At Heddon-on-the-Wall St. Andrew’s Primary School, we believe that English is a language for learning. Our curriculum strives to inspire a habit of reading widely and often. English at Heddon emboldens children with a positive attitude towards communication- and reading in particular- and to be able to independently express their emotions, verbally explore their ideas and extend their understanding through questioning; we want to nurture effective communicators. Through our contextualised English curriculum- built upon a Literature Works approach and complementing our use of the Read Write Inc. systematic synthetic phonics approach – we endeavour to teach children how important their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills will be in the real world. Our belief is that a secure basis in literacy is crucial to a high quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate positively as members of society.
Aims of English:
Our overarching aim is to develop high standards of literacy by ensuring that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often
- acquire a rich and wide vocabulary
- establish an understanding of grammar
- advance their knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our 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
- nurture confidence in the arts of speaking and listening
What is Read Write Inc?
Read Write Inc. (RWI) is a systematic synthetic phonics complete 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. We begin the programme in Nursery and will continue teaching RWI to children until they can read fluently.
RWI was developed by Ruth Miskin; watch our video to find out more.
What is Literature Works?
Literature Works is a ‘reading into writing’ framework that enables teachers to plan engaging and effective English lessons. Once pupils have completed Read Write Inc, they progress onto Literature Works. Teachers work creatively, using texts to sequence lessons and contextualise learning, helping all children to make connections and develop independence. Pupils are enthused, are encouraged to express and share their views and feelings on what they have read; develop the ability to compare texts, and think critically and creatively. In writing, pupils are motivated, are able to write with a clear purpose, viewpoint and audience, applying grammar and vocabulary appropriately to their writing across the curriculum. Teachers assess and teach to gaps in pupil learning, are able to reduce unnecessary ‘scaffold’ and, consequently, pupils achieve more.
Supporting Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
All children with SEND will have equal access and opportunities within the curriculum. The School will support these children to ‘catch up’, ‘keep up’ and experience success in the following ways (where appropriate):
- High quality teaching each day through Ordinarily Available Provision (formerly Quality First Teaching);
- Opportunities for pre-learning (particularly new vocabulary) before lessons;
- Appropriately scaffolded or differentiated work or materials;
- Classrooms and materials set up to reduce cognitive load and follow dyslexia friendly strategies;
- For children with Education, Health and Care Plans there may be 1:1 adult support in lessons.
The School recognises that while a child may have additional needs in one area of the curriculum they may well have skills and talents which allow them to shine and be successful in another and this is to be celebrated.
Useful Documents:
Supporting Children to Catch Up and Keep Up
Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement