English

Introduction

The study of English - that is, development of skills in speaking and listening, reading and writing - equips us with the power of communication: one of the most important of all life skills. It provides the foundation for all future learning and is key in enabling progress across the National Curriculum. In our school, we promote a culture of reading, not simply as a life skill, but to also develop in our pupils a love of books and literature that will not only support their learning across the curriculum, but also enrich their lives.

Early Reading and Phonics:

Children begin their reading journey in Nursery. The development of pre-reading speaking and listening skills is supported by activities such as body percussion, listening to and repeating rhythms and rhymes and considering environmental sounds. Children become familiar with a wide selection of literature, where they are able to listen to and repeat familiar words and phrases.

Read Write Inc. Phonics (RWI) is introduced in Reception and continues into Year 1, where phonemes and graphemes are taught systematically and children begin to blend these sounds into words. The use of books which are closely matched to children’s phonic knowledge and include common ‘tricky’ words aid children’s fluency and provide opportunities for development of comprehension skills.

Reading:

RWI Phonics is taught until most children in a cohort are confident and competent in their phonics knowledge and are able to read fluently.

The next step of the journey for children at Seaburn Dene is the whole-class reading lesson. This is a daily, timetabled reading session for the discrete teaching of reading skills.

At Seaburn Dene, we understand the important of reading for pleasure and ensure that every child in school is given the opportunity to share a story with their teacher and classmates each day.

Writing:

To provide consistency in approach to the teaching and learning of writing, we have invested in The Write Stuff system by Jane Considine. The Write Stuff is research informed and applies the evidence into practical strategies to improve writing outcomes.

We also provide a wealth of enrichment opportunities, including poetry and creative writing competitions to visits to centres of literary excellence (such as Seven Stories), and author visits to school. Theatre trips are organised to link with curriculum plans; these strategies ensure that children benefit from access to positive role models from the local and wider locality, allowing them to investigate and follow their aspirations.