English
English at St Andrew's CE School
Writing
As a school, we believe that is it vital to ensure that all children develop the skills to write clearly, accurately and coherently in order to enable them to communicate with accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling. We believe that this aim is best achieved through a rigorous, consistent approach to the teaching of writing that is rooted in the National Curriculum and designed to meet the needs and context of the school.
We believe that:
- The teaching of writing is based on a progression of knowledge across year groups to that results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills so that all children know more, remember more and understand more.
- Teaching sequences are carefully planned to ensure opportunities for consolidation and the development of a skill relating to the Clever Writer Checklist.
- The Clever Writer Checklist remains visible and accessible within the learning environment and added to as new skills are introduced.
- Speech and Language Therapy techniques are used to effectively broaden, deepen and enrich language and vocabulary for use when writing.
- Every child will receive a minimum of 3 writing tasks per week including 1 extended, independent write.
- Teachers will provide high-quality instruction through the use of modelled and shared writing as well as co-constructed Success Criteria.
- Live ‘impact marking’, discussion and feedback will take place in all lessons to address misconceptions and errors as soon as possible.
- Children who are identified as requiring targeted support to receive written feedback every lesson until target is achieved.
- Children, teachers and support staff should write (where applicable) in a neat, legible and fluent handwriting style using continuous cursive letters.
Writing Progression Documents
At St Andrew's CE School we use the 'I am a Clever Writer approach' to the teaching of Writing, this is based on a progression of knowledge across year groups that results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills so that all children know more, remember more and understand more.
Teaching sequences are carefully planned to ensure opportunities for consolidation and the development of a skill relating to the Clever Writer Checklist
In order to ensure that skills are taught effectively and that progress is achieved, we use the I am a clever writer Progression in skills documents for both Genre and Skills as well as the assessment checklists per year group. These checklists have been created by reviewing the content of the National Curriculum to create an age-appropriate set of skills to ensure that key writing skills are taught and developed over-time to achieve rapid progress.
Reading
As a school, we believe that it is vital that all children develop the skills required to become proficient readers who read widely across both fiction and non-fiction to develop knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live. At the heart of our reading provision, is the instilling of reading for pleasure and a drive to develop the core skill of reading which helps the children to gain knowledge across the curriculum. As a result, we are able to ensure that all children know more, remember more and understand more. We believe that this aim is best achieved through a rigorous, consistent approach to the teaching of reading which is rooted in the National Curriculum and designed to meet the needs and context of the school.
In EYFS and KS1 children follow the Little Wandle Guided Reading approach which supports the phonics approach delivered at our school. KS2 pupil follow the Reading Vipers Reading scheme and whole class reading lessons are taught. Children are taught reading for prosody and this is a key feature from EYFS to when children leave our school. Each class get at least one timetabled opportunity to visit the school library where there is a range of texts as well as a full range of banded books for children to read following the Collins Big Cat Scheme.
We believe that all children receive the opportunity to READ:
R Receive | Every child will receive high-quality teaching and learning opportunities and the knowledge of skills needed to become a proficient reader. Reading opportunities are provided across all curriculum areas for the development of skills and subject knowledge. |
E Engage and explore | Every child will receive the opportunity to engage with high-quality texts and reading opportunities as well as explore vocabulary, sentence structure and themes within their learning. Children are challenged to compare and contrast what they have read with their own experiences considering thoughts, feelings and motivations. |
A Access | Every child will receive access to support to develop proficiency but all access to inspiring reading environments and materials that develop an age-appropriate level of reading as well as those to develop a pleasure of reading. |
D Develop and deepen | Every child will be given regular opportunities to develop their reading accuracy, fluency and proficiency through well-planned, engaging tasks that deepen the skills and enjoyment of reading within an environment that highly-values its worth. In turn, children can further develop and deepen confidence, enthusiasm and resilience as well as reinforce our Christian values. |