At Leverstock Green CE primary School, our English curriculum is delivered using a variety of high quality engaging texts which ensure all pupils have regular experiences of speaking and listening, reading and writing. English is taught across the curriculum through discrete lessons, topics, themes and enrichment activities. Pupils learn to use language effectively for different purposes and audiences. They are supported in developing and extending their English through visits, projects, competitions and celebrations of national events.

Phonics

All children in EYFS and Key Stage One receive a daily phonics session. In Reception and Year 1, we follow the Little Wandle ‘Letters and Sounds Revised’ programme progression.

Practice Reading 

All children in Reception and KS1 have three practice reading sessions per week. These books are carefully selected based on the sounds the children know. 
 

We focus on the following skills each week:-

Session 1: Fluency 

Session 2: Prosody 

Session 3: Comprehension 

Reading is considered a high priority across the school.  In EYFS and KS1 the children are take books home to practice and consolidate sounds they know. To provide the children with a range of literature, the children also take home a reading for pleasure book to enjoy reading with an adult at home. There is an expectation that children read at home daily.

Whole class reading 

In whole class sessions, all children are exposed to a variety challenging and engaging material. All children are taught comprehension skills twice a week to help them learn to retrieve information, infer from authorial intent, summarise the text and make predictions based on evidence provided. We also teach them strategies to decipher the meanings of unfamiliar words through clues in the text and using their existing knowledge of spelling rules.

Promoting a love of Reading 

We aim to promote a love of reading across the school by providing high quality texts to all children across the breadth of the curriculum. We take part in a range of activities to further children’s love for reading such as: World Book Day, Book Fairs and voting for book of the day. Providing children with choice and creating opportunities to develop their own interests in books is at the heart of our mission for Reading across the school. 

We are very fortunate to have a well-resourced school library. There is a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts on offer to support the children develop their love for reading but also to support their learning across the curriculum. Each class has an inviting and engaging reading area. 
 

Supporting all learners to be successful readers 

In Reception and Year 1, we implement keep up sessions to support any child at risk of falling behind with their reading. From Year 2 onwards, children whose reading progress still causes concern, we use the Rapid Catch up Programme from Little Wandle.

We have a range of low level- higher interest books to support children in Key Stage 2 develop their reading further and support their engagement with reading. 

We also provide targeted interventions to accelerate reading progress for pupils such as Reading Revival and Rapid Catch up. 

Writing

Writing topics are planned with a focus around engaging and vocabulary-rich texts and experiences.  Through modelled and shared writing, children are encouraged to write creatively and purposefully.  They take responsibility for editing, improving, redrafting and presenting their work from Year Two.  Emphasis is placed on producing quality work with neat presentation, correctly formed handwriting and the use of correct spelling patterns and rules (which are taught discretely). Children learn to work independently using the working walls in the classroom as a tool to understand the criteria needed for success, in addition to examples of how to meet it.