English including phonics, reading and spelling

English is at the heart of our curriculum at Shirehampton Primary School. Through reading, writing and spoken language, we want children to develop the skills and confidence they need to communicate effectively, access the wider curriculum and develop a lifelong love of language and literature.

We aim for every child to leave Shirehampton as a confident communicator, a fluent and enthusiastic reader and a writer who can express their ideas clearly for a range of purposes and audiences.

Reading

At Shirehampton, we want children to become confident, fluent readers who understand and enjoy what they read.

Reading is fundamental to children's success across the curriculum. We therefore place a strong emphasis on developing both the skills needed to read accurately and fluently and the comprehension, vocabulary and knowledge needed to understand increasingly complex texts.

Children experience a wide range of high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry and are encouraged to read for both pleasure and information.

As children progress through school, they develop their ability to retrieve information, make inferences, discuss texts, explore vocabulary and think critically about what they have read.

We also recognise the important role families play in developing children's reading and encourage regular reading at home.

Phonics & Early Reading

Developing secure early reading skills is a priority at Shirehampton Primary School.

We use Unlocking Letters and Sounds as our systematic synthetic phonics programme. Children begin developing their understanding of sounds, language and books in the Early Years, before progressing through a carefully sequenced programme of phonics teaching.

Children receive regular phonics teaching and opportunities to practise and apply the sounds and words they have learned. Reading books are carefully matched to children's developing phonics knowledge, helping them build accuracy, fluency and confidence.

Children who need additional practice or who are not yet secure in their phonics receive targeted support to help them keep up and make progress. Where children continue to require phonics teaching beyond Key Stage 1, appropriate support continues according to their individual needs.

Alongside learning to decode, we want children to develop a genuine enjoyment of books and reading. Children are exposed to a wide range of stories, rhymes, poems and high-quality texts from the beginning of their time at Shirehampton.

Writing

At Shirehampton, we want children to see themselves as writers and understand that writing enables them to communicate their ideas, imagination, knowledge and experiences with others.

Children learn to write for a wide range of purposes and audiences, developing their understanding of vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and the features of different types of writing.

From their earliest mark-making in the Early Years, children are supported to develop increasingly confident and independent writing.

As they progress through school, children learn to:

• Plan and organise their ideas

• Develop a rich and varied vocabulary

• Write for different purposes and audiences

• Use increasingly sophisticated grammar and punctuation

• Draft and develop their writing

• Edit and improve their work

• Proofread for accuracy

• Take pride in the presentation of their writing

Children are also given opportunities to apply their writing skills across the wider curriculum.

This actually reflects the progression tables in the handbook much better than the old huge Implementation paragraph. The progression document shows children moving from composing sentences orally and simple narratives towards planning for audience and purpose, drafting, organising, editing and improving increasingly sophisticated writing.

Spelling, Grammar & Handwriting

Spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting are important elements of becoming a confident writer.

Children are taught the spelling patterns, rules and vocabulary appropriate to their stage of learning and are encouraged to apply these independently in their writing.

Grammar and punctuation are taught both explicitly and through meaningful writing opportunities, helping children understand how their choices can make their writing clearer and more effective.

We also support children to develop fluent and legible handwriting and to take pride in the presentation of their work.

Speaking & Listening

Spoken language is an important part of learning at Shirehampton.

We want children to develop the vocabulary, confidence and communication skills they need to express their ideas, explain their thinking, listen to others and participate successfully in conversations and discussions.

Opportunities to develop speaking and listening are embedded throughout the curriculum. Children are encouraged to ask questions, discuss their ideas, work collaboratively, present their learning and speak to different audiences.

From the Early Years onwards, adults model high-quality language and introduce children to new vocabulary, helping them develop increasingly confident and effective communication skills.

Children who require additional support with speech, language and communication are identified and supported through appropriate provision.

Supporting All Learners

We recognise that children develop their English skills at different rates and may experience different barriers to reading, writing or communication.

Teachers use assessment to identify children's needs and adapt teaching appropriately. This may include additional modelling, pre-teaching vocabulary, visual support, targeted reading or phonics practice, alternative ways of recording, additional adult support or specific intervention.

Where children have identified SEND, support is planned according to their individual needs while maintaining high expectations and providing access to an ambitious English curriculum.

English Curriculum & Progression

Our curriculum and progression documents provide further information about how children's knowledge and skills in English develop from the Early Years to Year 6.

Supporting at Home

Children are expected to read their reading book three times on three different days. Below are three videos demonstrating how each of these reads builds decoding, comprehension and fluency skills so children are able to read with confidence and expression.  We also send home a 'Sharing book' each week, these are for you and your child to be able to take some time and enjoy reading together. 

First read:

/i/video/Copy_of_Decodable-book-day-1.mp4

 Second read:

/i/video/Decodable-book-day-2.mp4

 Third read:

/i/video/Decodable-book-day-3.mp4

Questions to ask your KS1 child when reading

Questions to ask your KS2 child when reading