What is the Partner School programme?

Following an audit from Kernow English Hub, we will be able to offer some schools further intensive support under our Partner School Programme.

What does a Partner School receive?

• Up to 12 days support (over 2 years) in early reading from one of our highly-trained Literacy Specialists.
• Coaching in phonics lessons.
• Modelling teaching and leading training sessions with teachers and teaching assistants.
• Up to £9000 funding towards the cost of phonics training and resources.
• £150 back-fill after each Literacy Specialist day to cover the cost of release time
• Free webinars and conferences.
• SSP training.

Challenge Checklist

As a Partner School, we will support you to drive standards in teaching reading and early language development. We use the DfE’s Challenge Checklist to inform our work in these areas:

• Teach with fidelity to an SSP programme.
• Make a strong start in Reception.
• Ensure the cumulative progression of sounds and books.
• Build a team of expert reading teachers.
• Reach the lowest 20%.
• Build talking and listening into all activities throughout the whole day.
• Develop pupils’ listening comprehension and language by reading aloud and talking about stories, poems and non-fiction books.

Currently, Kernow English Hub is working with 65 schools across Cornwall and has been successful in improving teaching, phonic screening scores and OFSTED outcomes.

How can I become a Partner School?

Priority is given to schools who can demonstrate a need for support and the capacity to effect change.

Primary schools interested in becoming a partner school next year will need to meet 2 of the eligibility criteria:

• Lower than average percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in the  Phonics Screening Check (PSC).

• Lower than average PSC scores for disadvantaged pupils.
• Primary schools where the bottom 20% of children are not on course to reach the expected standard.
• Primary schools with a higher than average proportion of children are eligible for pupil premium.

• Primary schools that sit in an education investment area, which includes Cornwall.
• Previous partner schools who last received intense support two or more years ago have experienced significant change and have not been able to maintain improvements in SSP scores.
• Primary schools with a high proportion of groups considered hard to reach, such as EAL, FSM, travellers.
• Schools referred by local partners (e.g. NLEs, RSC, LAs).
• Primary schools where standards in phonics are identified as areas for development through Ofsted inspection findings.
• Primary schools where there is a risk of declining standards in phonics.