ResearchED 2015 Swindon_print_nobleed

Literacy 

Secondary 

English & Literacy 

Conference 

Programme 

Saturday 7th November 2015 

Swindon Academy 

2015 

www.workingoutwhatworks.com

Our aims and values 

1. To raise the research literacy of 

educators, in order for them to 

possess the critical skills necessary 

to challenge and understand the 

quality of research they encounter. 

2. To bring together as many parties 

affected by educational research - 

e.g. teachers, academics, 

researchers, policy makers, teachertrainers 

- in order to establish healthy 

relationships where field-specific 

expertise is pooled usefully. 

3. To promote collaboration between 

research-users and research-creators 

so that educators become more 

involved in the questions posed for 

research to answer, the data 

generated in that process, and in the 

consideration of the meaning of that 

data. 

4. To help educators become as aware 

as possible of significant obstacles - 

e.g. biases - in their own 

understanding of learning and 

education, and to locate the best 

methods of empirical enquiry and 

analysis in those fields. 

5. To promote, where possible, 

research of any discipline that has 

been shown to have significant 

evidence of impact in education, and 

to challenge research that lacks 

integrity, or has been shown to be 

based on doubtful methodologies. 

6. To explore 'what works' in the field 

of education, and to explore what the 

concepts contained in that statement 

might mean, as well as to consider 

the limitations of scientific enquiry in 

this area as well as the opportunities. 

Programme design design Alex Alex Weatherall @a_weatherall / Photographs © L Golton 

2 


Welcome to 

Literacy 

2015 

Welcome to researchED English and Literacy conference. This is the 

third researchED event that's focussed on this vital area. We're 

proud to have teamed up with the acclaimed David Didau and 

Swindon Academy in one of our first outsourced events. The 

partners bring their drive, talent and resources to the researchED 

concept and make it their own, while still retaining the unique DNA 

of researchED that makes it an exciting and vital new feature on the 

educational landscape. 

To make the most of your day, choose sessions that interest, but 

also challenge you. Build your own CPD experience, talk to the 

speakers, pose difficult questions, and ask where to go next. Steal, 

share and give away ideas, and you'll get the most out of the day. 

And I hope it's a wonderful day for you. 

Tom Bennett 

Founder, researchED 

Earlier this year researchED organised two primary school literacy 

conferences, one in London, one in Leeds. I was asked to speak at both 

and while I had a wonderful time I caught myself thinking, Hey! Why 

haven’t we got one of these for secondary teachers? So, in a fit of 

nervous enthusiasm, I approached Tom and asked him whether he’d be 

up for licensing a researchEd spinoff - like TEDx but better: rEDx. 

And so it came to pass. As I’m an English teacher by training and 

inclination I made this all about English and literacy. In this 

endeavour I’ve received untold support and wise advice from Hélène Galdin-O'Shea as well as 

a few curt nods of approval from Mr Bennett himself. Thank you to all the wonderful speakers 

who’ve given up their time for free, to Alex Weatherall (a science teacher, bless him) for 

spending half term hammering my disorganised scribblings into the work of art you’re 

currently reading, to Ruth Robinson and the team at Swindon Academy for their unstinting 

enthusiasm and generosity, to Crown House and United Learning for their sponsorship, and of 

course to you all for dragging your selves out of bed on a Saturday to discuss and consider 

what the research suggests about how to be the best English teacher you can be. 

Ta very much, 

David Didau 

3 


Welcome to 

Literacy 

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the delegates attending the 

ResearchEd Literacy Conference. Swindon Academy, which opened in 

September 2007, was the first all-through academy in the UK. The 

academy serves two white working class council estates in Swindon - 

Penhill and Pinehurst, whose IDACI deprivation scores are in the bottom 

10% nationally. The academy has over 1680 pupils on roll, aged from 2 – 

18. There are 860 pupils in the Primary Phase, 505 in the Secondary 

phase in Years 7 – 11 and 320 in the Sixth Form, which includes 240 

students who study in the Sports Academy based at local football clubs. 

An overarching Senior Leadership Team creates the vision, direction and 

strategy for the academy, and has representatives from both the Primary 

and Secondary Phase on its membership. 

The academy is on a journey of transformation and improvement. Its leaders and teachers are fiercely 

ambitious for its pupils and constantly seek evidence informed approaches to raising achievement. A 

team of Researchers in Residence are monitoring the impact of a range of improvement strategies, 

which include the introduction of a Mastery Curriculum, the use of Accelerated Reader and the 

implementation of Teach Like a Champion approaches across the whole school. In addition a range of 

interventions for target groups of pupils are being monitored, including the Youth At Risk project and the 

use of sports coaches to offer individual support and tuition for targetted pupils. 

In the summer of 2015, the impact of these approaches was seen, with the percentage of Year 6 pupils 

achieving Level 4 in Reading Writing and Maths increasing by 11 percentage points from 59% to 70%. For 

Year 11, the percentage achieving 5 or more A*-C grades including English and maths rose by 13 

percentage points from 40% to 53%. 

Have a successful day here at Swindon Academy, 

Ruth Robinson, Academy Principal 

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Sessions 

10:00 – 10:15 

Literacy 

Welcome 

Ruth Robinson and Tom Bennett 

A warm welcome to the day. 

Main Hall 

Session One 10:20 – 11:05 

Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: a Transformative Approach to Learning 

Keynote: Professor Ray Land, School of Education, Durham University 

Main Hall 

What are the critical transformative points within any programme of learning – the ‘jewels in the 

curriculum’ – and why do so many students tend to get stuck at these points? 

Session Two 11:10 – 11:55 

Using threshold concepts to plan an English curriculum 

David Didau 

Main Hall 

Drawing on the work of Ray Land and Jan Meyer, this session looks at how we might identify 

threshold concepts in English and integrate the research with what we know about cognitive 

psychology. 

Canon and Character 

Summer Turner 

Primary Hall 

Across the political spectrum there is a call for schools to build character and prepare pupils for 

the world of work; so what place does that leave for an academic curriculum? In this session 

Summer will explore the complex history of curriculum design and why a strong academic 

curriculum deserves to be at the heart of all schools today. 

Speaking Good: Rhetoric in English 

Sara Stafford & Andrew Fitch 

Our implementation of The Trivium in English, and beyond, at Highbury Grove. 

Dance Studio 

Research-informed classroom practices to ensure weaker students make more progress. 

James Murphy 

6th Form 

For struggling students, it is essential that they catch up early. Classroom practice often inhibits 

rapid progress when there are weaknesses with foundation skills. Remedial classes often lower 

expectations. This session considers research-evidenced practices that can be integrated into 

curricula and classroom routines in reading, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension. 

Using self-study for English teachers to investigate their own practice 

Vincent Lien & Frank Cornelissen 

Conference Room 

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Sessions 

Literacy 

Break 

Session Three 12:20 – 13:10 

The Complex Matter of Reading 

Debra Kidd 

Main Hall 

Exploring the problems with too intense a focus on synthetic phonics at the expense of other 

aspects of reading - particularly the importance of reading for pleasure. 

Ozymandias – Shattering the Visage of English Curriculum Design 

Nick Wells & Krisha Hendra 

Dance Studio 

Mastery is a buzzword in education at the moment. We’ll explain what we mean by mastery at 

Swindon Academy and the approach we've taken in defining what could be meant by mastery in 

English. We’ll explore how mastery might conflict with and/or sit neatly with the idea of 

threshold concepts, how it fits with our assessment model and what the risks and shortfalls 

we've encountered so far are in terms of assessment. 

Grammar and the Art of Learning to Write 

Katie Ashford 

6th Form 

Grammar is the foundation of good writing. Mastering the basics- including the parts of speech – 

is vital for pupils’ understanding of how language works. In this talk, Katie will share how 

grammar is sequenced and taught at Michaela Community School. 

Memory in English 

Jo Facer 


With new English specifications demanding closed-book exams, this session will explore ways 

to build students’ memories through English lessons, along with exploring the science behind 

memory with an English focus. Practical strategies shared for ensuring students remember 

quotations, themes, characters, plot, techniques and context, along with curriculum planning 

which takes memory into account. 

LUNCH 

14:05 - 14:15 

Research Lead - NATE 

Amy Forrester 

Main Hall 

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Sessions 

Literacy 

Session Four 14:20 – 15:10 

Best bets & firm footings: can our evidence enhance our teaching of English? 

Andy Tharby 

Main Hall 

In this session, Andy will draw upon his experiences as an English teacher on a full teaching 

timetable to consider ways we can make evidence work for us; he will also examine the 

challenges this can present and suggest some simple, manageable ways forward. 

The Road Goes Ever On: How research has informed the development of Thinking Reading 

Dianne Murphy 

Primary Hall 

How research has informed the development of Thinking Reading, enabling students to catch 

up quickly and completely. Considering programme design, effective instruction, selection of 

content, and dealing with myths 

The Elements of Progression: threshold concepts meet mastery learning 

Phil Stock 

Dance Studio 

This session will explore how our English department has developed an assessment framework 

at key stage three to replace national curriculum levels. The model, now in its second year and 

since adopted by the rest of the school, is focused on supporting long-term learning and 

provides clear signposts for what expected progress should look like for different learners over 

time. The lessons learned from the experience to date will be shared, along with details of how 

the assessment model is currently being used by class teachers and school leaders to help 

improve student learning. 

Improving students’ understanding through direct vocabulary instruction 

Josie Mingay 

6th Form 

Drawing on a combination of research evidence and personal experience of implementation 

across the curriculum, Josie will outline why the explicit teaching of vocabulary is crucial to the 

learning process. An insight into the programmes and strategies that have become established at 

Greenshaw in the past couple of years will be shared; the foundations of these interventions 

being firmly rooted in research. 

The SUPER Power of Collegial Networks in School: Research, Education and English 

Frank Cornelissen 


The longstanding SUPER network of the Faculty of Education of the University of Cambridge 

and partner schools are collaboratively researching and developing educational practice in 

schools. At the heart of these processes are the school and university colleagues who are 

productively interacting and collaborating with each other. We will look at the (often hidden) 

power of understanding and leveraging these collegial interactions for research, education and 

English at one of the SUPER partnership schools. 

3 Ideas plus 1 Hypothesis from an A-Grade Student 

Leah K Stewart 

Classroom 

This will be a passionately delivered proposal for teacher-led research into the importance of 

human connections and lived experiences within language and literature studies. 

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Sessions 

Session Five 15:15 – 16:05 

Literacy 

Of Skyscrapers and Sand… or Put Those Comprehension Strategies Down 

Eric Kalenze 

Main Hall 

The Importance of Background Knowledge Foundations to Effective Textual Comprehension & 

Analysis. Using demonstration and research review, this seminar will focus on the importance of 

background knowledge to students' effective comprehension and analysis of text. Also, it will provide 

some suggestions of how teachers can build such foundations without major adjustments to 

curricular resources and programming. 

Phonics isn't ‘baby stuff’, it's ‘adult stuff’. 

Debbie Heppelwhite 

Primary Hall 

Like behaviour management, should the whole teaching profession be trained in phonics for supporting 

older learners as required as part of a teachers’ basic tool kit? The vast majority of literate adults routinely 

apply phonics to reading, spelling, writing and typing new, longer and more challenging words and don’t 

even realise it. Debbie will provide a highly-practical insight into the teaching of the most complex 

alphabetic code in the world for longer-term spelling and support for mainstream, intervention and 

teaching English as a new or additional language. What could this ‘look like’ for the secondary sector? 

The Dialogic English Classroom: Making Talk Meaningful 

Carl Hendrick 

Dance Studio 

Stop PEEing 

Louisa Enstone 

6th Form 

A school based project on initial essay writing in English Literature. A year long project testing 

very structured and entirely unstructured approaches to writing literature essays. 

English teachers are (not) teachers of English: language focus in the English classroom 

Kamil Trzebiatowski 


This talk will begin by presenting the findings from my research, conducted at a secondary school, into 

the attitudes of mainstream teachers and EAL learners to mainstreaming and EAL withdrawal lessons. 

The citation above, from an English teacher participating in the study, will then serve as a springboard 

for a discussion of the ways and strategies in which EAL learners can be taught high-level academic 

literacy skills they require to be successful at GCSE exams. Semantic Waves, the Power Trio and DART 

strategies will be amongst the strategies discussed in this highly practical session. 

Action research for beginners 

Amy Forrester 

Classroom 

This session is aimed at those who wish to start conducting action research in their own 

classroom. It is an interactive session and participants will leave the session understanding 

how to do action research, potentially with a specific plan for their own piece of research and 

return to school with a clear plan to implement. 

16:10 - 16:30 

Plenary 

Tom Bennett, researchED Director and David Didau 

8 

Main Hall 


Speakers 

Literacy 

Professor Ray Land is Professor of Higher Education at Durham University and 

Director of Durham’s Centre for Academic Practice. He previously held similar 

positions at the Universities of Strathclyde, Coventry and Edinburgh. He has been a 

higher education consultant for the OECD and the European Commission and has 

recently been involved in two European Commission higher education projects in 

Europe and Latin America. He is currently advisor to the Norwegian TRANSark project on 

architectural education. He has published widely in the field of educational research, including 

works on educational development, learning technology and quality enhancement. He is best 

known for his theory (with Jan Meyer) of Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge. His 

last book (with George Gordon) was Enhancing Quality in Higher Education: International 

Perspectives (Routledge 2013). A new book, Threshold Concepts in Practice (Sense, Rotterdam) 

will be published later this year. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Principal Fellow 

of the Higher Education Academy 

Katie Ashford is the Director of Inclusion at Michaela Community School, a newly 

opened free school in Wembley, London. Katie trained on the Teach First programme 

in 2011 and has since specialised in SEN teaching and the teaching of reading. Katie 

has written for the Times Education Supplement, has spoken at national education 

conferences and was the co-author of ‘How to Start on Teach First: English’. She 

blogs at Tabularasaeducation.wordpress.com 

Frank Cornellissen is a research fellow at the Faculty of Education at the University 

of Cambridge. Previously he worked in the Netherlands in the field of education as 

an elementary school teacher, consultant, lecturer, researcher and senior policy 

advisor of the Dutch Education Council. Currently he also runs a petition for free 

access to research for teachers in the Netherlands. 

At the heart of educational improvement processes are the educators who are productively 

interacting and collaborating with each other; in his studies Frank uses social network analyses 

to explore the (often hidden) potential of understanding and leveraging these social interactions 

and relationships among educators in schools. Currently he is conducting a collaborative study in 

the context of the well established 'SUPER' research partnership between the University of 

Cambridge and local partnership schools. Together with partner schools he investigates the way 

that research-based knowledge is shared and used in/for educational practice. The aim is to 

understand the way education can foster research with real impact in practice. 

David Didau As well as working with the English department at Swindon Academy, 

David writes books and blogs about education. 

Louisa Enstone is the KS3 Lead English teacher for a large comprehensive in SE 

London. She has worked for the last six years in schools in London. Before that she 

taught TEFL to immigrants newly arrived in the UK and before that she worked in the 

City. 

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Speakers 

Literacy 

Jo Facer is Assistant Principal for Curriculum Design at Globe Academy in South 

London, implementing a curriculum with memory as its key focus. Previously Head of 

English in North London, she has previously built up whole-school reading for 

enjoyment. She blogs at readingallthebooks.com. 

Amy Forrester is in her 7th Year of teaching in Secondary schools in Cumbria. She 

completed an MA in Teaching and Learning in 2013 which gave her the research bug. 

In her spare time, she is also Research Officer for NATE, the National Association for 

the Teaching of English. 

Carl Hendrick is the head of learning and research at Wellington College where he is 

also currently acting head of English. He is also completing a PhD in English 

education at King's College London. He has taught for several years in both the state 

and independent sectors where has worked on several cross-sectoral collaborations. 

His areas of interest are practitioner-led research in schools, Bakhtin and dialogism. 

In 2014 he established the Wellington Learning and Research Centre. Among the many projects 

he is managing is a two year collaboration with Harvard Graduate School of Education faculty 

evaluating Growth Mindsets and student self efficacy. 

Deborah Hepplewhite is a former primary special needs teacher and headteacher. 

She is the author of the online Phonics International programme for all ages and the 

Oxford Reading Tree Floppy’s Phonics Sounds and Letters programme. She is 

currently an international synthetic phonics consultant and trainer, and known as a 

controversial speaker. Debbie is a member of the UK Reading Reform Foundation, 

associate of Educators International and a founder member of the International Foundation for 

Effective Reading Instruction (IFERI). She helped to inform the UK parliamentary inquiry 

(Teaching Children to Read, March 2005) and Sir Jim Rose’s independent review (Final Report, 

March 2006). Debbie provides a free advisory service internationally for individuals and charities, 

and various freely-available phonics guidance resources including: Alphabetic Code Charts, 

Alphabet Posters, Handwriting Resources. 

Eric Kalenze is an educational consultant from Minnesota (USA). He is the author of 

Education Is Upside-Down: Reframing Reform to Focus on the Right Problems. 

Debra Kidd has worked in education for over twenty years, teaching children from 

the ages of 4 right through to post-graduate Master's students. She is an Associate 

for the Royal Society of Arts and for Independent Thinking Ltd. Her first book, 

'Teaching: Notes from the Frontline' was published in 2014, her second, an 

adaptation of her doctoral thesis, ‘Becoming Mobius’ was published in early 2015. 

She is a columnist for Teach Primary and a regular writer for Teach Secondary. She is a 

passionate advocate for the Arts and works frequently for the International Schools’ Theatre 

Association and is the co-founder and organiser of Northern Rocks – one of the largest teaching 

and learning conferences in the UK. 

10 


Speakers 

Literacy 

Vincent Lien has been an English teacher at Harrogate Grammar School since 

2007. Previously, he worked as a Teaching Assistant and an unqualified English 

teacher before gaining his Qualified Teacher Status. After receiving his DPhil 

(York), MA (Bangor) and BA in Taiwan, in English Literature, Vincent went on to 

complete an MEd at Cambridge. His research interests include teacher identity and 

teacher professionalism. Identifying himself as a teacher researcher, Vincent finds inspiration 

in critical pedagogy. He continues to share his research into his own practice on his blog page: 

fratribus@wordpress.com. Vincent set up an ePetition to call for free access to research 

journals for teachers in August, 2014. 

Josie Mingay is Literacy Leader at Greenshaw High School. Having taught previously 

at primary level, Josie now leads intervention programmes to support weaker 

readers across the school and develops literacy resources to aid teachers in 

mainstream lessons across the departments. Recently appointed as Lead Learner, 

Josie is passionate about making the best use of educational research to inform her 

pedagogical practice in the classroom. 

Dianne Murphy is a secondary school reading specialist and designer of the 

research-evidenced intervention Thinking Reading. She has spent nine years setting 

up and running Literacy Centres in NZ and the UK, for students reading significantly 

behind. For the last two years she has been training staff to implement Thinking 

Reading in their schools. 

James Murphy is currently AP at a London academy. Formerly DP, HOD English in 3 

schools, Learning Support Co-ordinator. Leadership and teaching roles in NZ and UK 

secondary schools, including: raising English achievement, whole school behaviour 

change, CPD initiatives, whole school literacy, restructuring inclusion. Researchoriented 

M Ed, Post-Graduate SEN Diploma. Interests: instructional design, research 

evaluation, teacher development. Writer, blogger. 

Sara Stafford & Andy Fitch Sara is Assistant an Headteacher & Director 

of Research, Andy is second in charge of English and Director of Spoken 

Literacy. Both work at Highbury Grove School. 

Leah K Stewart has founded Beyond the Box Education where she's offering young 

introverted big-thinkers a free video guide showing how to connect with leaders of 

the field they care about and, in doing so, make a real positive difference in our 

world. She's a straight-A student with a 1st Class MSc from the University of 

Birmingham. Her articles on schooling have been featured in the Huffington Post 

Blog, Schools Improvement Net and across the pond on a US Education Website. As a relative 

newcomer to the field of education debate she brings clarity and freshness that has been called 

'inspiring'. Connect with Leah on twitter @LearntSchool and from her website 

www.LeahKstewart.com 

11 


Speakers 

Literacy 

Phil Stock is Assistant Headteacher at Greenshaw High School in Sutton. His main 

areas of responsibility are teaching and learning, staff professional growth and the 

development of literacy across the curriculum. Phil has been teaching for 12 years 

and worked in three different schools in a variety of different roles, including Head of 

English. 

Andy Tharby is a secondary English teacher who also holds the role of Research and 

Development leader at his school. He writes a regular blog, Reflecting English, and 

has recently co-authored a book on teaching and learning, Making Every Lesson 

Count. 

Kamil Trzebiatowski (@ktlangspec) is a secondary EAL coordinator in Kingston- 

Upon-Hull – with 16 years’ English language teaching experience in England, 

Scotland and Poland. He is a recognised and respected speaker at numerous events 

(conferences and TeachMeets) across the UK, where he advises teachers on 

language and the distinct EAL pedagogy, sharing practice and EAL-related research. 

He has recently finished writing his MEd for the University of the West of Scotland on the issues 

of EAL mainstreaming vs withdrawal. He regularly writes for his own blog Valuing and Protecting 

Diversity, promoting diversity, bilingualism and language and content teaching. 

Summer Turner is Director of Teaching and Learning at the East London Science 

School, where she also leads the English and Languages Faculty. Summer read 

English and Classics at the University of St Andrews, before completing a PGCE at 

Kings College London, and has been teaching in London schools since 2008. 

Summer blogs and tweets about education and was recently named as one of the 

top 101 teachers to follow on Twitter. She regularly speaks at teaching events, which have 

included BETT Futures and WomenEd. Summer has recently been commissioned to write a book 

for Bloomsbury on Curriculum Design and Assessment, which will be out next year. 

She blogs at https://ragazzainglese.wordpress.com/ and is on Twitter as @ragazza_inglese 

Nick Wells & Krisha Hendra 

Krisha Hendra is Curriculum Leader for English at Swindon Academy. 

Nick Wells is Vice Principal Responsible for Teaching, Learning and 

literacy and line manages the English and Humanities faculties. 

Tom Bennett is a teacher in Dagenham, East London. He writes a weekly column and 

blog for the TES, is founder and director of researchED, and is the UK government 

behaviour advisor. In 2014 he was nominated as one of only two teachers in the UK 

for the Global Teacher Prize, and regularly appears in the press and on TV 

campaigning for teachers' voices to be recognised. 

12 


Notes 

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Notes 

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Notes 

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Literacy 

10:00 – 10:15 

Main Hall Primary Hall Dance Studio 6th Form Conference Classroom 

Welcome 

Tom Bennett & Ruth Robinson, Principal of Swindon Academy 

Session One 

10:15 – 11:00 

Keynote 

Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: a Transformative Approach to Learning. 

Ray Land, School of Education, Durham University 

Session Two 

11:05 – 11:55 

Threshold Concepts 

Curriculum Design 

David Didau 

Canon and Character 

Summer Turner 

Speaking Good: 

Rhetoric in English 

Sara Stafford & Andrew Fitch 

Research-informed 

Progress 

James Murphy 

Self Study 

Vincent Lien & Frank 

Cornelissen 

Refreshments 

Session Three 

12:20 – 13:10 

The Complex Matter 

of Reading 

Debra Kidd 

Ozymandias 

Nick Wells & Krisha 

Hendra 

Grammar and the Art 

of Learning to Write 

Katie Ashford 

Memory in English 

Jo Facer 

Lunch 

14:05 – 14:15 

Amy Forrester, NATE 

Session Four 

14:20– 15:10 

Best Bets and Firm 

Footings 

Andy Tharby 

The Road Goes 

Ever On 

Dianne Murphy 

The Elements of 

Progression 

Phil Stock 

Understanding through Research-based 

direct vocab. instruction knowledge in schools 

Josie Mingay Frank Cornelissen 

3 Ideas plus 1 

Hypothesis 

Leah K Stewart 

Session Five 

15:35 – 16:20 

Of Skyscrapers and 

Sand 

Eric Kalenze 

Phonics isn't baby 

stuff 

Debbie Hepplewhite 

The Dialogic English 

Classroom 

Carl Hendrick 

Stop PEEing 

Louisa Enstone 

English teachers are 

(not) teachers of English 

Kamil Trzebiatowski 

Action research for 

beginners 

Amy Forrester 

16:10 – 16:30 

Plenary 

Tom Bennett and David Didau

ResearchED 2015 Swindon_print_nobleed

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