. We share strategies to embed the use of metacognition when teaching mathematics as well as reading, writing and science. Click the link below to access this video.

57. The importance of schema

In early childhood practice, it is well established that children learn through their senses, absorbing information through what they see, taste, touch, hear and smell. Their complex multisensory interconnections act as the main source of information from the brain, and these, in turn, strengthen their cognitive structures (schemas).

This staff meeting starter encourages practitioners to consider how they use schematic play to encourage children to act out experiences and take risks, testing out and talking about what they already know and can do to strengthen their schema through active exploration, engagement, thinking and investigation.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access a training module about memory and long-term learning which explores how we develop schemas to improve the retention of knowledge and skills. Click the link below to access this video.

56. Self-regulation in the early years

Self-regulation involves a complex range of skills and abilities that enable children to monitor their emotions and thoughts and choose how to adapt their behaviour in different circumstances. Very young children begin to develop their self-regulation, in part, through close support and co-regulation from the adults around them.

This staff meeting starter provides opportunities for staff to discuss how children can gain increased capacity to regulate their thoughts, emotions and actions through teaching, modelling and practise.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access a training module which focuses on the research set out in Ofsted’s Best Start in Life series. The video focuses on the prime areas of learning and considers how schools develop positive emotional experiences and supports children to understand their own social and emotional world.

55. Challenge – the Goldilocks effect

The ‘Goldilocks principle’ states that teachers should focus on material that is not too easy or too hard, but ‘just right’.  The analogy is based on the story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which Goldilocks tastes three different bowls of porridge and she finds that she prefers porridge which is neither too hot nor too cold but has just the right temperature. For optimal learning, a pupil’s cognitive load must be in the Goldilocks zone: neither too minimal to be trivial nor too overwhelming to be insurmountable.

This staff meeting starter will provide staff with opportunities to discuss how they set challenge at an appropriate level for pupils so they are emotionally supported and motivated to persevere.

54. High-quality Religious Education

The scope of religious education (RE) is vast. Through RE, pupils encounter ancient and living traditions that have shaped the world. They explore foundational texts and the way that individuals and groups live in the world, as well as the values, beliefs and ideas that bind people together. However Ofsted’s subject report found that the curriculum does not always provide pupils with the depth of knowledge they require for future learning due to its breadth.

This staff meeting starter provides opportunity for staff to discuss whether the RE curriculum in their school has sufficient substance to prepare pupils to live in a complex world and the content selected is collectively enough to ensure pupils are able to engage in a multi-religious and multi-secular society.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access two training modules relating to Ofsted’s research into Religious Education. Both videos explore the importance of curriculum development, progression and organisation. You can find these training modules in the ‘subject research reviews’ section. To access them quickly, just type ‘religious’ in the search bar or click the button below

53. Building reading proficiency

Proficiency in reading is essential in order for pupils to successfully access the English and broader curriculum. Skilled reading requires accurate, speedy word reading and good language comprehension. Ofsted’s research found that some schools are effective in developing pupils’ reading fluency once they can decode. They provide pupils with lots of opportunities to read aloud and be read to, so they learn how to control the pace and intonation in their reading. However, this is not the case in all schools.

This staff meeting starter provides an opportunity for staff to discuss how the English curriculum develops and builds reading accuracy and fluency.

Linked resources

Premium subscribers can access two training modules relating to Ofsted’s research into English. The research review about reading covers text complexity and progression in comprehension, effective pedagogy and the importance of literary knowledge. The English subject report highlights the strengths and weaknesses seen in the school’s Ofsted visited and shares good practice around all aspects of English including reading. You can find both training modules in the ‘subject research reviews’ section.