English is at the heart of all learning at Lent Rise School. A language-rich curriculum is the key to learning across all subject areas, developing pupil’s confidence and allowing them to achieve in all aspects of their life. English has its own independent identity within Lent Rise School, ensuring a personalised, yet consistent and collaborative approach to the way we teach it across our school.
Reading
Intent
At Lent Rise School, we believe that reading is the foundation to all learning. Therefore, our priority is to ensure students are exposed to a broad range of high-quality texts and provide a variety of oracy opportunities to support the reading development of our students, contributing to their love of reading. Reading is embedded in everything we do across the Lent Rise curriculum. It is our strong belief that a collective model of how to read – and enjoying reading - is integral to the progression of our students. This continuity is paramount when seeking to stimulate ambition and curiosity in our learners in the future.
Implementation
We begin our reading journey with Read Write Inc. phonics and daily story time sessions in Reception and Key Stage 1 classes. Some of our KS2 pupils continue to access phonics groups and interventions if they need further consolidation and development of reading skills. Beyond phonics, whole class guided reading sessions are taught, where our pupils read and respond to a range of high-quality fiction, non-fiction, and poetry texts. They draw upon their VIPERS skills to explore vocabulary, themes, characters and more. All pupils have the opportunity to develop their reading fluency beyond phonics, through modelled, echo and choral reading experiences within guided reading lessons. Targeted reading opportunities with teaching staff, peers and reading volunteers further supports our pupils to become fluent readers by enabling a safe and motivating environment. In this secure setting, our pupils can refine their phonics learning and develop their reading and comprehension skills. Our implementation and usage of Accelerated Reader has engaged both pupils and parents, placing reading at the forefront of students’ school and home learning. It has highlighted and celebrated the successes of all, setting achievable goals, encouraging pupils to select books that not only support the reading for pleasure, but develop their reading fluency and comprehension in a fun and engaging way.
Impact
The consistency to our approach to teaching reading, alongside the integration of high-quality texts and creating a wide-range of oracy opportunities, creates a word-rich environment; one that transports our readers to new and exciting worlds. Our pupils utilise the library regularly, which is filled with inquisitive and happy learners. Classroom visits to this scholastic sanctuary showcase the importance and positive attitudes towards reading. With welcoming book areas and pupils eagerly volunteering to read and embracing story time sessions, these opportunities have enabled and empowered our students, allowing each of them to learn, reach and shine in their own way.
Intent
The writing journey begins in Nursery and Reception with pre-literacy. As pupils continue their writing journey we believe that an integration of reading high-quality texts and a variety of oracy opportunities support the writing development of our students. In addition to this, it is our strong belief that a collective model of how to write is integral to the progression of our students. This continuity is paramount when seeking to stimulate ambition and curiosity in our learners in the future.
Implementation
In this vein, throughout all year groups, we follow a four-stage process to ensure continuity across year groups, phases and key-stages in our students’ writing progression. The four stages are: Immersion, Analysis, Planning and Writing (as exhibited: Lent Rise Writing Journey doc below). We believe that by enabling children to understand how to go about their writing, with an explicit focus on the audience, purpose and end point and through the development of Writers’ Toolkits, regardless of the piece or genre, they will be empowered writers.
Impact
Ultimately, we believe that the outcome of this consistent process has increased the writing stamina and developed the ownership and authorship of each child. Children are proactive during the writing journey and are evaluative and reflective upon completion, resulting in an awareness of each piece’s audience and purpose. As a consequence, children enjoy and take pride in their writing. The consistency of our approach to writing, alongside the integration of reading high-quality texts and creating a wide-range of oracy opportunities, creates a word-rich environment.
We follow the Read Write Inc. Spelling scheme to ensure consistency and progression in spelling that follows on from Read Write Inc Phonics. In handwriting sessions, pupils are taught how to construct letters fluently, legibly and consistently. These lessons utilise a mixture of schemes, including Read Write Inc. (continually taught throughout the school to aid transition between phases), Nelson handwriting and Bubble Writing.
