Early Years – Oxford Education Podcast

28: Supporting teachers in Wales with reading

By Oxford Education | November 18, 2022

Rob Randel

Andrea Quincey

Andrea Quincey and Rob Randal discuss how we can support the teaching of reading in Wales.

We look at the current context of reading instruction in Wales and explore the science of reading before going on to discuss Rob’s experiences of using a phonics programme in his school.

We talk about the many aspects involved in teaching children to read including the importance of routine and repetition, and why matched decodable books matter. We also cover the challenges of transition and supporting children at secondary school.

Andrea Quincey is Director of Primary Literacy at Oxford University Press. She has worked in educational publishing – with a focus on primary literacy – for over 20 years and has contributed to some of the UK’s most popular literacy programmes, most notably the award-winning Project X series. In her current role she manages a market-leading product portfolio that, as well as Project X, includes the globally renowned Oxford Reading Tree and the highly effective Read Write Inc. programmes.

Rob Randel has been a primary teacher in south Wales for 16 years. Having promoted high quality and evidence-informed early reading instruction for several years, he has a wealth of experience in advising school leaders and teachers about the science of reading, and how they can best evaluate their current provision. Since 2021, he has been a committee member of the Reading Reform Foundation and an advisory group member to the International Foundation of Early Reading Instruction. Rob tweets at @robrandel

Further support available from OUP:

18. Essential Letters and Sounds: getting all children to read well, quickly

By Oxford Education | August 16, 2021

Caroline Derby talks to Tara Dodson and Katie Press to chat about Essential Letters and Sounds, a new DfE validated phonics programme developed by Knowledge Schools Trust English Hub and published by Oxford University Press.

Caroline Derby is Head of Phonics and Early Literacy publishing at Oxford University Press. She has been a children’s and educational publisher for many years, specialising in primary literacy. She is also vice-chair of governors at a nursery school in Oxford.

Tara Dodson has many years of experience in supporting schools across London as Reading Lead and developing CPD programmes for phonics and early reading. She is the English Hub Lead for the Knowledge Schools Trust English Hub.

Katie Press is a specialist English teacher, supporting schools in developing their phonics practice and modelling high quality phonics and early reading teaching. She is the English Lead for the Knowledge Schools Trust Primaries and a Literacy Specialist for the KST English Hub.

Further reading and support:

Find out more about Essential Letters and Sounds.
Is ELS the right SSP programme for your school? Watch our on-demand webinar where Tara and Katie are joined by Debbie James, Tanya Freeman and Lauren Heawood. They discuss why they chose the programme, how they’ve implemented it in their schools, what the successes and challenges have been, and how their pupils are getting on.

16. Identity, Awe & Wonder: giving every young person a voice and ways to bring vibrancy into the classroom with Aaron Bradbury

By Oxford Education | July 1, 2021

Aaron Bradbury

Helen Prince and Aaron Bradbury discuss the importance of creating a sense of belonging in the classroom and Aaron offers three ideas for teachers to take away around diversity, equity and inclusion.

Aaron is Principal Lecturer Early Years and Childhood (Learning and Development, Psychology, Special Educational Needs and Inclusion) at Nottingham Trent University. Aaron is the Chair of the LGBTQIA+ Early Years Working group and advocates for representation in the Early Years. He is a Member of the Coalition for the Early Years on the Birth to Five Matters and currently researching on Early Childhood workforce, The voice of the child, and Pioneers of Early Childhood. He is also Co-Chair of the Early Years Academy and owner of Early Years Reviews, Team Early Childhood Podcast.

Further reading and support:

Learner identity and Awe and wonder are two pillars of the Oxford Smart Curriculum. Find out more and read the curriculum direction paper.

3. Covid’s impact on Early Years teaching – how to identify and address gaps in learning

By Oxford Education | March 17, 2021

Helen Prince and Phil Minns chat about the joy of working in an Early Years setting, and discuss the impact of school closures on Early Years learning. They look at how to identify and prioritize which gaps to focus on, as well as discussing the importance of EYFS teachers working with KS1 teachers to ensure children have the basics to build on in the next step in their education.

Phil also talks about his time with Ofsted and the rewarding moments of working with schools. A funny and light-hearted conversation covering everything from drama and stories to crisp flavours and musicals!

Phil is one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and is the specialist advisor for Early Years and Primary education. He has been Assistant Director of Children’s Services with responsibility for education, SEND and Early Years.

Further reading and support:

Find out about Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), an evidence based intervention programme for children aged 4-5 to overcome language difficulties, independently evaulated by the EEF.
Word Sparks is a collection of fiction and non-fiction titles to help improve Early Years vocabulary and phonics.
Explore our ebooks library for Letters and Sounds.
Little Blending Books is a collection of books to help children practise sounding and blending words.
Kalim started in Reception as one of the youngest in his year. He started to learn sounds in September and by April could read, enjoy and understand simple storybooks. Watch his reading journey with Read Write Inc. Phonics.