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English

At Huyton with Roby we believe the exposure of children’s literature within the primary school setting is vital as a rich context for learning; not only within English as a subject but to support building a reading culture throughout the school. We aim to use high quality books that offer opportunities for empathy and can aid philosophical enquiry, as a means of developing the spoken language requirements through debate, drama and discussion using the issues raised through, and within, the text.

By placing books at the core of our English curriculum, we are allowing teachers to use the text as the context for the requirements of the national curriculum. We believe that a context for learning is vital – and this is where our chosen approach can support teachers with ensuring that objectives for reading and writing, including those for grammar can have purpose. We will always aim for our writing opportunities to be meaningful; whether short or long and that the audience is clear. Books offer this opportunity: our final aim would be that children have real reasons to write, whether to explain, persuade, inform or instruct and that where possible, this can be embedded within text or linked to a curriculum area. Writing in role using a range of genres is key to our approach as is writing a critique of the text and making comparisons. Our expectations for writing ensures that by the end of their primary education all pupils can write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.

Our Aims and Connected Provision for Reading:

Pupils learn to read easily and fluently through daily phonics in Key Stage One using the scheme ‘Read Write Inc.’ This is used to discretely teach phonics throughout Reception and Year 1 and for those children who require further practise in Year 2.  Please see the phonics section of our website for further information.

Reading Curriculum

Reading lessons take place daily once children have passed their phonics screening. These lessons generally begin in Year 2. In our reading lessons the children will experience sharing a whole class novel as well as reading a range of poetry, songs, fiction and non-fiction text extracts. Children are expected to complete written comprehension practice 3 times a week. The remaining lessons are used to promote the opportunity for book talk around the class novel. 

Class teachers will make links appropriate to the writing curriculum or wider curriculum where appropriate however the focus of comprehension lessons will be to focus on the teaching of the national curriculum content domains. Content domains are statements that break down the approach to reading into aspects in which children should become skilled. These domains will explore vocabulary, language structures, literacy knowledge, and word recognition. They will help to ensure that our children develop a clear understanding of the different aspects of reading.

Teaching staff will plan weekly ensuring that lessons provide the opportunity to cover all content domains. Questions stems are used from the Literacy Shed VIPERs collection to support planning. Reading material is taken from a variety of online resources including extract from www.lovereading4kids.co.uk, online tourist leaflets, author biographies and book reviews. Extracts are also used from school novels and from HeadStart English Reading Comprehension.

Reading for Pleasure

At Huyton with Roby we strive to develop passionate readers. Our pupils are encouraged to read widely, through a use of differing class texts and high-quality attractive books in classrooms. Teachers in all classes read daily to children. Individual class libraries have been recently replenished with the latest fiction texts after a successful bid from The Foyle Foundation was received by school in September 2023. Pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure within the classroom, at lunch times and at home.

Reading Rewards

Remarkable Reader bags are awarded each week during celebration assemblies. The class reading bag contains a reading buddy or a reading cushion, a reading journal and a book personally selected by the class teacher to be read at home. The children are encouraged to complete a page in the reading journal to share reviews and recommendations with the children in their class.

Assessment of Reading

Comprehension is assessed in a formal way every term using NFER reading tests and KS1, KS2 reading SATs papers. Assessment data from these tests is analysed by class teachers and is used to adapt reading lessons to your child’s needs. Your child’s progress will be shared with you termly.

Home Reading

All children are expected to read daily at home. Your child’s home reading book has been matched carefully to their reading ability. It is essential that your child reads daily to support them in their journey to becoming a fluent and enthusiastic reader. Children will either bring home a book from our school reading scheme, Rising Stars Reading Planet or a text from their class library.

Reading Spine

At Huyton with Roby we recommend the following stories to share with your children. The following list of classics and essential reads will help children engage at a deeper level and enter the world of the story. Reviews to further new literature can be found monthly at  https://www.thereaderteacher.com/

Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6

Additional Information

Follow the link below to find more tips for supporting your child to read at home:

Our Aims and Connected Provision for Writing:

Our English curriculum is developed around a sequence of high quality age-appropriate texts, using Literacy Count’s Ready Steady Write units of learning. We use each book to create opportunities to:

  • develop grammar and punctuation knowledge and understanding to use and apply across the wider curriculum, through sentence accuracy sessions;
  • explore the Writing structure and features of different genres, identifying the purpose and audience;
  • plan and write an initial piece of Writing with a clear context and purpose before evaluating the effectiveness of Writing by editing and redrafting.

Building on this foundation, we teach literacy using a range of strategies which include:

  • Group Discussion – Children discuss and interrogate new ideas in a small group or whole class setting. They listen to and value each other’s ideas whilst taking on board feedback so as to improve their own explanations.
  • Partner Talk – Children work in partners to discuss their ideas. They are able to explain their ideas about texts they have read and prepare their ideas before they write.

Modelled Writing – Teachers model Writing and editing to demonstrate the high expectations they have. They verbally ‘think aloud’ in order to make the Writing process explicit and provide a rich and varied vocabulary for the children to utilise in their own work. This happens daily, through sentence accuracy

  •  Shared Writing – Teachers use the ideas from the children to create shared pieces of Writing. This enables the children to see the Writing process in action as well as having pride and ownership over the finished piece.
  • Editing – All children are signposted to regular opportunities for reviewing and editing their own and the work of others.
  • Working walls – Teachers and children regularly update working walls to ensure learning is documented within a unit of work.
  • Class teachers ensure that the Writing process is clearly evident on working walls, with modelled examples being available to all pupils as the sequence of lessons develops. Writing is assessed and moderated half termly.
  • Class teachers use assessment documents based on end of year expectations. These documents have been adapted from the Lancashire KLIPs (Key Learning Indicating Performance). Writing is assessed half-termly.

Spelling

At Huyton with Roby, we have high expectations in writing and believe that good spelling underpins a child’s enjoyment, confidence and accuracy in writing. When a child lacks confidence and fluency in spelling it can form a barrier when writing across the curriculum. It can also impact on self-confidence and can limit outcomes in writing at the end of KS2.  Spelling is an essential skill which allows children to clearly communicate their understanding in writing.

Intent

We believe that all our children can become fluent, confident and competent spellers. We encourage our pupils to think and write creatively, be adventurous with their use of language and to write with clear purpose and for pleasure. In order for these aims to be realised, it is essential that our pupils learn the knowledge and skills to spell accurately. We want our pupils to be equipped with the knowledge and range of strategies for learning spelling and to be able to apply their strategies when spelling words in their writing.

To ensure this happens we teach using Ready Steady Spell. This is a systematic spelling programme which covers all the National Curriculum objectives in a cyclical way.

The progression document systematically develops children’s understanding of morphological and phonological spelling knowledge and rules, as appropriate, and builds upon previous learning in an incremental manner as they move through school. Children are also taught a range of engaging and interactive strategies which can be used to support recall of spellings and moving spellings into the Long Term Working Memory.

Implementation

 Year 2

Daily Lessons

  • Spelling is taught daily, for 20 mins. We begin this the first week of term.
  • Built into the programme is a review session every  Friday, alongside regular review and assessment weeks, so that we have a clear understanding of where our children are at and what further teaching they may need to allow them early success.
  • The daily sessions include a clear 4 part lesson, Revisit/Revise, Teach, Practise and Apply and cover CEW’s, strategies to support remembering the spellings, teaching of rules where appropriate and application into writing.
  • We follow the Ready Steady Spell progression document through Year 2 which covers all the National Curriculum (2014) expectations and clearly sets out what is to be taught and when.
  • The objectives are returned to within and across year group three times to ensure that spellings are embedded.
  • We have a weekly spelling test. This is in addition to the lesson. The spellings are set out within the programme and are based upon what has already been taught and CEW’s for the week. Children will not be asked to spell word they have not previously been taught and exposed to.
  • We send home parent sheets weekly which provide the words for the spelling tests and the strategies that have been suggested to support their learning. These will be discussed, explained and shared with parents so that home school links can be developed and so that parents are clear on the best ways to support their child(ren) in embedding spellings.

Years 3 -6

Lessons

  • Spelling is taught 3 times per week. This begins in the first week of the Autumn term.
  • Built into the programme is a review session every  Friday, alongside regular review and assessment weeks, so that we have a clear understanding of where our children are at and what further teaching they may need to allow them early success.
  • The daily sessions include a clear 4 part lesson, Revisit/Revise, Teach, Practise and Apply and cover Statutory Word List words, strategies to support remembering the spellings, teaching of rules where appropriate and application into writing.
  • In summer 2 for Year 4, and  Spring 1 and 2 and Summer 1 terms for Year 6, revision weeks are built into Ready Steady Spell which link directly to the end of KS2 content domains.
  • In Year 6 Summer 2 term Ready Steady Spell provides support for transition and children identifying their own misspellings, using spelling journals, editing writing etc.
  • We follow the Ready Steady Spell progression document through Years 3 – 6 which covers all the National Curriculum (2014) expectations and clearly sets out what is to be taught and when.
  • The objectives are returned to within and across year group three times to ensure that spellings are embedded
  • We have a weekly spelling test at the end of each week. This is in addition to the lesson. The spellings are set out within the programme and are based upon what has already been taught and Statutory Word List Words for the week.
  • We send home parent sheets weekly which provide the words for the spelling tests and the strategies that have been suggested to support their learning. These will be discussed, explained and shared with parents so that home school links can be developed and so that parents are clear on the best ways to support their child(ren) in embedding spellings.

Please see attached the home learning booklet to help support your child in learning weekly spellings. The strategies included will be familiar to your children and are used regularly in spelling lessons. 

Spelling Strategies How to support at home

Handwriting

At Huyton with Roby we are very proud of our pupil’s handwriting and take particular care in our handwriting style. We use Letter-join’s on-line handwriting resource and Lesson Planners as the basis of our handwriting policy as it covers all the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Handwriting is a basic skill that influences the quality of work throughout the curriculum. By the end of Key Stage 2 all pupils should have the ability to produce fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy joined-up handwriting, and to understand the different forms of handwriting used for different purposes.

Our intention is to make handwriting an automatic process that does not interfere with creative and mental thinking.

  • To develop a neat, legible, speedy handwriting style using continuous cursive letters, which leads to producing letters and words automatically in independent writing.
  • To establish and maintain high expectations for the presentation of written work.
  • For pupils to understand, by the end of Year 6, the importance of neat presentation and the need for different letterforms (cursive, printed or capital letters) to help communicate meaning clearly.

Expectations

All teaching staff are encouraged to model the printed or cursive style of handwriting chosen for each year group in our school in all their handwriting, whether on whiteboards, displays or in pupils’ books.

Consistency throughout the school

Pupils should experience coherence and continuity in the learning and teaching of handwriting across all school years and be encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work. Our objective is to help pupils enjoy learning and developing their handwriting with a sense of achievement and pride.

Handwriting Frequency

Handwriting is a cross-curricular task and will be taken into consideration during all lessons. Formal teaching of handwriting will be carried out daily in Key Stage 1 and twice a week in Key Stage 2 to ensure Key Stage targets are met.

Pens and pencils

Children will start handwriting using a soft pencil. When fine motor skills have been established a handwriting pen can be used. More competent pupils can use a ballpoint pen.

Writing Curriculum Coverage

Writing Curriculum Coverage
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