On Wednesday 27th June 2018, the third Bushey St James Trust Teacher Toolkit 3 took place at Little Reddings Primary School, the theme of which was ‘The Literacy Journey from Early Years to Year 13’.

After staff from across the trust had had the opportunity to have some refreshments and mingle with colleagues from other schools, Carly Simmonds and Natalie Lewis from Little Reddings formally welcomed the staff and thanked them for attending.

The teachers then formed one of six groups and began a carousel of ‘immersion activities’ based on literacy.  The six immersion activity sessions were:

• Foundation Years (Early Years / Reception) – Wai Ling (LR) and Rebecca Cantwell (H)
• Key Stage 1 – Leigh Parr (LR) and Geraldine Allsopp (H)
• Key Stage 2 – Michael McMahon (LR) and Paul Stevenson (H)
• Key Stage 3 – Amy Buck and Kelly Spain (BMS)
• Key Stage 4 – Liam Lester and Sara-Luise Smith (BMS)
• Key Stage 5 – Lynn Court and Stephanie Knowles (BMS)

Each immersion activity lasted for 12 minutes, in which time a very brief overview of what students were introduced to during that particular Key Stage was given, before the teachers then completed a fun and interactive learning task – just as the students would do.

After completing all six sessions, teachers were then able to piece together ‘The Literacy Journey from Early Years to Year 13’ and this provided an invaluable insight into how each element builds on the previous and lays a foundation for future progress.

The success and enjoyment experienced by staff across the trust has meant that three more Bushey St James Trust Teacher Toolkit sessions have already been calendared for next year.