Gloucester RoadENGLISH
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Reading (including Phonics)
Phonics and Early Reading Policy
Phonics Progression of Skills and Knowledge
Reading Progression of Skills and Knowledge
At Gloucester Road Primary School, reading is the beating heart of everything we do. Both our Early and DEEP curriculums are centred on reading high-quality texts, which have a rich vocabulary and offer either a window or a mirror onto our children's lives. The texts we choose drive our curriculum and are carefully selected from a bespoke reading spine that we have carefully put together to meet the needs of our children. This reading spine initially used the best texts from Pie Corbett's reading spine, the ‘Reading Reconsidered’ reading spine, the ‘Reading Teacher’s = Reading Pupils’ project (Cheltenham Literature Festival) and the Literacy Tree learning platform. However, we are now enriching this reading spine with choices from our staff (as experts on children's literature) and our children. In this way, our approach to reading helps children grow ideas, expand their minds and develop a real love of reading.
We believe that every child should leave school as literate learners who have a passion for reading for pleasure. We aim to do this by providing children with the following:
- Systematic teaching of synthetic phonics (using the Read Write Inc Phonics scheme).
- The development of fluency (and comprehension as an outcome of fluency, vocabulary building and book talk) through the teaching of Whole Class Reading.
- Immersing children in great literature through daily story time.
- In Reception, KS1 and for some children in KS2, books sent home for reading align to the Read Write Inc phonics scheme, alongside a sharing book that parents are asked to read to their child for pleasure.
- For most children in KS2, books sent home are chosen from our carefully stocked reading corners and our library. Children are regularly assessed to ensure that the books chosen interest the children and are at the correct level of challenge.
- Giving children time to read for pleasure and to have control over their own reading choices throughout the day (ERIC 'Everyone Reading in Class' time).
- Creating spaces around the school in which children can enjoy reading.
- Exposing children to a wide range of authors, illustrators and poets and providing time for children to share recommendations (within lessons and assemblies).
- Establishing a reading culture within the school in which every member of our school community is regarded as a reader.
- Implementing an array of measures to develop a real love of reading, as set out in our Reading Manifesto.
Reading Interventions
When children are not reading at a level inline with the expectations for their year group we are quick to put interventions in place to help and support them to make accelerated progress with their reading. Some of the interventions we provide are:
- Read Write Inc 'Fast Track' 1:1 / small group interventions.
- Additional time reading with volunteers and school staff, including the regular visit of a PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog.
- Herts for Learning Fluency Project - We were a Showcase Training School for this project.
Writing
Writing Progression of Skills and Knowledge
Writing in EYFS
Our provision ensures that emergent writing in the Early Years is regularly encouraged through the use of different mark making materials such as felt tipped pens, crayons, chalk, sand, magnetic letters, paints, water and technology such as iPads.
Our phonics scheme is introduced in the Summer term of Nursery. As children move into Reception, writing opportunities will be linked to children’s learning within phonics and the text that the class is basing all of their learning around. This text will be rich in vocabulary, high quality and offer either a window or mirror on the world. The writing that comes from these texts will be linked to experiences to bring it to life and make meaningful connections to other learning and areas of their life. Concrete experiences will enhance children’s emergent writing skills.
Role play provides additional opportunities for the development of writing and language. Activities are carefully planned to develop the children’s fine and gross motor skill, necessary for acquiring the skills needed to write legibly.
Once the children have developed their phonetic knowledge enabling them to write more independently, we aim to introduce the Literacy Tree framework in the Summer term.
Writing in Key Stage One and Two
We use a range of teaching approaches to help develop children’s writing, including:
- Read Write Inc Phonics in EYFS, KS1 and in KS2 for those who need it.
- Use of Literacy Tree as a pathway to teaching writing through the use of high quality, vocabulary rich texts.
- Modelled, shared and guided writing.
- Independent or paired writing.
- Peer and self-assessment against success criteria.
- Continual opportunities for oral rehearsal of sentences and texts.
- Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation activities, taught discretely using the Grammarsaurus Place Value of Punctuation scheme.
- Spelling is taught in Years 2-6 using the No Nonsense Spelling scheme.
- We follow the Penpals progression of skills for teaching handwriting. Handwriting is practised every day.
Our curriculum coverage follows the National Curriculum 2014 and ensures that a range of text types are taught from Years 1 to 6. During each term, we teach poetry, non-fiction and narrative text types – please see our Writing Curriculum Map for more information on this.
Oral rehearsal strategies are used regularly, particularly in the younger year groups, as we strongly believe, “If you can say it, you can write it.” We work closely with Voice 21 (the national oracy charity) to develop oracy opportunities across the curriculum to support children with this.
Handwriting Progression of Skills