English

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Albert Einstein".

Reading can take you places you have never been before." Dr. Seuss.

Aims

At Holmgate Primary School our aims are:

• To promote a positive attitude to reading, writing, speaking and listening.
• To develop children’s abilities to become confident users of language, both oral and written.
• To ensure that children have access to a broad, balanced and creative English curriculum.
• To provide clear and consistent teaching throughout the school.
• To raise standards in the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening
• To encourage children to be aware of their own learning and to know the next steps they need to take

Reading at Holmgate Primary School

We use Read Write Inc. to deliver daily phonics lessons in EYFS and Y1. This is continued into Y2 where necessary. Phonic interventions are delivered in KS2 for pupils who require additional support. Reading strategies are modelled daily by teachers and teaching assistants. All children have the opportunity to develop their strategies for reading and discuss texts in detail.

Reading comprehension is taught using the ‘Holmgate Reading Detectives’ strategy. As part of this strategy, children are taught to:

• use their background knowledge to connect with books that they read
• make predictions about a text
• ask questions about a text
• visualise (make mind pictures) about some of the things that happen
• identify what is really important in a text, such as key words, phrases, sentences and ideas
• check things make sense to them and notice when they have an understanding ‘breakdown’
• use ‘breakdown strategies’ to get them understanding again
• summarise by spotting important parts of a story and connecting them together to build meaning

In the infants, children are given reading book bags which match their phonetic ability. For example, if a child is reading at ‘Red’ level in their phonics group, they will then be given a ‘red’ reading book to take home. This way, children are consolidating the phonemes and graphemes they are taught in school, at home. Children are expected to be able to decode 90% of the words in the book bags independently.  Parents are encouraged to listen to their children read at least four times a week.

We recognise the value of adults (both in school and at home) reading aloud to children, in order to improve their grasp of story language, enthuse them with a love of books and inspire them as writers.

Many exciting and rewarding activities are arranged in school to promote the pleasure and knowledge that can be gained from books. For example:

• Each class has a set of ‘Teacher’s Choice’ books where children are given the opportunity to select a special book which has been recommended by their class teacher.
• Children get to choose a special birthday book to take home when it is their birthday. This gets presented to them during Friday’s celebration assembly.
• We have an eye-catching library which is full of thrilling books to read.
• Buddy reading takes place across school where children can support each other with their reading.
• We have an exciting library club which takes place in the library three times a week where the children can come and relax with a good book. This is run by our school librarians.
• We participate in ‘World Book Day’- where children are immersed in storytelling, author quizzes, book discussions and the opportunity to dress up as a book character and share their favourite books.

English lessons

Once children have completed the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme, they continue their learning in year 2 and beyond with Read, Write Inc. Literacy and Language.

Read Write Inc. Literacy and Language is a lively literacy programme which inspires children to explore, question and challenge a range of engaging texts. RWI Literacy and Language uses a unique step-by-step approach through whole class shared reading to give children the skills needed to comprehend every text and the confidence to write ambitiously and accurately. It teaches grammar in context, with a comprehensive grammar bank to build your knowledge and develops children’s vocabulary using drama and discussion.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, Year 6 will continue to teach English without the use of a scheme, whilst ensuring that both the ‘transcription’ and ‘composition’ requirements of The National Curriculum (2013) are being met.

Spelling

Spelling is taught in discrete sessions using the Read Write Inc. Phonics scheme in EYFS and Y1 and Spelling Shed scheme in Y2 and KS2. These sessions are taught daily. In Y2 and KS2, the weekly spellings children take home to learn will link to the strategies they have been learning in class.

Handwriting

In EYFS, children focus on pencil control and correct individual letter and number formation. Children are encouraged to use a wide variety of writing implements, including pencils, crayons, paint etc. to support them with their writing. In Y1, a pre-cursive style is taught and modelled to the children. In Y2, children will start learning how to join their writing using Twinkl’s ‘continuous cursive. In KS2, most children should be writing using continuous cursive style. Pupils should use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined. Children will also be able to earn a handwriting pen in KS2 when they consistently use clear, fluent and joined-up handwriting during their independent writing.

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Foundation Stage, English is part of the Literacy development of children and a specific area of the Early Years curriculum. In the Foundation Stage, children are encouraged to be writers and readers and develop an early enjoyment of written and spoken language through real play based experiences. Literacy development involves encouraging the children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children are given access to a wide range of reading materials to ignite their interest. The children are also encouraged to develop their communication and language skills by being given opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations. We also support the children with the development of their physical and mark making skills which leads into letter formation and pencil control, the early steps into writing.