Our curriculum caters for English teaching and the development of reading, writing and speaking and listening through topics.
All children have to cover the genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry in KS1 and KS2. As a school, from Years 1-6, we build 2 – 3 week units of work which are heavily structured for the children focusing on key skills appropriate to each age group. At the end of each unit children complete an independent piece of writing which assesses the ability to apply the learning they have been taught. This is called a Hot Write.
At the beginning of each unit children complete a Cold Write so that progress can be measured.
In addition, we use the VIPERS (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Summary/Sequence) to teach reading discretely each day. We have just introduced some new reading initiatives such as come and read with your child.
Handwriting in all year groups follows the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds scheme. This is a highly structured scheme, which works on body posture, finger strength and accurate letter formation. It is taught daily in all classes.
Spelling is structured throughout the school. Each year group has a bank of words which they are expected to be able to spell and class teachers work on these spellings within English sessions. Age appropriate spellings are also sent home for each year group.
Phonics is taught throughout Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds. Children are streamed across the three year groups according to their phonic level so faster levels of progress can be made. Phonics is taught for 15 minutes daily in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
Reading is taught in a variety of ways. In Reception and Year 1 the children are heard read individually at least twice a week. Children who have not reached their chronological age in reading are read with daily. In Year 2 children read with an adult twice a week. Children read daily if necessary. The children also have one reading comprehension session a week where they answer questions about a text. In KS2, individual reading still occurs but the majority of children’s reading opportunities come through guided reading.