At St Hedda’s Catholic Primary we foster the unique gifts of each child to be a confident, fluent reader, who reads widely to enrich their vocabulary; love reading so that they write well; think more and so that each day they know more. By reading more, our children will develop a knowledge of themselves and open their minds to the world in which they live.
English in EYFS
In EYFS, Reading is at the heart of our curriculum and our aim is to encourage a love of reading right from the start. In EYFS, we have our Fab Five books, nursery rhymes and songs each term, which compromises of them being read and sang over and over again, each term. The aim is to expose children to a range of books that not only develop a love of reading, but have been chosen specifically to develop their oracy, vocabulary and comprehension.
These five books will be embedded in our provision through enhancements, story sessions and on display for children to access independently. Through this, children begin to internalise new vocabulary, language patterns and begin to retell stories. Our curriculum is carefully constructed to prepare children and ensure that there is cohesion and consistency with our approach through:
- The inclusion of high-quality texts which are age and stage appropriate
- Modelled reading and re-telling opportunities across each session
- A focus on Tier 1, 2 and 3 Vocabulary
- Dedicated Little Wandle phonics sessions
- Cooperative learning behaviours which develop oracy and interdependence.
Children are encouraged to apply their phonics in independent and supported writing opportunities across the curriculum from letters, to recipes, short stories and information reports
English in Key Stage 1 and 2
In Key Stage 1 and 2 we teach Reading and Writing using Curriculum by Unity Schools Partnership (CUSP). There is a four year rolling programme in KS2 in writing and a two year rolling programme in KS1. In reading in KS2 , there is 2 year rolling programme.
Transcriptional elements of handwriting and spelling are taught discreetly.
CUSP is an evidence informed, carefully sequenced English curriculum, which maps core content in Reading and Writing across the primary journey, ensuring that learning is taught and revisited over time so that pupils commit their understanding to the long-term memory
St Hedda’s writing strategy
Writing is valued as a fundamental skill developed from early years through to year 6 and beyond.
Staff ensure that mark making and physical development are planned for, resourced and developed throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage of learning in Class 1. Reception year children learn how to write letters (graphemes) to represent sounds (phonemes).
After this, they learn how to write words and sentences as they progress through our systematic Little Wandle phonics scheme, which provides firm, positive foundations for writing. Children in the Early Years foundation stage, learn to use printed letters.
Once children have mastered how to print letters, they are introduced to writing cursive letters and how to join them. They will have regular practice in letter formation and joining their handwriting. Children increase the fluency and speed of their handwriting through regular practice, improving letter formation and orientation of letters.
At St Hedda’s, we have adopted the CUSP writing curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6. Children are taught to develop enjoyment, vocabulary, knowledge and skills in writing as they progress through the school. Each year, children benefit from flexible modules, which focus on transcription and basic skills, developing pupils’ fluency in writing.
They are taught to write at length with a heavy emphasis on vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and imagination. Rich knowledge and tier 2 and 3 vocabulary are woven into many different genres (such as narratives, different reports, autobiographies, balanced arguments, poetry) which we then revisit later in the year to make sure the substantive and disciplinary knowledge is embedded and enhanced. Our writing curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that the NC is covered and explored in depth and with enjoyment and inspiration.
Writing is improving and developing well across school, with children taking pride and being ambitious in their attitudes and work.
