At Saint Thomas More Primary School English is at the heart of our curriculum and pupils are taught to use spoken and written language competently and confidently. We recognise that the teaching of the writing process is inextricably linked to the teaching of Reading, Speaking and Listening and through an integrated approach, children are given the opportunity to learn new skills within a broad range of contexts.
From the Foundation Stage onwards communication and language skills are a key priority. Every child within school takes part in daily English lessons which develop the key skills of reading and the technical aspects of writing. In Key Stage One and the Foundation stage, this is based around the Read Write Inc programme which is the teaching of reading and writing through phonics. A love of reading is fostered by the sharing of a wide range of stories, rhymes and non-fiction texts and children are encouraged to use and apply new vocabulary learnt.
Click here (https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/about-us/mission/) for more information about Read Write Inc
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Mission – Ruth Miskin Phonics Training Read Write Inc. programmes work because we get children’s brain ‘COGS’ working: . Everything CONNECTS: children connect sounds with mnemonic pictures; words with their meanings; and stories with the sounds they know.They connect their own experiences to the stories they read and learn to lift the words off the page. Children learn ONE thing at a time and practise it until it becomes … www.ruthmiskin.com |
In Key Stage 2 children take part in daily English lessons. Our English Curriculum develops children’s comprehension, vocabulary, writing, grammar, critical-thinking and discussion skills in a fun and meaningful way. This is then supplemented by writing in different forms for a variety of audiences. The children write for different purposes: to imagine and explore feelings and ideas, to inform and explain, to persuade and to review and comment. Pupils are provided with opportunities to communicate independent views and opinions, respond imaginatively and express feelings through spoken and written language. They also see how writing is concerned with process as well as product and are taught to plan, draft, revise, proof-read and present their own writing and that of others. The link between reading and writing is explicit and planning follows the reading to writing process, giving pupils plenty of opportunities to become emerged in rich, quality texts.
At Saint Thomas More we are passionate about reading. Our principal aim is to foster a love of reading and encourage all children to develop a life-long love of books. All classes have a class book and dedicated story time each day. Phonics is taught in a ‘play based’ approach in Nursery through the exploration of sounds. Read Write Inc sounds are introduced to the Nursery children when they have a secure sound awareness and through an informal approach. In the Foundation Stage and through Key Stage One, children are taught to read through the Read Write Inc Programme and phonics is taught daily. In addition to English lessons, in years 2,3,4,5 and 6, whole class guided reading sessions are also taught regularly, focusing on the key skills of retrieval, inference and prediction. All children are given opportunities to develop knowledge of different authors and styles of writing and read a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, including media and texts from a variety of cultures and traditions. We recognise that the role of the family is central in supporting a child’s language development as a speaker, reader and writer. Children are encouraged to read frequently at home and teachers monitor reading records regularly. Children participate in class reading challenges to promote regular reading. Home reading books are chosen from a range of different schemes including Oxford Reading Tree and ‘Read Write Inc’ and children who have completed the reading scheme have access to our extensive school library.
In addition to daily English lessons, children have regular basic skills sessions, focusing on the teaching of handwriting and spelling rules. Children are taught to develop a neat, legible, speedy handwriting style using continuous cursive letters that leads to producing letters and words fluently and accurately for independent writing. Spelling is taught discretely each week and a subscription to Spelling Shed allows children to practise weekly spellings at home to prepare for weekly spelling tests.
Useful English Websites: