Being an Author
English
Intent, Implementation, Impact
Reading
Intent
At Pitton School we believe that a quality Literacy (English) curriculum should develop children’s love of reading. We want to foster a lifelong love of reading by exposing our children to various literature across all curriculum areas. We believe that reading opens up a new world for children and gives them the opportunity to explore new ideas, visit new places, meet new characters and develop a better understanding of other cultures.
Through building up children’s vocabulary, it gives them the word power they need to become successful speakers and writers as well as confident readers. Reading is a key life skill and we strive to embed a culture of reading into the core of what we do. Children have opportunities to read independently and be read aloud to as well as having opportunities to discuss and recommend books they have read to their peers.
Reading of quality literature is interwoven into our curriculum through the use of key texts to expose our children to various genres and authors and to enhance the variety of topics that we teach.
We understand the importance of parents and carers in supporting their children to develop both word reading and comprehension skills so we want to encourage a home school partnership which enables parents and carers to understand how to enhance the skills being taught in school.
Implementation
Reading is a vital skill that will support children’s learning across the whole curriculum. As a school. We will ensure that our children are taught to read with fluency, accuracy and understanding. We want our children to become enthusiastic, independent and reflective readers. Reading is taught regularly right through school from Reception.
Within reception, reading is taught through both literacy focussed activities based on books and through specific teaching using the letters and sounds phonics programme. In EYFS and KS1, assessments are made every term to ensure the children are learning at the appropriate stage. Phonics is taught daily. Year 2 also have an additional guided reading session each week. The skills of reading comprehension are taught discretely throughout KS2 during 30 minute guided reading lessons each day. In these lessons, high quality texts that are used to support the teaching of writing in English lessons are used
At Pitton we have a library stocked with fiction and non-fiction books. These are also supplemented by Wiltshire learning resources who refresh the library termly and supplement it with topic related texts.
At Pitton, we identify children who need support and provide intervention in the most effective and efficient way that we can. We run intervention reading groups. Most children on the SEND register have reading and comprehension as one of their targets. We help each child maximise their potential by providing help and support where necessary whilst striving to make children independent workers once we have helped to equip them with the confidence, tools and strategies that they need.
We run parent information sessions on phonics for Year 1 parents, reading and SATs for Year 2 parents and a SATs meeting for Year 6 parents so that they understand age-related expectations. These sessions are always very well attended by parents and carers who often comment about how helpful the sessions have been for them.
We love to celebrate success of all learners and strive to help all children achieve their goals. Reading is celebrated in classrooms and around school at Pitton, where our displays celebrate children’s favourite books. In addition, throughout the school year our literacy curriculum is enhanced through World Book Day, drama workshops and a range of trips and visits which enrich and complement children’s learning.
Impact
The outcome of phonics teaching at our school will be that children will have a secure knowledge of phonics, enabling them to become confident readers, making expected progress or more, with a life-long love of reading. Children will be able to apply their phonic knowledge to confidently spell many words either correctly or phonetically using the sounds they have learnt. They will know spelling alternatives for different sounds and be able to apply these consistently
By the end of LKS2 we expect our children to:
- have decoding skills that are secure and hence vocabulary is developing.
- Be independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read widely and frequently.
- Be developing their understanding and enjoyment of stories, poetry, plays and non-fiction and learning to read silently.
- Be developing their knowledge and skills in reading non-fiction about a wide range of subjects.
- Be able to justify their views independently about what they have read.
By the end of Year 6 we expect our children to read sufficiently fluently and effortlessly with understanding of age appropriate interest level in readiness for secondary school.
We would also expect our children to:
- Have a love of reading that feeds the imagination
- Read widely across both fiction and non-fiction, developing knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live.
- Have a developed vocabulary beyond that used in everyday speech
Writing
Intent
At Pitton School, writing is a crucial part of our curriculum. By the end of year 6, we intend our children to have developed a love of writing and to be able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and creatively through the written word. We also intend to create writers who can re-read, edit and improve their own writing. We want our pupils to be able to confidently use the essential skills of grammar, punctuation and spelling.
At Pitton School, we set high expectations for all our children to take pride in their work and have a fluent, cursive handwriting allowing their imaginations to flourish,
We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledge-base in Literacy, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate fully as a member of society.
Implementation
These aims are embedded across our English lessons and the wider curriculum. We have a rigorous and well organised writing curriculum and framework that provides many purposeful opportunities for writing. We use a wide variety of quality texts to motivate and inspire writing and help us develop confident and enthusiastic writers. Writing tasks are specific and meaningful and often meet a purpose to engage children and to illustrate how their writing skills can be applied in real life contexts.
Teachers also ensure that cross curricular links in writing are woven into the programme of study.
Children learn spellings or spelling patterns at home each week and these are tested in school. Children who need additional support with spelling receive a variety of interventions that are tailored to address their gaps.
Teachers plan and teach English lessons which are differentiated to the particular needs of each child. We help each child maximise their potential by providing help and support where necessary whilst striving to make children independent workers once we have helped to equip them with the confidence, tools and strategies that they need.
Marking is rigorous in English and across the curriculum, with regular ‘Response Times’ and spelling corrections to help children correct and consolidate their work. Regular English book scrutinies are carried out to check all teachers are following our marking policy rigorously.
We love to celebrate success of all learners and strive to help all children achieve their goals. Our displays celebrate children’s writing. In addition, throughout the school year our literacy curriculum is enhanced through World Book Day, drama workshops and a range of trips and visits which enrich and complement children’s learning.
Impact
The impact on our children is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills. With the implementation of the writing journey being well established and taught thoroughly in both key stages, children are becoming more confident writers and by the time they are in upper Key Stage 2, most genres of writing are familiar to them and the teaching can focus on creativity, writer’s craft, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills.
Termly assessment is showing that most children at Pitton are achieving in Literacy at age-related expectations. Each year we have children achieving greater depth in writing at the end of KS1 and are working hard to emulate that at the end of KS2.
As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in the English lesson are transferred into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific grammar, punctuation and grammar objectives.
We hope that as children move on from Pitton to further their education and learning, that their creativity, passion for English and high aspirations travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.