Reading
At Shirley Manor, we value reading as a key life skill and are dedicated to enabling our pupils to become lifelong readers. We believe that reading is key for academic success and progress across the curriculum. We aim to instil a love of reading in our children and place this at the heart of everything we do. We provide children with experiences that will lead to rich language development so that at the end of their primary education with us, they are empowered with a breadth of vocabulary that they can build on in their future prospects. We want children to express themselves, be creative and expand their imagination through a broad range of stimulus.
How is our reading curriculum is constructed
Our Reading curriculum is designed to engage and enthuse our children with wider opportunities, exposing them to challenging texts which work alongside our creative curriculum and ultimately produce fluent, independent readers. For years 1 – 6, we follow the National Curriculum as defined by the Department for Education and in EYFS we follow the EYFS framework. Reading is taught through English lessons, discrete reading fluency/comprehension sessions and across the wider curriculum to support learning in different subjects. We plan tasks based on the skills from our progression of skills document, all taken from the National Curriculum. In English lessons, years 1 to 6, follow a whole-book teaching approach, meaning each year group studies one or two books a half term. These books are carefully chosen and regularly reviewed to ensure they deepen the learning in that half-term’s topic and that they provide excellent opportunities for improving the reading skills of all children.
Reading Comprehension and Fluency
We teach reading comprehension, through using reading VIPERS. It is a whole class reading approach that equips pupils with the necessary skills to be successful readers. VIPERS stands for: vocabulary, infer, predict, explain, retrieve and sequence/summarise. These are all linked to the assessed strands in the end of key stage assessments. We use a range of high quality texts, images, picture books and films. We teach VIPERS through: discrete sessions, English lessons and across the wider curriculum. Teachers select texts matched to the attainment level of pupils; these texts promote subtle challenge and allow pupils to reinforce fluency, decoding and comprehension skills regularly.
Reading fluency practice takes place during either reading VIPER sessions or through either English lessons to help improve children’s reading fluency and accuracy. Reading fluency is when children echo read the text with the teacher. By doing this, they are learning how to read with the correct level of intonation and expression and they get the opportunity to listen to what fluent reading sounds like. Children then text mark the text to show the intonation. They use different symbols to show where they should pause, where they should raise their voice, where they should add expression and where they should add extra expression. Pupils then answer questions about the text to show their understanding of the key reading strands.
Writing
Writing underpins the entire school curriculum so it is vital that our children are proficient in the fundamental skills of handwriting, spelling and composition and can write independently, with automaticity and confidence. In English lessons, children are exposed to inspiring and challenging texts which enhance the wider curriculum or will engage our children and provide excellent writing opportunities. We want children to have a love of reading and enjoy writing. We want them to be unafraid to express themselves, be creative and expand their imagination through a broad range of stimulus including carefully chosen books, extracts, poems, films and experiences.
How our English curriculum is constructed
For years 1 – 6, we follow the National Curriculum as defined by the Department of Education.
Our English curriculum is designed to engage and enthuse our children with wider opportunities, exposing them to challenging texts which work alongside our creative curriculum and ultimately produce confident, independent readers and writers.
English is taught daily from Year 1 to Year 6 with a focus on either reading or writing. We follow a whole-book teaching approach, meaning each year group studies at least one book throughout a half term and all of the English lessons are planned from the text. These books are carefully chosen and regularly reviewed to ensure they deepen the learning in that half-term’s topic or provide children with the best writing opportunities and a love of English lessons. The process of writing; editing, reviewing, improving and publishing is planned into the sequence of learning so children develop their skills as an independent writer.
Teachers plan to include at least one opportunity to write at length (appropriate to their year group) a week and carefully choose the text types which need to be covered using long term plans. Grammar and punctuation objectives are expertly weaved into lessons depending on the text type being taught. The grammar and punctuation skills are documented in the skills progression handbook for staff, and also in child-friendly Must Knows appropriate to their year group, which children have to refer to in their English book. Spellings are taught discreetly and are outlined on each half-term’s medium term plan as well as in weekly plans. The application of spelling rules that have previously been taught is an ongoing process which is again incorporated into English lessons, following revisit and recap methods. Children in key stage 1 and those in key stage 2 requiring intervention, have daily phonics lessons as well as their class text-focused English lesson,
The presentation of work and neat, legible handwriting is paramount at Beech Hill. We have designed our own handwriting policy and progression which focusses on transcription in the formative years to develop automaticity and writing fluency. Children are not expected to join their handwriting until year 2 and this continues into year 3. In EYFS-year 3, children write in pencil and then progress to pen in KS2 and may choose which writing implement best suits their handwriting style, as the National Curriculum states.
By the time they leave our school, we aim to have children who are able, confident writers with a firm understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation but ultimately, children who have developed their imagination, can express themselves in a succinct and assured way, and who have a real love for the written word.
In Early Years, writing is taught under the area of Literacy: Reading & Writing. To support the learning of Writing, the skills in EYFS prime areas need to be developed. This is done through playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both inside and outside pf the classroom. These are known as the 3 characteristics of effective learning. By providing learning opportunities throughout the EYFS academic year, children will develop the skills in the above areas to make them ‘curriculum ready’ for more formal English teaching when they enter Year One.
In EYFS, we ensure we use this plan and the progression for skills document to specifically support the areas ‘Literacy; Reading’ and ‘Literacy: Writing’ as this area have the greatest link to the subject English. Writing is also supported through elements of ‘Physical Development; Moving and Handling’- specifically fine and gross motor movements needed for handwriting.
Whole School Overview
Reception Literacy Coverage
Nursery Literacy Coverage
Long Term Plans
Nursery
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Grammar Must Knows
The grammar Must Knows are designed to be used in lessons and referred to regularly by teachers and used by pupils as and when they need. The previous year group’s grammar objectives are also displayed in classrooms as a reminder for children of what they have learnt previously and should be able to apply in their writing. From the spring term, Year 6 will have a revision booklet covering all relevant terminology related to their upcoming KS2 SPaG tests. These are to be used frequently in lessons and as a guide for home learning and revision.
Once embedded, these Must Knows will help our children to develop and retain key knowledge year on year. They are designed to follow from one year to the next so the layout and terminology used is very similar and will become familiar and really accessible for every child.