EYFS and KS1 Phonics

'Phonics Shed' provides the structure and progression of our phonics programme at St Andrew’s. Children have daily phonics sessions in EYFS and KS1, with emphasis being placed on the application of phonetic knowledge being used to support reading and spelling. Careful planning ensures excellent progression through the phonics phases.

We have a range of resources to support teaching and learning in this area, for example: Phonics Play and a range of games and activities to support all learners.

Most children are secure in their Phonic knowledge and application by the end of Year 2. However, for those who need it, phonics teaching is continued throughout KS2, although this may follow a more individualised approach, depending on pupil´s individual needs.

Reading

Reading is the core of our curriculum. We teach children to be confident and fluent readers who will have a lifelong love of books and reading. We understand that reading unlocks the world around us and enables children to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially, spiritually and imaginatively; our ambitious reading curriculum reflects these values. Reading is taught through the main English lesson and through guided reading sessions, which enables teachers to match books to the pupil's learning requirements in order to support good progress.

The Collins Big Cat’s scheme supports early reading at St Andrew’s. This scheme is used to match to the children’s current phonics ability. Children read books from this scheme in school and at home, with communication of progress being noted in the Reading Logs which are used by school staff and parents to create a ‘Reading Dialogue’ between home and school.  In addition, children may be issued with a reading scheme book and they also have access to our well-stocked library, where they are able to choose their own book.

KS2 Reading Passports

In order to ensure children in each class have access to a selection of high quality texts, in each of the Key Stage 2 classes there is a 'Reading Passport'. The ‘Passport’ acts as a way to support teachers, parents and the children to make clear progression with their independent reading at St Andrew’s. Children have the opportunity to rate each book on their passport and discuss the books as a class. This has been highly effective in creating a culture of reading for pleasure.

The books are selected to allow good coverage of all reading genres, exposing children to new authors and text types. This, in turn, further supports writing in the classroom.

Writing

Through careful planning, children are taught to write on a wide variety of topics and transfer these skills across the curriculum. They are encouraged to discuss and explore ideas through drama, storytelling and other creative approaches, and to communicate clearly and confidently with others in both speech and writing. Much of the children's writing develops through meaningful topic work.

The children learn through a series of lessons around the structure of ‘Read’, ‘Write’, ‘Plan’, ‘Create’. This allows them to be immersed in high quality texts, explore their features, plan their own writing and then create and edit this.