English

Our approach to teaching reading and writing

Early Reading and Writing

At St Sidwell's, our children learn to read and write effectively and quickly using the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme. Across Reception and Key Stage 1, the children are grouped according to their phonics understanding so teaching is specially targeted to the children's needs.

Children are assessed regularly with the aim of moving them through the programme.

Read Write Inc. Phonics programme is for:

• Pupils in Year R to Year 2 who are learning to read and write
• Any pupils in Key Stage 2 who need to catch up rapidly

In Read Write Inc. Phonics pupils:

• Decode letter-sound correspondences quickly and effortlessly, using their phonic knowledge and skills
• Read common exception words on sight
• Understand what they read
• Read aloud with fluency and expression
• Write confidently, with a strong focus on vocabulary and grammar
• Spell quickly and easily by segmenting the sounds in words
• Acquire good handwriting.

Phonics is tracked throughout EYFS and Key Stage 1 by our own tracking systems and the use of the Phonics screen check. Gaps and weaknesses are identified with interventions put in place to fill these.

In Reception, children are given the opportunity to  extend their creative writing skills through an approach known as Drawing Club. Drawing Club is closely linked to a quality text that enriches their language skills, develops their fine motor skills, and immerses them into a world of adventure. 

In Reception, children learn to apply their phonics and develop their writing skills through Drawing Club. Drawing Club is based around the Golden Blend of picture books, tales and animations and involves a short period of Time Together as a whole class followed by time with children exploring their ideas and creativity.

It gives children the freedom to 'adventure' and brings the world of story to life through:
 

• Immersing children in the world of story and shows them the joy of who they are 
• Sharing a treasure trove of vocabulary to open up the playground of language to them
• Developing children’s creativity and imagination to show them that they are extraordinary 
• Giving the children age-appropriate practice that is highly engaging and grounds children in the joy of book snuggling.

St Sidwell's Read Write Inc Progression Document

For more information about Read Write Inc, please follow the link below

https://www.ruthmiskin.com/programmes/phonics/

Continued teaching of reading

Accelerated Reader

Once the children are fully confident with reading having followed the RWI programme, they take a STAR reading test. STAR reading tests are used six times a year throughout Key Stage 2 to provide the children's reading age and Zone of Proximal Development. This ensures children are reading books at a level that is providing enough challenge but also with enough success to develop their enjoyment of reading. The STAR test also provides teachers with diagnostic information if there is a need for intervention. 

 Children use their ZPD to choose books from the library. Once they finish their book they are then able to take a quiz about the book encouraging them to read for understanding. Accelerated Reader gives teachers a clear overview of the children’s reading and areas they need to work on enabling them to monitor effectively.

Accelerated reader is for:

• Key Stage 1 children who have progressed beyond RWI
• Children in Years 3,4,5 and 6

Accelerated Reader pupils will:

• Read books that are carefully selected for their reading level
• Aim to read with 85% accuracy
• Read daily for at least 20mins at school
• Encouraged to read daily at home
• Quiz within 24 hours of finishing a book
• Read a range of books and genres

Guided Reading

From Year 2, children at St Sidwell's take part in daily guided reading sessions following the ‘Re-think reading’ scheme as developed by Devon Education Services. This group reading activity builds comprehension, vocabulary, prediction, summarising and inference. 

Reading is tracked throughout the school by the use of guided reading notes, standardised reading age scores and standardised tests 3 times a year.

Reading for Pleasure

Adults in class read high-quality texts to the children on a daily basis from our school Reading Spine.

Our reading spine is a school-wide cannon of “great books” defined as a rich, diverse sampling of engaging stories that serve children over time. These great stories build the children's language because 75% of our vocabulary comes from our reading, as well as developing the ability to think in the abstract.

This common bank of stories helps to bind our school community together through shared experiences. We feel that this common base of books that all children read for shared reference must be diverse and representative of the community and world that we live in. It is our role to introduce children to a wider range of books than they may independently choose in order to develop a familiarity with a broad range of texts.

We believe that one of the greatest gifts a teacher can give to their students is a book that they might never have considered themselves.

To see our Reading Spine, please follow this link: 

St Sidwell's Reading Spine PDF

Writing across the school

In Year 1, children continue to develop their writing skills by building on their RWInc learning through daily phonics sessions. This is supplemented with lots of opportunities for cross-curricular writing in the foundation subjects. 

From Year 2 onwards, children develop their writing skills through Book Writes: Texts that Teach, developed by Devon Education Services. 

‘Texts that teach’ are carefully selected books that the BookWrites teaching sequences are based on.  All the teaching sequences offer:

• something worth discussing
• rich language to explore
• structures (text and grammatical) that are national curriculum age-related and can be replicated to inspire pupils’ original compositions.

St Sidwell's Writing Progression Document