Our English curriculum ensures that children are fluent readers and writers, who have confidence to use high level vocabulary, write efficiently for a range of purposes, develop a passion and deep understanding for reading in order to be able to thrive as lifelong learners.

They will have:

• An understanding of the important concepts and an ability to make connections within reading
• A broad range of skills in reading comprehension and word reading
• An ability to decode words phonetically and to apply this knowledge to their reading
• The skills and knowledge to read with fluency, stamina, expression
• The skills to speak fluently and confidently using a wide range of vocabulary
• A commitment and passion for reading
•  An ability to use writing to successfully express thoughts, feelings, create images, tell stories and articulate knowledge.
• Write for a range of purposes
• Publish and take pride in their writing

There is a culture within the Academy that all children must be able to read successfully.

To achieve this aim we teach the programmes of study from the National Curriculum (September 2014) which are split into:

• Spoken Language
• Reading
• Writing

Topics are used as a context for teaching the fundamental skills above in the EYFS, KS1 and KS2. We use Read Write Inc (Ruth Miskin) to teach a synthetic and rigorous phonics system as well as VIPERS (Literacy Shed) to teach key reading skills. A cursive handwriting approach is taught throughout the school and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling lessons are taught frequently to secure basic skills.

Regular assessments are carried out in Literacy to identify gaps in the children’s learning, which can be subsequently planned for. We use the National Curriculum criteria to assess children’s reading and writing and the RWI assessments to assess phonics.

READING

Read Write Inc

To teach early reading skills we use a synthetic phonics scheme called ‘Read Write Inc.’ The programme gets children reading quickly, accurately and fluently. Every child’s progress is tracked through on-going assessment and children are grouped by ability, so they all learn rapidly and at the right level. Lots of partner work means that every child participates in the whole lesson. The programme develops from the 44 initial phonemes that the children need to know, which then develops into blending, segmenting and looking at graphemes for spelling.

VIPERS

To be a reader, means much more than just being able to decode a book, so comprehension strategies are taught alongside word reading.

Teachers use VIPERS as a tool to teach the key skills for reading with rigour – whilst also applying the reading for pleasure principle too.

 

 

 

 

Key skills for reading

Skills in written comprehension are also developed as the children pass through the school using CGP comprehension books, VIPERS written comprehension and Cracking Comprehension (Rising Stars) is planned into each year group to help prepare pupils for end of key stage tests. Here the teacher models all assessment focuses and the children are able to practise and apply the reading skills they have learnt.

WRITING

The teaching of writing has a clear progression throughout the academy and by the end of Year 6 children are able to write across a range of genres, applying their knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling and thinking as an author. Throughout their time at the academy children develop their skills in both fiction and non-fiction writing. They apply their writing skills across the curriculum.

Talk for Writing (Pie Corbet) strategies are used to teach writing. Writing always starts with an exciting and engaging stimulus. For example: a visit, visitor or story and it is sometimes linked to the class curriculum focus. Reading is strongly linked to writing and children learn how authors make their writing effective.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling

This part of the curriculum acts as an essential part for good writing. The children follow the progression in the National Curriculum; with key content being taught explicitly in each year group. Spelling is taught discreetly in each year group. Grammar and punctuation skills are taught as part of the writing cycle, for example in sentence level work and shared writing.