The RATS project has its grand final at the Aldersley Stadium in Wolverhampton

Five Schools got together for the last time
as part of the National Primary Networking Strategy

Our network involved St John’s Primary School, Essington, Cheslyn Hay Primary School, the newly created St Luke’s Primary School, Cannock, Whitgreave Primary School in Featherston and Springvale Primary School in Cannock.

Cheslyn Hay Primary School set up a "talk board" for pupils from all schools to interact with immediate postings of messages sent including those from the mysterious "King Rat" who remains a mystery.

The website was junk mailed and we have programmes in place to screen that out when we go into RATS 2.

The focus of the project was to improve boys' writing in Y6.

RATS= "Raising attainment through sport"

The objective of the project was to give all Y5 pupils a writing task, get it levelled by a professional SATs moderator, run  the RATS project once the Y5s became Y6s and set a "collective" Y6 SATs target of  improving boys' writing across all 5 schools by 3-5% across all schools based on the Y5 tests as the starting point.

The  success criteria are based on collective 5 school data in Y5 last year and SAT results this year which will have to be standardised across the 5 schools.

While boys' writing was the focus, the girls were obviously included and it has made a difference to this year’s Y6 boys!

I don’t need to see SAT results to know this project has been a roaring success. It has been extremely motivational for both boys and girls Y6 alike in all schools involved. It has provided Y6 teachers in the 5 schools unique opportunities to work together and plan half termly projects together as well as the 5 Headteachers acting as the Management Group.

The Y6 teachers learned from each other and it was a unique professional development opportunity at no cost to any school as it was Government Financed project.

Five different sports were used (not football) as the focus.

I’ve taken on the minibus 40 pupils to see the Sheffield Hatters Women's Basketball team (League winners now with England National Team Players) on three consecutive weekends. The pupils were able to meet the whole team and coach after each game aided and abetted by my niece who plays for the Hatters and England. For what it is worth, the Sheffield Hatters have won the league crucially beating the Rhonda Rebels. I had hoped to get pupils from the other 4 schools to see those games but time wouldn’t  allow it. The only cost would have been petrol to Sheffield on a Saturday

Y6 in all 5 schools were also coached by the UK Olympic gold medal winning skipping team. The "Blue and Whites" and their personal   coaches. That was probably the most expensive part of the project.

12 national coaches and an Olympic medal winning team giving a display! Wow!

Not all Y6 favoured  skipping. Some preferred Circus Skills and Martial Arts.

At the event pupils from all 5 schools exchanged personal profiles about themselves with. The partnered pupils will write to each other. The profiles  and letters received will result in a 5 school celebratory RATS display in each school.

Pupils gather for the final meeting with friends
from other schools working in mixed teams.

Gathering!

Gathering

Where am I supposed to stand?
Behind the strings basically

Teams had to walk planks with support strings 2 at a time.
Knowing “Right from Left” crucial.

Indoor cricket

Tug of war a telling challenge

This pair are joined at the hip

Waiting for the next event

Track events

More indoor events

So basically the RATS project has finished.

It will continue in reduced form next year in Y5