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    Creative and practical approaches for schools

    Jane delivers outstanding consultancy, advice and training for primary and secondary schools. Drawing on 30 years' experience as teacher, leader, consultant and school governor, she prides herself on a warm and practical approach which supports colleagues in creative and manageable ways. A specialist in reading, writing and oracy, Jane is also an experienced Philosophy for Children trainer, and has written numerous student and teacher text books.

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    Meet Jane

    Jane brings over thirty years' experience to her work as an education consultant and trainer. She's been an Advanced Skills Teacher, a head of department, a governor and a local authority education adviser.

     

    Jane provides support and training directly to schools and in her other roles with ITT providers, governor services and as an associate trainer for the National Association for Able Children in Education. Teachers value working with Jane because their practice moves on and makes a real impact on pupils' engagement, enjoyment and success.

     

    An experienced Philosophy for Children tutor, Jane also writes regularly for Oxford University Press. She is a chair of governors at a primary and a secondary school, and a trustee at a local MAT. She is an avid reader and in spare moments, loves to write stories.

  • Training and advice

    Jane Branson Learning specialises in tailored and flexible training and advice. Following discussions with school leaders, we'll agree a programme and timeline for the improvements you want, whether it's a half-day's planning support, a twilight training session, or a comprehensive package of teacher or curriculum development over several terms. Below is a list of work recently carried out with schools - but if what you want isn't here, just ask!

     

    "What an amazing morning we had with Jane. We managed to plan a whole term’s worth of English - very collaborative and everybody contributing. She has such a great way at thinking ‘globally’ about a text and giving the children lots of writing opportunities. I feel that it was really beneficial for us all to have the chance to work with her. Now we have all had her input we should be able to sustain this type of planning for coming terms. I know it will have a lasting effect for the children."

    Year 4 Teacher, East Sussex

     

     

     

    Shakespeare workshops

    Subject knowledge refresher courses

    Governor training

    Exam and test support

    Grammar workshops

    Improving independent learning

    Reviewing governance and governor training

    Engaging boys

    Coaching and mentoring

    Assessment for learning that works

    Lesson and unit planning

    Developing active learning

    Teaching poetry KS1-KS5

    Preparing for unseen texts

    Improving writing

  • Consultancy, training and development

    Jane specialises in tailored, flexible training and advice. Following discussions with school leaders, she'll agree a programme and timeline for the improvements you want, whether it's a half-day of planning support, a twilight training session, or a comprehensive package of teacher or curriculum development over several terms. Below is a list of work recently carried out with schools - but if what you want isn't here, just ask!

     

    "What an amazing morning we had with Jane. We managed to plan a whole term’s worth of English - very collaborative and everybody contributing. She has such a great way at thinking ‘globally’ about a text and giving the children lots of writing opportunities. I feel that it was really beneficial for us all to have the chance to work with her. Now we have all had her input we should be able to sustain this type of planning for coming terms. I know it will have a lasting effect for the children."

    Year 4 Teacher, East Sussex

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    Courses and consultancy - English

    Reading
    Reading for pleasure
    Developing reading teachers and teachers' reading
    Higher-level reading
    Improving reading
    Reading into writing
    Teaching poetry KS1-KS5

     

    Writing
    Improving writing
    Talk for writing
    Spelling
    Assessment support, including standardisation and moderation
    Creative writing masterclasses

     

    Grammar
    Grammar subject knowledge support
    Teaching embedded grammar

     

    Talk
    Philosophy for Children
    Effective classroom talk for learning

     

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    And also...

    Disciplinary literacy
    Early Career Teacher support
    Senior leader support
    Mastery in English
    Teacher development through lesson study
    Shakespeare workshops
    Subject knowledge refresher courses
    Improving independent learning
    Engaging boys
    Coaching and mentoring
    Assessment for learning
    Lesson and unit planning
    Developing active learning
    Preparing for unseen texts
  • Resources

    The East Sussex Way - improving literacy in primary and secondary schools

    The front cover of The East Sussex Way Year 6 - Year 7, with copyright information.

    Good practice in oracy, vocabulary and reading

    Written by East Sussex teachers and edited by Jane Branson

    Research-based guidance written by primary and secondary teachers.

     

    Download The East Sussex Way Y6-Y7

    Research and best practice explained - with a focus on oracy, vocabulary and reading at the point of primary-secondary transition.

     

    Download The ESW: Case Studies 2022-23

    Explorations of a range of approaches, with an account of actions taken, impacts achieved and obstacles encountered.

     

    Download The East Sussex Way EY-Y1

    Guidance for schools on supporting the youngest pupils, arguably those most effective by the pandemic. 

  • Philosophy for Children

    Teachers at a PfC training event

    PfC can improve oracy, literacy, social confidence and thinking skills. With a clear methodology that allows all learners to become confident philosophical enquirers, this can be a highly effective and enjoyable route to higher standards across the curriculum - teachers report positive impacts on soical, thinking and communication skills especially for children with lower self-confidence.

     

    Jane is a experienced PfC trainer with a proven track record of leading whole-school PfC training and implementation in all phases.

    PfC has really reinforced our culture of being a 'thinking school.' Jane's training is fantastic. It turned what seemed like quite a daunting subject into one of the most popular lessons with staff and children. Teachers feel confident and empowered. It moved us swiftly from the pedagogical through to how to have a classroom of philosophers. It's allowed us to talk about some really challenging ideas in a safe and respectful environment and has helped our children to develop a far more thoughtful and rich vocabulary.
    Harbour Nursery and Primary School
  • Governor Training

    Governor training and support for whole governing bodies,

    on your school site and at governors' convenience

    Whether you need a full review of governance or a one-off individual training session, Jane brings a range of expertise to governing board development. She is currently co-chair of a primary board, chair of a secondary board and supports a multi-academy trust board. She has experience of leading governance training and reviews in both primary and secondary schools. Make contact to discuss your governors' needs.

  • Shakespeare Workshops

    Jane's Shakespeare workshops can be tailored to any play and are suitable for classes in key stages 2 - 5. Full of interaction and fun, each 1 - 2 hour session will be planned to complement your classroom input, offering:

    • activities to build knowledge of Shakespeare's stories
    • an introduction to reading and voicing Shakespeare's language 
    • support for character and thematic study
    • stage combat activities and other performance techniques

    Building on a class study of Romeo and Juliet, Jane led a fantastic drama-based session with our Year 5s which had them all enthusiastically participating. She used a variety of different techniques to engage all the children with re-telling the story and showing their understanding of plot and character. She taught us some stage combat techniques and every child was eager to participate and work collaboratively to show their understanding. What more could you ask than children wanting to read another Shakespeare play and looking forward to learning more about him at secondary school? An excellent workshop.

    Year 5 Class Teacher

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    Celebrate National Writing Day 2019

    and honour the life and work of writer and illustrator

    Judith Kerr (1923 – 2019)

    This competition is now closed.

     

    Altogether I received 65 entries from KS1 children and 73 from KS2 children, from eight schools across Brighton and East Sussex. It was a delight to read all the entries - I laughed, gasped and felt moved by the children's writing. Please find below some information about the winning entries.

     

    Runner up - £10 National Book Token

    Downs Junior KS2 pupil - a review of when Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

    As the only non-fiction entry and the only entry focusing on When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, this writing stood out. The pupil explained her views and opinions clearly, and demonstrated her understanding of the book as well as its context. I loved the way that she personalised her comments and included references to other reading.

     

    Runner up - £10 National Book Token

    St Pauls CE Academy KS2 pupil - an original Mog story

    This story's references to the Mog character showed the pupil's reading of the original stories, and a new and interesting character was introduced in the form of the 'feisty boy' Mylo! The story was well developed and contained some really effective language choices ('thick hazelnut fur' and 'ocean blue eyes' - wow!), great vocabulary and striking details, such as the international setting and the food!

     

    Runner up - £10 National Book Token

    Peasmarsh KS2 pupil - an original story based on The Tiger Who Came To Tea and The Pied Piper

    This story was a wonderful mix of Judith Kerr influences and Pied Piper references, and it made me laugh out loud when the rats listed their very particular cheesy choices and called out their gorgonzola chant! There were also some really effective language choices in the story - Peter's 'curly hair and crutches', for example.

     

    Overall Winner - £20 National Book Token and £100 for the school to spend at The Book Nook in Hove

    Bodiam KS1 pupil - a poem based on The Tiger Who Came To Tea

    This well-composed poem took great care with language choices ('black pepper stripes' - wow!) and combined reminders of the original story (the cup of tea and tiger treats) with wonderful original touches, such as tree-climbing and premium chicken! I also loved the generosity of the poem, especially the kindness and thoughtfulness of the last line.

     

  • Testimonials

     

    St Mary Magdalen RC School

    I just wanted to feedback the impact of your literacy session with our SEND team. The strategies you gave us have been so impactful. Through echo reading, a student this week laughed whilst reading a story book. For the first time, he understood that reading can be funny. Another student through choral reading has finished his first book – he had that feeling of satisfaction but also loss that the moment of reading was over.

     

    So often it’s the very, very small steps of progress that give us joy – but these are incredible! As a team we’ve been so pleased to have additional ideas to use – and I just wanted to say thank you.

    Inclusion Manager, Willingon Community School

    Brunswick Primary School

    Thank you, always very insightful!

    So useful and helpful for future planning.

    I loved the INSET day so much! Thank you for your amazing hard work - I always learn so much when you come in.

    Teachers, Brunswick Primary

     

    St Richards Catholic College

    The session was so informative and supportive. I really appreciate being part of such a collaborative team and look forward to continuing to share resources together.

    The most useful task for my role was going through how to write Literacy Actions Plans. This will be my responsibility soon and now seems like a more manageable task. 

    Thanks, again, Jane for a very useful session! It's a pleasure working with you and always completely relevant and practical.

    Secondary Literacy Leaders, Bexhill and Hastings, East Sussex

    The Haven Primary School

    I just wanted to thank you for the training you delivered last week. Your personal passion was so engaging and the ideas that you shared with the staff team were being used the following day. You tailored the training wonderfully to our school needs.

    Headteacher, The Haven VA C of E Primary school

     

    St Mary Magdalen RC School
    Thank you so much for your brilliant staff meeting on reading into writing. The impact you have had on staff is immediate - I didn't walk past a teacher yesterday without a mention of how much they have taken either from the planning or staff session. I'll be in touch to discuss next steps, once the recent CPD is embedded.

    English lead, St Andrew's C of E PriMary

    Willingdon Primary School
    Thank you very much for working with our year groups to develop reading into writing across the school. The support that you have given to our teachers is so valuable. All teachers come away from the planning sessions buzzing with ideas and feeling confident to deliver high quality provision.

    HEADTEACHER, WILLINGDON PRIMARY SCHOOL

    Heron Park Primary Academy
    Jane's support with subject leads and class teachers for planning our Reading into Writing lessons has been exemplary. Her knowledge and ability to share this, whether with trainee teachers or those with years of experience, has helped us create a robust scheme of work that is moving our children's understanding and enjoyment of writing forwards. The only issue is that Jane is so popular that we have to get our diaries aligned early in the academic year to ensure we can gain her support when needed!

    DEPUTY Head, heron park primary academy

    SCITT trainees exploring spelling strategies
    'Wow! What an inspirational day, with so many practical ideas to take into the classroom. I loved the emphasis on 'purpose' of writing.'
    'A really interactive session - great resources.'
    'Fantastic text ideas and grammar and spelling actitvities.'
    'Brilliant ideas for developing a reading climate.'
    'Every aspect was very useful - fantastic input on all areas of English.'

    Trainee teachers, East Sussex School centred itt programme

    St Mary Magdalen RC School
    The training on writing really was first class and inspiring as always - thank you very much; I look forward to seeing the staff put your ideas into practice.

    Headteacher, Ticehurst and Flimwell primary school

    St Mary Magdalen RC School
    Thank you very, very much for your valuable contributions to our literacy across the curriculum day. You are an absolute mine of expertise and information and we so value everything you do with us; I've never had a session with you I didn't enjoy and there have been quite a few now! All of your sessions were exactly what we had wanted and were really very well received. I shall certainly recommend them as great CPD to other secondary schools.

    School Leader, Uckfield college

    St Nicolas and St Mary CE Primary school logo
    I attended your course on Engaging Boys and I just wanted to say how great it was and how I am already beginning to think of how I can incorporate the amazing strategies you spoke about. I loved the ideas for children's narrative writing and all the great stimuli you used.

    NQT, St Nicolas and St Mary CE Primary

    Downs Junior School
    Jane's training on writing and spelling was very well-pitched and very inspiring, delivered at a great pace. Jane is very approachable, doesn't patronise and is a great communicator.

    Classteacher, Downs Junior SchooL

    Beacon Academy logo
    Thank you for the session you ran with Year 11. The resources and planning were exceptional and the students responded very well. This is a difficult time of year for students and teachers, so your input was particularly important in encouraging a group of bright students to achieve more highly in English Literature.

    Subject Leader, Beacon Academy

    Chyngton Primary School
    Jane’s spelling workshop was one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments for me. As an experienced teacher, and one who has never had any trouble spelling, prior to the training I had limited strategies to offer pupils who were struggling. However, the strategies that Jane taught us suddenly enabled me to support so many other pupils. Once I’d passed this on to the pupils, they quickly took on the responsibility for their own learning and started to find strategies of their own. Dare I say, they even enjoyed it! Thank you Jane, spelling lessons will be a lot more enjoyable in future!

    Year 6 Teacher, Chyngton Primary School

    Patcham Junior School
    Fabulous integrated English training! Useful ways in that will engage the children in grammar. Thank you.

    Class teachers, Patcham & Stanford Junior Schools

    St Mary Magdalen RC School
    We have used Jane Branson's support in a range of ways: with children, staff, at INSET days, for lesson study and twilights, to introduce the Reading Toolkit, develop staff skills in GPaS, and to link writing to high quality texts. Jane has always been very well-prepared and we have found that our standards have improved as a result of her input which always has clarity and is highly practical. The lesson study sessions were particularly powerful involving staff from different age ranges in planning a lesson together with Jane and then co-delivering with her the next day. A well-organised and inspirational consultant.

    Headteacher, St Marks C of E Primary, Hadlow Down

    St Mary Magdalen RC School
    Thank you for your kind support and input. We both knew exactly what you were saying and felt we knew all of this... but somewhere along the way, we have lost those skills due to the demands placed upon us. We are so very grateful to you for sharing your passion and enthusiasm with us. It was infectious! As a result, tomorrow's planned lesson has incorporated many of your inference strategies and we will be looking to incorporate many of your ideas in the coming term.

    Year 5 Teacher, Shinewater Primary, Eastbourne

    Willingdon Community School logo
    Passionate, diligent and inspiring. Jane has often challenged my thinking and encouraged me to try out something new.

    Class teacher, Willingdon Community School

    Guestling Bradshaw CE Primary
    We benefitted greatly from Jane's support and guidance over a two year period. We focused on an Integrated English approach and through Jane's clear direction, staff are now able to recognise opportunities to combine both reading and writing based around a class text. The improved impact on quality of teaching and learning is visible as children respond enthusiastically. The additional bonus has been the ongoing "drop-in surgery" approach, giving staff opportunity for ongoing mentoring as they gain confidence with a new way of working.

    Deputy headteacher, Guestling Bradshaw CE Primary

    Manor Primary School
    Everyone went away from the day with something to use straight away in class. Children were at the heart of the learning, given ownership at all stages. Great!

    Headteacher, Manor Primary School

    Hove Junior School logo
    The most inspiring staff meeting I've ever been to!

    Class teacher, Hove Junior

    Harbour Primary School logo
    Jane's reading course is brilliant. It made me change my teaching of reading - and encourage others to do the same. Lots of ideas to try - and the reasons why as well.

    Class teacher, Harbour Primary and Nursery

    St Mary Magdalen RC School

    Lots of practical examples, great ideas for use in the classroom - THANK YOU!

    Headteacher, St Mary Magdalen's RC Primary and Nursery

  • MrsBLearning's blog

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