English
English has a leading place in education and 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. 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 word, 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 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 heritage
- Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of context, 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 art of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate
Reading
Reading is one of the most important skills children can learn at school as it opens the door to many other areas of learning. Our aim for children by the end of Key Stage 1 is for them to achieve word reading fluency to equip them to access learning in Key Stage 2. To achieve this we have a daily, rigorous, synthetic phonics programme delivered consistently throughout EYFS and Key Stage 1. Further information about our phonics programme can be found below.
Along with daily phonics sessions the children have regular opportunities to read appropriate texts independently following our levelled scheme - Rhino Readers. To build fluency and stamina, children need to read widely and often with regular re-reading that can support fluency alongside reading at home. We promote 'three read' technique to build children's decoding, fluency and comprehension skills. By the end of Key Stage 2, our aim is to embed the enjoyment of reading by promoting a culture where pleasure for reading is valued as well as developing the comprehension of texts. We promote a variety of reading opportunities for children to help embed the pleasure for reading and to support them in becoming confident and fluent readers.
If you would like to find out more about what text your child is reading during their whole class reading sessions, please click on the relevant link below.
Year 1 Whole Class Reading Overview
Year 2 Whole Class Reading Overview
Year 3 Whole Class Reading Overview
Year 4 Whole Class Reading Overview
Year 5 Whole Class Reading Overview
Year 6 Whole Class Reading Overview
Click here to find some recommended reads for your each of your child's half-term topics.
Writing
Our writing aim is to develop motivated and independent writers: those who write with understanding and purpose. As the children progress through the school their writing takes a clear journey. The purpose of their writing and who they are writing for is made clear to the children. Within each classroom there is a working wall with their learning journey and tiered words to support vocabulary development. Each year group has a writing overview that has been designed by the staff and influenced by our pupils’ interests. If you would like to find out more about what text your child is reading during their writing sessions, please click on the relevant link below.
Phonics
To ensure that children become competent readers, Kings Worthy Primary School uses ‘Twinkl Phonics' to structure our teaching of phonics. The children are taught daily phonics lessons which begin on entry to the school in Foundation Stage. These lessons are organised so that children are introduced to the sound that letters of the alphabet make whilst also learning high frequency tricky words e.g. no. Notes from the Phonics workshop give more information about the teaching of phonics and ideas to support your child at home.
Our 'Progression of Phonics' document, outlines what to expect at different stages of your child's schooling.
Handwriting
Our 'Guide to Handwriting' is available for you to read about the progression of handwriting at Kings Worthy and the expectations of each year group. Below you can also find a document for your child's year group to support you with how each letter should be formed. These are available for you to print out for further support at home.
Year R Handwriting Letter Formation
Year 1 - 6 Handwriting Letter Formation
A website that may be useful for further handwriting support is Teach Handwriting.
Spelling
In Year 3, those children who were successful in their phonics screening and are meeting expectations move on to having several spelling sessions a week. Each child has a spelling journal which is for use in every lesson, to support their spelling when writing. In their spelling journal they can practise writing different words to see what they look like as well as revisit any spelling patterns they have been learning in class.
Every child from Year 1 - 6 has a Spelling Shed login which they can use at home and at school. Each week, there is a weekly competition to see which class and children are at the top of the leader board.