Integrating English into the Curriculum

INTERVENTION: This study is a two‐arm, school‐level clustered randomised controlled trial. Randomisation takes place at the school level. The MinimPy program is used to allocate schools to the intervention or control group using a minimisation approach. Five factors are used for minimisation: KS2 attainment, %EAL pupils, mean EAL fluency score, number of Y5 classes and geographic location (defined by one of the five ‘hub areas’ used to deliver the LiLAC training). This was completed on November 30th 2016. The treatment group is taught by teachers who have taken LiLAC training. The intervention is based on LiLAC, a training course developed by Australian linguistics experts, widely used in Australia and owned by the Government of South Australia. The LiLAC course enables non‐specialist teachers to adopt a functional approach to linguistics and grammar, aiming to break down the process of teaching language to pupils. It treats communication in academic subjects as a matter of 'learning how to mean' using the semiotic resources available to that subject: that is to say students learn through language, thus language learning is central to learning in all subjects. Social semiotic language programmes such as Integrating English encourage English language and literature teachers to focus on the grammatical features of verbal art and everyday rhetoric; science teachers to focus on the grammatical features of classification, experimentation and reporting; history teachers to focus on the grammatical features of recounts and causation; maths teachers to focus on the grammatical features of problems, explanations and proofs; and so on. The LiLAC course is delivered by external trainers. There are four one‐day accredited modules attended by teachers in person, with readings and practical homework tasks between each session. Training takes place off school site, in five regional centres. Teachers visit their nearest regional centre for the training. LiLAC training is an integral pa CONDITION: Education ; Not Applicable ; Education PRIMARY OUTCOME: Writing ability is measured using the raw scores from KS2 Writing past papers at the end of the 2017/2018 school year (Y6). SECONDARY OUTCOME: Spelling, punctuation and grammar is measured using the raw scores from KS2 tests (accessed through the National Pupil Database) at the end of the 2017/2018 school year (Y6). INCLUSION CRITERIA: Recruitment at school level: Schools must have at least eight Y4 pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in academic year 2015/6.