English

Curriculum overview

 English writing outcomes

Whole School Text Overview

Whole school overview of writing purposes

Phonics at Shade

READING

At Shade we use Twinkl Phonics Scheme as our Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme. This programme is followed with rigor and fidelity by all teachers and teaching assistants. Discrete whole-class phonics lessons are taught to all children, daily in Reception and Year 1. To ensure that learning is embedded, flashcards and reading opportunities continue throughout the day and additional phonics teaching is given to identified children. Phonics remains the main strategy that we use to approach/decode unfamiliar words and spelling across the school.

The opportunities, organisation and provision for the teaching and learning of reading are as follows:

• Shared reading
• Guided reading
• Independent reading
• Phonics

Teachers also take time to read class novels and model reading for pleasure. Each day ends with a ‘Read Aloud’ session, sharing a wide variety of fiction, non-fiction in the form of novels, short stories, or picture books. It is important that children enjoy reading and have the opportunity to experience books from classic and modern classic authors. We have an amazingly stocked library with a wealth of fiction and all classes have library sessions every week.

A book banded reading scheme operates across the school which comprises of a range of different schemes. All our books for Reception and KS1 are phonically decodable. Children then progress through the book bands, ultimately becoming free readers.

Links to parents – Each child has a reading record book which logs books they have read and comments about their reading. Parents and teaching staff write in this book.

WRITING

At Shade the teaching of writing is underpinned by The Power of Reading; the CLPE’s proven programme that supports us in delivering a high-quality literacy curriculum that develops reading comprehension and writing composition and fosters a whole school love of reading and writing. 

The Power of Reading puts quality children’s literature at the heart of literacy learning and is built on years of research and best practice.  The programme develops teacher subject knowledge and helps us achieve engagement and attainment in language, vocabulary, reading and writing and meet all the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Opportunities, organisation and provision for the teaching and learning of writing are as follows:

• Phonics and spelling: Five daily 20 minutes Phonic sessions in Key stage 1 and Reception.
• Emergent writing: In Reception and Key Stage 1 children are given regular opportunities to write freely within a particular genre and across the curriculum. This gives them the opportunity to become emergent writers.
• Clear writing outcomes for each year group in school
• Clear purposes for writing for each year group in school
• Shared Writing: Within each teaching sequences shared writing is a key part.
• Guided Writing/Independent Writing: Each teaching sequence ends with an opportunity for guided and independent writing. There are also frequent opportunities for independent writing throughout the other curriculum areas.
• Extended writing: Throughout the term there are opportunities for extended writing. On a termly basis samples of these extended writing outcomes are used for assessment purposes. Children are immersed in a plethora of stimuli in order to ensure they are truly inspired to write.
• Handwriting: The school has adopted a cursive handwriting script and this is taught and reinforced regularly in Key Stage 1. As children move through the school opportunities to practice handwriting continue and when the class teacher feels a child is able to join fluently they are encouraged to write in pen.

Children from Years 1 to 6 are given lists of spellings each week to learn at home. Children are tested on these words weekly.

Work is marked and assessed in line with the marking and assessment policies and three yearly meetings involve teachers moderating the assessment of this work.

Work is assessed in many ways. The findings of the assessment are used to inform planning to help the teaching and learning process. In line with the New National curriculum requirements and the raised expectations that this document requires teachers also assess termly whether a child is working at/below or above the level expected for their again.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

The Four Strands of Speaking and Listening: Speaking; Listening; Group Discussion and Interaction, and Drama permeate the whole curriculum. Interactive teaching strategies are used to engage all pupils to raise reading and writing standards. Children are encouraged to develop effective communication skills in readiness for later life.