Research School Network: The crucial role of phase context Over three blogs we look at contextual considerations for literacy, behaviour and knowledge retention at primary and secondary

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The crucial role of phase context

Over three blogs we look at contextual considerations for literacy, behaviour and knowledge retention at primary and secondary

by Huntington Research School
on the

When you’re at an event that requires small talk a solid go-to question is always, What do you do for a living?’ When I reply teacher’, I always suspect that people have an image in their head of their favourite or least-liked teacher from their school days. I also assume that they’re picturing a secondary teacher because that’s what I am, so that rather dictates my mental model of teacher’.

But teaching is a many splendored thing.

I visited an early years setting earlier this term and one of the most striking things was just how different the role of teacher is at that different phase. Same job title; certainly some overlap of skills, but also a whole bunch of other ones that are less prevalent or non-existent for me in a secondary school.

The first 10 minutes were all about welcome, re-establishing routines and building relationships with children and parents including: lunch requirements; who was staying for the afternoon session; who was leaving and who was collecting which child. Never has a laminated piece of A4 paper with pupil names been put to such good use.

And so it continued throughout the day: the same job as mine, but also very different. It struck me, not for the first time, how vital everyone’s own context is when looking at education research – much of which is focused on KS2, 3 or 4, centred on English and Maths, and targeted at main stream schools. There are useful and important messages out there in the research, and key principles that will we want to adhere to, but thoughtful consideration of phase is vital to make adaptations to what is presented in the findings. Because if it doesn’t work for you, in your context, then it won’t stick.

Over the course of three blogs we will provide some food for thought around contextual considerations for literacy, behaviour and knowledge retention. We start with literacy, and recommend the EEF guidance reports for Early Years, KS1, KS2, and secondary as useful ways to start making the evidence work in your phase.

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