This week, the Education Minister announced that from 2025, government primary schools will be mandated to use a systematic phonics program to teach reading. This is no great surprise as the research associated with the Science of Reading indicates that a program which uses direct, explicit instruction to teach students how to decode words according to the sounds they comprise, is the most effective way to ensure that all learners master the skills of reading for the long term. At Lowther Hall, we already use a systematic phonics based approach in the teaching of reading but we have recently undertaken a full review of this program and will be making some adjustments to it in the coming months. Staying abreast of current educational research is a high priority for us at the School as we want to ensure that girls are learning in the most effective ways possible. The teaching methods employed by staff are informed by research that has been undertaken about cognitive science in the learning process as well as by studies that have examined specific pedagogies (ways of teaching) that yield the best outcomes for students – such as the studies undertaken by Robert Marzano and John Hattie. We also bring experts into the School and this year, have been working with Ollie Lovell and the Steplab Team to ensure that we have systems in place to support all staff to maintain highly effective classroom practice across all subject areas and parts of the School. Each year, every teaching staff member undertakes an action research project focussed on a specific area of practice, which involves reading any relevant papers, trialling specific approaches, being observed, receiving feedback and making a presentation to their colleagues. This year, significant areas of focus across the School include: instructional balance (how much a teacher talks in a lesson and the structure of guided and independent practice assigned to students); checking for understanding (the methods used by a teacher to ensure that all learners have grasped a concept) and; the use of classroom routines (to reduce cognitive load and position students to be attentive to content). I am confident that our students are benefitting each day from the research informed practice that our staff are implementing in their classes.

Ms Elisabeth Rhodes
Principal