English display

Learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.’  

                                                                                                                              Victor Hugo 

Intent 

We, the White Rose Federation, believe that reading, writing, speaking and listening underpin all areas of our children’s development.  We offer rich and stimulating opportunities for them to experience which, in turn, enable them to flourish and grow into articulate, inquisitive and aspirational communicators. Building on their very first experiences when they join us in FS2, our children develop a love of reading which then permeates into all aspects of their development. Our intention is to encourage our children to foster a love of reading, writing, listening and speaking. 

Implementation 

Phonics and Early Reading 

We believe that encouraging our children to engage with reading is essential from the moment they walk through our doors.  Our youngest children access bespoke and engaging enhanced provision areas offering opportunities for quality interactions facilitated by our skilled adults whilst exploring them. Regular group reading sessions also offer adult-supported dialogue and opportunities for singing and games using the children’s interest to inform this. 

As the children progress, they are introduced to daily Bug Club phonics sessions using synthetic phonics.  Due to all staff accessing training, the team have an acute awareness of how this scheme progresses meaning that it is delivered until the end of Year 2 with fidelity.  It also means that we are able support any children who require additional intervention support. 

Linked to the Bug Club phonic scheme, every child has their own Bug Club account which enables them to access books in line with their phonological development online and complete reading challenges with their families at home. 

Reading 

As with our conviction about the importance of offering a diverse range of reading opportunities for our youngest children, the same message permeates the whole school.  Our English curriculum hinges on quality texts being selected with a view to this also being an opportunity to enhance other areas of the curriculum such as history, geography and PSHE. 

Discrete guided reading lessons offer opportunities to retrieve and interpret information from texts, and are underpinned by high quality use of terminology and exploration of language.  We want our children to take risks and challenge themselves when reading, with opportunities to access a wide range of literature made readily available. 

Along with timetabled guided reading sessions, there are daily opportunities for children to read independently and also to come together as classes to share class texts.  Again, the children play a key role in selecting these to ensure enthusiasm and engagement.  We also endeavour to offer texts which broaden their horizons and look outside their immediate community, enabling them to develop an awareness of their role as a global citizen. 

Writing 

Creating valuable links between early reading and early writing is crucial for the development of our youngest children. Opportunities for them to mark-make meaningfully are offered across all areas of the provision and form a natural part of their learning. As for all children, we assert the fact that writing has a purpose and from Key Stage 1 onwards, they also have an understanding that their writing will also have an audience.  We constantly ask the question ‘why am I writing this?’ and ‘who am I writing this for?’ 

Daily handwriting, grammar and spelling sessions mean that children are diligent when applying key skills and are able to articulate their understanding of these using the appropriate terminology.  An example of this is when exploring spelling patterns where they discuss adaptations made to root words when adding prefixes and suffixes.  Children have high expectations when it comes to the presentation of their work. 

Opportunities for children to write across a range of genres means that they become adept at identifying key features and structures within them and how to select them effectively.  These are also planned with an understanding of progression within these genres depending on the children in question. They are also able to apply these skills when writing in other subjects to the same high standards. 

In order to immerse the children in their learning there are planned opportunities for drama, performing, experiencing productions, discussing and accessing different media such as recording, videos and films.  This is then further enhanced by shared-writing sessions leading to independent writing which they are able to edit and improve effectively.  

Impact 

The outcome is that children embrace reading, readily wanting to engage with a range of texts.  They should be able to articulately discuss their thoughts and ideas and question the literary world around them.  In turn, they are able to write with flair, imagination, pride and confidence, with the end result of a planned unit being a piece of high-quality published work of which they are proud. 

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