Key Information
English
Book Week and World Book Day
Oracy
We encourage children to practise their oracy skills across all areas of the curriculum. However, we also ensure that they are provided with opportunities to be taught them too, through focussed sessions. Children experience working with a talking partners, trios and groups and explore discussing, debating and problem solving.
Reading
Phonics
Essential Letters and Sounds
Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS) is our chosen Phonics programme. The aim of ELS is ‘Getting all children to read well, quickly’. It teaches children to read by identifying the phonemes (the smallest unit of sound) and graphemes (the written version of the sound) within words and using these to read words.
Children begin learning Phonics at the very beginning of Reception and it is explicitly taught every day during a dedicated slot on the timetable. Children are given the knowledge and the skills to then apply this independently.
Throughout the day, children will use their growing Phonics knowledge to support them in other areas of the curriculum and will have many opportunities to practise their reading. This includes reading 1:1 with a member of staff, with a partner during paired reading and as a class.
More information about ELS
Pronunciation of Sounds
These links show the correct pronunciation of the sounds taught.
Accelerated Reader
As a school, we have adopted a new reading program to support our students to make accelerated progress in reading.
How Accelerated Reader work?
Primarily Key Stage 2 children will take a STAR Reading assessment that uses computer-adaptive technology. Questions continually adjust to your child’s responses. If the child’s response is correct, the difficulty level is increased. If the child misses a question, the difficulty level is reduced. The test uses multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. After undertaking this assessment, the class teacher is then provided with a range of information related to your child’s reading ability. This includes: their reading age, the difficulty range of books that your child should be reading (ZPD) and how children can be supported to improve their reading comprehension.
Celebrating Achievements - Word Count Millionaires
At the launch of Accelerated Reader, we shared with children that we wished to reward children who showed commitment and continual dedication to their reading. Every time a child passes a quiz, they collect words that accumulate towards their personal word count. Children will be recognised in assemblies with a certificate as they reach milestones towards achieving 1 million words. Those who reach this lofty goal with receive a £10 Waterstones voucher to spend on a much deserved treat!
Please read the AR Help Sheet for Parents for further detail.
Reader of the Week
Children can become the class Reader of the Week for many reasons including reading with more fluency, contributing during guided reading sessions or exploring reading a variety of genres.
On a Friday, the Reader of the Week will be given 'A Weekend Away with...' mystery book to take home. This can be shared at home with families. The children can read some or all of the book and will be given the chance to keep it for longer if they would like to read the rest.
Book Club
On a Monday, each class will have a Book Club in class where they can discuss books that they have been enjoying. They can make recommendations to their peers and will have the opportunity to talk about what they are currently reading. Friday's Reader of the Week will be able to talk about the 'Weekend Away with...' mystery book during this time, too.
We all love hearing the children talk about the books that they have been enjoying!
Writing
Children are inspired to write a variety of genres and using 'Hook with a Book' ensures quality texts are being shared and independent writing outcomes successfully achieved. A real purpose for writing is also shared with the children.
Throughout each unit children plan, review and edit their writing. This can take place during group, paired or independent editing sessions and these skills are explicitly taught from KS1 onwards. The use of draft books encourages children to view their independent writing as a 'working document' when creating a published write.
A 'Published Write Super Star' is selected at the end of each writing unit to celebrate the author's successes. The writing outcome is then 'published' and displayed within the school.
Below are the objectives that each year group will cover in English.