Rift House Primary School
English
EYFS
Communication & Language
The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children's language effectively. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.
Literacy
It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).
National Curriculum
Purpose of study
English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.
Here at Rift House Primary School we aim to create a climate of curiosity and enthusiasm through questioning that encourages and nurtures a thirst for knowledge for our pupils now and beyond.
Aims
The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
- are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate
Curriculum Summary
As a school we understand that our English curriculum approach must enable our pupils to develop competency and confidence in reading, writing and spoken language and that, throughout, we must create carefully sequenced opportunities that will ensure continual progression and readiness for further challenges within the primary curriculum and beyond into KS3.
In the Early Years, starting from our 2 year old provision through to Reception, staff make use of the non-statutory guidance within Birth to Five Matters whilst ensuring the statutory framework for the EYFS is met. Reception children are assessed against the appropriate Early Learning Goals which contributes to them reaching a good level of development. Our Nursery, Reception, Year One and Year Two children also make use of the Read, Write, Inc. systematic synthetic phonics programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, as stated, here at Rift House Primary School we begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching Read, Write, Inc. to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading. This may be delivered in bespoke sessions called Fast Track and Fresh Start - this is because our early readers (regardless of age/cohort) will always focus on gaining and developing these skills first within our setting.
There are initial bridging programmes and units such as Talk Through Stories and Read, Write, Inc. Comprehension that support transition, as well as a bespoke approach in Year Three and Year Four, that support our pupils in making the transition from early readers and on to Our Reading Approach at KS2. This curriculum approach has been designed by our staff in order to ensure that our pupils have a carefully sequenced approach to systematically experiencing and acquiring concepts and models which build upon, and further extend, knowledge and skills across Reading, Writing and Spoken Language. We recognise the need to be flexible and have in-built systems that allow for necessary adjustments to our approaches, so those pupils behind age-related expectations or working at greater depth are provided with the opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for them to catch up and/or keep up with their peers and access the appropriate support or level of challenge.
We recognise that identifying key foundational knowledge for pupils in the early stages of learning is integral to their success in gaining essential skills in reading comprehension as well as written and oral composition. This will then be further extended as pupils are prepared for the acquisition of more specific knowledge by the end of KS2 and in readiness for KS3.
As a school we acknowledge that, for our pupils, their underpinning knowledge of the English curriculum is essential in ensuring they make the most of the ambitious challenges that we provide. As such, our pupils need explicit explanations, consistent reinforcement, guided practice and the provision of worked examples within their study. Our teaching takes careful consideration of best practice pedagogical approaches in reading, writing, grammar and spoken language and we make sure that the teaching of this knowledge and embedding of these skills is a gradual, measured and carefully sequenced process. We do this through modelling, using quality exemplification, providing a range of effective feedback and ensuring that considered discussion is central to our approach.
We have worked hard to ensure that there are increasingly complex opportunities for pupils to demonstrate self-regulation, critical thinking and other meta-cognitive skills through our focus on questioning and our belief that continually activating relevant prior knowledge will embed knowledge and skills for our pupils, enabling them to meet the challenges of the curriculum throughout their time in primary education and beyond into KS3.
Early Reading & Phonics
As a school, we recognise and fully invest in the effectiveness of systematic synthetic phonics teaching, well aware of the research and evidence that supports this approach. The teaching of phonics is therefore fundamental to successful early reading within our school, empowering and enabling our children to succeed. As such, we have invested in training each and every member of our staff in the effective delivery of phonics, ensuring that everyone is an expert. Our English team consistently meet to discuss how phonics is delivered, assessed and embedded within our school.
In our Early Years and KS1 provision we teach every child to read with Read, Write, Inc. This is a complete Systematic Synthetic Phonics literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at Rift House Primary School we begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading. This may be delivered in bespoke intervention and catch-up programmes called “Fast Track” and “Fresh Start” – more information can be found on this in our “How we support pupils in our English curriculum approach” section.
As a school, we acknowledge that initially focusing on the accuracy, automaticity and prosody of a child’s reading is essential to easing the cognitive load that can occur when encountering and processing new vocabulary or comprehending a text. As a result, our early readers (regardless of age/cohort) will always focus on gaining and developing these skills first within our setting.
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World Book Week 2023
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Our Bluebell Library Hub & Tranquility Garden
We believe that a central library should be the heart of a school: a place in which our pupils feel welcomed, enriched and inspired; a place where each child is appreciated for their unique tastes and has the opportunity to find inspiration that will feed their hunger for knowledge and allow them to unlock a world of discovery. In our ongoing endeavour to achieve this, we have invested substantially in our library stock, listening to the desires our pupils and ensuring that they have the opportunity to access books and authors that ignite a love of reading.
We are also proud to unveil our brand new Bluebell Library Hub & Tranquility Garden. Situated at the very heart of our school, this incredible resource is a welcoming and nurturing space where pupils and families can take the opportunity to unwind, share books, find inspiration and discover a wealth of knowledge through the support of our Reading Team and school librarians. We want this space to eventually be open to our wider school community and we have big plans as to how we can develop these links in the coming weeks.
Weblinks
As a school we celebrate World Book Day every year in March and thoroughly enjoy taking part in a range of activities which help to promote a love for reading across our school.
Another popular recommendation is Oxford Owl. Once parents have created a free account, readers can access a host of books. The books are available to filter by age group, text type, book band, phonics phase or reading level.
A particular favourite is Books For Topics which has a range of exciting books linked to topics and units that we will be covering in each class across the year.
One charity aims to get children reading. Each year, The Book Trust reaches 3.9 million children across the UK with books, resources and support to help develop a love of reading, from ages 0 to 16 but with a focus on early years.
Another charity, the National Literacy Trust, campaigns to make literacy a priority for politicians and parents, supports children and families to improve their literacy skills and conducts research on issues relating to literacy.
Love Reading 4 Kids is one of the biggest and best recommendation site for children's books. Their passion for children's books ranges from toddlers to teens and ensures that whatever the age, whatever the interest, that you have a steady stream of brilliant book recommendations for your child.
With Storytime Online, the QR codes and links in the document link to story readings on Youtube and all of the books chosen are read aloud by their fabulous authors and illustrators.
Online magazines that are updated often are the Aquila Magazine and the Whizz Pop Bang Magazine. These keeps children up to date with current events.
Rift House Primary School
English
EYFS
Communication & Language
The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial. By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children's language effectively. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.
Literacy
It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing).
National Curriculum
Purpose of study
English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised.
Here at Rift House Primary School we aim to create a climate of curiosity and enthusiasm through questioning that encourages and nurtures a thirst for knowledge for our pupils now and beyond.
Aims
The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
- are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate
Curriculum Summary
As a school we understand that our English curriculum approach must enable our pupils to develop competency and confidence in reading, writing and spoken language and that, throughout, we must create carefully sequenced opportunities that will ensure continual progression and readiness for further challenges within the primary curriculum and beyond into KS3.
In the Early Years, starting from our 2 year old provision through to Reception, staff make use of the non-statutory guidance within Birth to Five Matters whilst ensuring the statutory framework for the EYFS is met. Reception children are assessed against the appropriate Early Learning Goals which contributes to them reaching a good level of development. Our Nursery, Reception, Year One and Year Two children also make use of the Read, Write, Inc. systematic synthetic phonics programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, as stated, here at Rift House Primary School we begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching Read, Write, Inc. to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading. This may be delivered in bespoke sessions called Fast Track and Fresh Start - this is because our early readers (regardless of age/cohort) will always focus on gaining and developing these skills first within our setting.
There are initial bridging programmes and units such as Talk Through Stories and Read, Write, Inc. Comprehension that support transition, as well as a bespoke approach in Year Three and Year Four, that support our pupils in making the transition from early readers and on to Our Reading Approach at KS2. This curriculum approach has been designed by our staff in order to ensure that our pupils have a carefully sequenced approach to systematically experiencing and acquiring concepts and models which build upon, and further extend, knowledge and skills across Reading, Writing and Spoken Language. We recognise the need to be flexible and have in-built systems that allow for necessary adjustments to our approaches, so those pupils behind age-related expectations or working at greater depth are provided with the opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for them to catch up and/or keep up with their peers and access the appropriate support or level of challenge.
We recognise that identifying key foundational knowledge for pupils in the early stages of learning is integral to their success in gaining essential skills in reading comprehension as well as written and oral composition. This will then be further extended as pupils are prepared for the acquisition of more specific knowledge by the end of KS2 and in readiness for KS3.
As a school we acknowledge that, for our pupils, their underpinning knowledge of the English curriculum is essential in ensuring they make the most of the ambitious challenges that we provide. As such, our pupils need explicit explanations, consistent reinforcement, guided practice and the provision of worked examples within their study. Our teaching takes careful consideration of best practice pedagogical approaches in reading, writing, grammar and spoken language and we make sure that the teaching of this knowledge and embedding of these skills is a gradual, measured and carefully sequenced process. We do this through modelling, using quality exemplification, providing a range of effective feedback and ensuring that considered discussion is central to our approach.
We have worked hard to ensure that there are increasingly complex opportunities for pupils to demonstrate self-regulation, critical thinking and other meta-cognitive skills through our focus on questioning and our belief that continually activating relevant prior knowledge will embed knowledge and skills for our pupils, enabling them to meet the challenges of the curriculum throughout their time in primary education and beyond into KS3.
Early Reading & Phonics
As a school, we recognise and fully invest in the effectiveness of systematic synthetic phonics teaching, well aware of the research and evidence that supports this approach. The teaching of phonics is therefore fundamental to successful early reading within our school, empowering and enabling our children to succeed. As such, we have invested in training each and every member of our staff in the effective delivery of phonics, ensuring that everyone is an expert. Our English team consistently meet to discuss how phonics is delivered, assessed and embedded within our school.
In our Early Years and KS1 provision we teach every child to read with Read, Write, Inc. This is a complete Systematic Synthetic Phonics literacy programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling. The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at Rift House Primary School we begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading. This may be delivered in bespoke intervention and catch-up programmes called “Fast Track” and “Fresh Start” – more information can be found on this in our “How we support pupils in our English curriculum approach” section.
As a school, we acknowledge that initially focusing on the accuracy, automaticity and prosody of a child’s reading is essential to easing the cognitive load that can occur when encountering and processing new vocabulary or comprehending a text. As a result, our early readers (regardless of age/cohort) will always focus on gaining and developing these skills first within our setting.
|
World Book Week 2023
|
|
Our Bluebell Library Hub & Tranquility Garden
We believe that a central library should be the heart of a school: a place in which our pupils feel welcomed, enriched and inspired; a place where each child is appreciated for their unique tastes and has the opportunity to find inspiration that will feed their hunger for knowledge and allow them to unlock a world of discovery. In our ongoing endeavour to achieve this, we have invested substantially in our library stock, listening to the desires our pupils and ensuring that they have the opportunity to access books and authors that ignite a love of reading.
We are also proud to unveil our brand new Bluebell Library Hub & Tranquility Garden. Situated at the very heart of our school, this incredible resource is a welcoming and nurturing space where pupils and families can take the opportunity to unwind, share books, find inspiration and discover a wealth of knowledge through the support of our Reading Team and school librarians. We want this space to eventually be open to our wider school community and we have big plans as to how we can develop these links in the coming weeks.
Weblinks
As a school we celebrate World Book Day every year in March and thoroughly enjoy taking part in a range of activities which help to promote a love for reading across our school.
Another popular recommendation is Oxford Owl. Once parents have created a free account, readers can access a host of books. The books are available to filter by age group, text type, book band, phonics phase or reading level.
A particular favourite is Books For Topics which has a range of exciting books linked to topics and units that we will be covering in each class across the year.
One charity aims to get children reading. Each year, The Book Trust reaches 3.9 million children across the UK with books, resources and support to help develop a love of reading, from ages 0 to 16 but with a focus on early years.
Another charity, the National Literacy Trust, campaigns to make literacy a priority for politicians and parents, supports children and families to improve their literacy skills and conducts research on issues relating to literacy.
Love Reading 4 Kids is one of the biggest and best recommendation site for children's books. Their passion for children's books ranges from toddlers to teens and ensures that whatever the age, whatever the interest, that you have a steady stream of brilliant book recommendations for your child.
With Storytime Online, the QR codes and links in the document link to story readings on Youtube and all of the books chosen are read aloud by their fabulous authors and illustrators.
Online magazines that are updated often are the Aquila Magazine and the Whizz Pop Bang Magazine. These keeps children up to date with current events.