Thursday, March 10, 2011
Partly as a result of UKLA’s campaign an Early Day Motion urging a rethink of the phonics test for 6 year olds in England has been placed before parliament by Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. The motion reads: That this House endorses the views of many early years experts in calling for a rethink on the introduction of a phonics-based reading test for all 6 year olds; believes that phonics can play a crucial part in reading but that a simplistic exclusive focus on phonics can distort children's learning and limit the breadth of their experience; believes that reading should be enjoyable and that children need to look for meaning as they read in order to develop fluency and understanding; and further believes that young children need to have highly trained teachers with an understanding of child development and that such teachers are best placed to identify children who are not reading at an appropriate level for their age and level of development through appropriate monitoring and observation.
Early day motions are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view. An MP can add their signature to an EDM to show their support. We urge all UKLA members and others interested in the teaching of early reading to write to their MPs and ask them to support this motion. Your MP will need to know it is Early Day Motion number 1532.
Please let us know if you get a positive response from your MP
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Over the last few months UKLA has been publishing a range of different materials in order to influence and inform the current debates about the teaching of phonics and the proposed reading test for six year olds in England. This news item gathers them all together in one place.
The booklet Teaching Reading: What the evidence says can be downloaded below.
UKLA’s Statement on the proposed ‘light touch’ ‘reading’ test for 6 year olds can be downloaded below.
Professor Greg Brooks’ critique of the test can be downloaded below.
UKLA’s responses to the questions contained in the DfE’s consultation about this phonics test for 6 year olds can be downloaded below.
UKLA’s Fact Cards on the teaching of reading can be downloaded below.
For further details about each please refer to the separate entries in the news pages or read David Reedy’s latest President’s Blog.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Notice of AGM 2011 We look forward to welcoming members to the Association’s AGM which will be held at University of Chester on Saturday 16 July 2011. The Agenda is available to download below.
Notice of election 2011
Elections for Trustees and Regional Representatives will take place at the AGM. Nominations must be received by noon Friday 1 July 2011 at UKLA, University of Leicester, Leicester , LE1 7RH. The nomination forms are at the end of this notice. If you are interested in standing for election and would like further information about what is involved, please contact the Administrator via email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) who will send your request to the appropriate person. Should nominations exceed vacancies elections will be by ballot at the AGM. To serve as a either a Trustee or Regional Representative you must be a UKLA member in good standing nominated and seconded by members also in good standing. Nomination forms follow this notice.
Elections of Trustees to serve on UKLA Executive Committee. Trustees are elected annually except for those officers in the Presidential group who are exempt using the Association’s provisions under Standing Orders, i.e. our rules. This year nominations are sought for the following posts.
Vice President 2011-2013 (n.b. Normally the Vice President becomes President Elect 2013 and then President in 2015. )
Treasurer
Secretary
Convenor Publications
Convenor International
Convenor Conference
Convenor Marketing and Publicity
Convenor Membership and Awards
Convenor Research
Elections for Regional Representatives to serve on National Council. Regional Representatives normally will serve on National Council for two years (2011 – 2013). Regions may be represented by two members. Nominations are sought for the following regions.
1. Avon, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire
2. Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk
3. Devon Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset
4. Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria, IOM
5. London
6. Surrey, Kent
7. Northern Ireland
8. Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, Cleveland
9. Nottingham, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Leicestershire
10. Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire
11. Scotland East
12. Scotland West
13. Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Isle of Wight
14. Wales
15. West Midlands, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire
16. Yorkshire
Download Nomination Forms and Agenda here
Monday, January 17, 2011
Alan Gibbons, well known children’s author and leading figure in the campaign says:
‘Some 400 libraries are under threat as a consequence of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Councils are expected to save 28% of spending over four years, yet libraries seem to be suffering disproportionate cuts. In a number of areas over half of the branch network is going to lose council funding. On the Isle of Wight only two fully functioning libraries will remain. Campaigners and library users believe many of these councils will no longer be able to provide a 'comprehensive and efficient' service as required under the 1964 Libraries and Museums Act.
The Campaign for the Book has issued a call for supporters of the public library service to hold Read Ins in their area on either January 29th or February 5th, depending on the proximity of the council meeting which will decide on spending. In areas where there are already demonstrations against the cuts, Campaign for the Book supporters will attend these events. We have been informed of events in Doncaster, North Yorkshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Lewisham, Barnet, Haringey, Liverpool and on the Isle of Wight. Other areas are planning similar events.If you want to save your library use it, fight for it. If you don't you are going to lose it.’
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The White Paper The Importance of Teaching, published by the DfE in November 2010, included a number of tendentious statements on the teaching of reading in the first years of formal schooling. In the interests of stimulating a more informed debate on this key issue, UKLA has put together a set of Fact Cards on centrally important topics. Each of these cards contains statements of fact supported by reputable research evidence. Here we present the cards in an easily printable A4 format, to provide useful material for interviews with MPs and other key decision-makers in education.
Page 6 of 14 pages « First < 4 5 6 7 8 > Last »
Being a member of UKLA helps me in my job because the journals, magazines and newsletters provide me with news, views, research reports and high quality articles on all aspects of home and school literacy. ”
Bev Barnes
Primary Consultant
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