Sustainable Literacy Interventions in Quthing

And so LTPP 2014 comes to a close...the team have packed up, dropped down a waterfall and left Lesotho in style! They hit the sights and sounds of Cardiff Bay, visited some schools and spread the Lesotho Love we all have!


They leapt into the unknown in January 2014 and finished their placement by abseiling down the largest Waterfall in Lesotho, raising lots of money for our continued work there.





The grand total was: £2389.41








A special thank you to Mrs Mullane and her school in Cardiff who raised over £1000 of our total!!

Thank you so much to all of you who supported our teachers....here's a snapshot of what they did in Lesotho:

Kathleho Primary School - Kathryn Morgan

·         Library area created for use by children and teachers.

·         Phonics workshop held.

·         Phonics implemented in the school.

·         Phonic coordinator appointed to oversee phonic work continuing throughout the school.

·         Teaching & learning methods workshop held.

·         Reading records established. 

·         Listening to children read throughout the day

·         Use of Resources

Moyeni Primary School - Ffion Mullane

- Library area created for use by children and teachers in Grade 1A.

- Phonics workshop held.

- Phonics implemented in the school.

- Phonic coordinator chosen, who will oversee phonic work continuing throughout the school.

- Teaching & learning methods workshop held.

- Teachers encouraged and shown how to listen to children read throughout the day

- Use of Resources

- 2 teachers chosen to monitor and keep tabs on the storeroom currently being renovated to be a library.

-  Pupils from Class 5-7 chosen to be library monitors and ensure the library is kept in order.

Phahameng Primary School - Kim Tattum

Library – A new library has been established in the main office with school aid books. Class boxes have also been given and to be changed on a term basis by the phonics leader/library keeper. Books have been used during lessons for visual aids and to support learning. Reading scheme books have been used well to develop individuals reading skills. 

Phonics – Phonics is well established in Grades 1-4 using different teaching methods from individual, group and whole class interaction. Children’s reading ability and English pronunciation has improved greatly in a couple of months. Reading with individuals has been modeled well and supported the Basotho teacher to continue this. Standard 5-7 have been introduced to phonics with short lessons, but the school phonic leader will continue to support the Standards/grades in their development. Phonics has been taught cross curricular in all lessons in the grades.

Teaching & learning methods – Engaging learners with whole class, group and paired teaching. Create sustainable changes in teaching and learning by team teaching with the Basotho teachers to instill them with knowledge and confidence. Group work and paired work is established in grades 1-3. Differentiated activities are used effectively. Teaching in the Standards 5-7 developing English and Science by encouraging active learners, using open questioning and promoting independence.

Use of Resources – Recycled sustainable materials are used for phonics for whole class, group and individuals. Individual chalkboards are being used in grades 1-3 for all subjects. School aid book are being used well to locate information, read for pleasure and to achieve the learning outcomes. Different methods of storytelling have been demonstrated using Pie Corbett, and the use of cardboard puppets.

Classroom environment has become more engaging with charts and learning aids. Group leaders have been established well in groups and used effectively to monitor their group.

Items from the environment (stones, sticks, bottle tops) have been used to aid learning.

Holy Infant Primary School - Scott Baker

Library – Extensive painting of ‘Undersea World’ mural and a word tree. Purpose – to enhance and motivate learning in the library, and to help create a bright, pleasant and visually stimulating communal school space. Use of the library as an extra space for teaching e.g. grade 4 ‘waltzing’ class, and class 6 drama warm-up/movement session on the poem ‘Evergreen’. Use of the library for the ‘Better reading partnership’ with Mopholosi High School, and also choir rehearsals and special occasions.

Phonics – modelling teaching across all grades and standards. Grade 3 have reached set 4 and their teacher M’e Banda will become phonics coordinator for the school.

Teaching & learning methods – group-work, pair-work, whole-class discussion, kinesthetic learning, drama methods/warm ups, reading stories, leaving the classroom for practical activities to aid ‘discovery’ and the ‘inquiry approach’ in science, differentiation within phonics sessions.

Use of Resources – chalkboards, use of the schools science and maths kits, phonics flash/sound cards, paints and pastels for artwork, minimal photocopying of phonics soundsheets.

Mopholosi High School - Will Powell

Reading Partnership - Students from Mopholosi attended weekly sessions in the library at Holy Infant where they would help younger children read.  The aim was to reinforce not only phonics, but to convey a love of reading.  This ultimately benefitted both schools as the Mopholosi students received certificates of acknowledgement and there was also a noticeable improvement in some of the children’s reading levels.

Transferable skills - Introduced a plenary into all lessons with skill cards and a dice.  Students were encouraged to think about what they did in their lessons which promoted self-evaluation.  Several colleagues observed my lessons, so hopefully a meaningful plenary will be adapted by them in the long term.

French club - School was eager to offer another language to students.  Whilst the sessions weren’t always regular, the students did enjoy learning basic French as they saw the benefits of it being an African language which would potentially allow them to travel.  A colleague also attended the classes as she was eager to learn French herself and for the club to continue.

Teaching and Learning methods – Workshops delivered on classroom displays and learning methods.  I introduced child-centred pedagogy with interactive games and kinesthetic approaches as well as incorporating Drama into English lessons as a means to promote empathy and understanding with characters.

Villa Maria Primary School - Ellie Masters 

-       A library has been established in an old store room. Books organized into age appropriate levels. Children have been allowed to borrow books and a lending system has been put in place.

-       The three Grade 3 teachers and some grade two teachers have engaged fully with phonics and two phonic coordinators have been appointed. They have already begun working with the standard classes to follow up the Welsh teacher’s work that had been started in those classes.

-       Reading records established and to be developed throughout the school.

-       The principal had reorganized some classes in the school so that they are taught according to ability. The three Grade 3 classes are now higher ability, middle ability and lower ability classes.

-       The teachers also group children within the classes.

-       Use of sustainable resources. Teachers began making their own.

Holy Trinity  - 

-       Library organized with books graded for age appropriateness.

-       Phonic and teaching methods workshops held

-       Phonics implemented in the school

-       Teachers shown how to listen to readers

-       Phonic coordinator appointed to oversee phonic work continuing throughout the school.

And so what next for 2014/15.................recruitment is underway for LTPP 2015 and the successful candidates will return to Quthing to continue the good work done by Welsh and Basotho teachers  alike. Watch this space.......and thank you for your continued support!!