Boys writing......an oxymoron?

"Something's going on and I don't like it...make it stop, make it stop!"

"Don't be stupid Richard, waken up and get to school ," said Marie, "you're dreaming again, and snoring too, get off and earn an honest crust, bairns to feed...oh aye, and an overdraft too...."

A typical start to an atypical school day in the leafy burbs of East Linton. Something has been nagging me and it isn't my dear wife, though the lord knows she is an expert who could give Tam O'Shanter's wife lessons in that arcane female craft. An idea has started to gel that presented itself as evidence when I analysed the writing results for the school.The results for session 2004/05 in writing are as follows, expressed as percentage attainment.

Attainment in Writing session 2004/05

These figures show an alarming and growing drift of attainment as the boys progress (or not!) through the school. This drift is not present in maths or to the same extent in reading.

I intend to carry out some research in school to try to determine just what factors are in play here that result in a depressed set of attainment figures for the boys writing in particular. Some factors that may be in play could be the resources we use, teaching and learning styles, peer pressure, the nature and purpose of the writing tasks, the relationship between routine exposure to print and writing, National Assessment and other assessment tasks/styles and one I am very interested in is the whole concept of self imposed limitations.

This piece of action research will form the basis of my work for the first learning team established in Scotland. We are working directly with Shirley Clarke to explore formative assessment and its impact on teaching and learning. Many thanks to Ann McLanachan, Head Teacher at Longniddry Primary School for making this possible.

Over the holidays my wife made me discover that I am now able to fit electric showers and dismantle and more amazingly re-assemble the central heating system without it leaking/exploding. Then that phrase that makes all married made quake in their shoes was uttered....Richard, I've just had a great idea......

help me, make it stop, make it stop!!!!