Phonics and Reading
At Pinner Park Primary School we believe children should learn to read in a way that motivates and inspires them. We recognise that getting children’s early reading experiences right are crucial to them growing into confident readers.
Competence in reading is the key to independent learning and has a direct effect on progress in all other areas of the curriculum. We want our children to be ‘readers’, not just children who can read. Meek (1983) believes that, ‘Readers are made when they discover the activity is worth it.’
By the time they leave primary school they will have the knowledge, skills and enthusiasm to read widely to further their knowledge and for pleasure. They will read with confidence and talk confidently about their reading experiences and habits.
Teacher and TA subject knowledge in phonics and reading enables all pupils to achieve their full potential Pupils have a wide vocabulary and a rich understanding of the meaning of words encountered.
Because of its central importance reading is planned for carefully and systematically from the outset. Each English unit is well sequenced and develops incrementally.
Phonics teaching is planned in line with the Little Wandle Revised Letters and Sounds programme. Individual reading books are organised to link with Letters and Sounds Phases and coloured book band system, running records and regular assessments are completed. Phonics and reading audits are completed by the Subject Leader.
Reading for pleasure is promoted across the school. All children are given regular opportunities to read independently and to listen to stories read by adults. National events such as World Book Day and Summer Reading Challenge are promoted, as are school specific challenges such as ‘book battles.’
In our culturally diverse community, where many of our families do not have English as their first language, a vocabulary-rich curriculum is essential.
Vocabulary is introduced across the curriculum and identified on planning formats. New vocabulary is discussed and displayed in classrooms.
Writing
At Pinner Park we want every children to be able to write in a clear, grammatically correct and engaging manner by the time they leave Year 6. Writing is a key life skill - it is vital that children are able to be successful writers - and we also want children to enjoy writing.
We promote daily writing opportunities so that children can successfully write for a range of audiences and purposes.
At Pinner Park, children's grammar, punctuation and grammar skills are developed as they move through the school. Children are taught to use precise grammatical terminology as they talk about their own writing, and the writing of others.
Children are taught the main features of a range of different genres of writing. They work on their writing each day, often crafting a piece of writing over a number of days ('Big Write'). This helps children build their writing stamina and gives them sufficient time to draft, adapt and publish a quality piece.
Handwriting
Children develop their handwriting as they progress through school - from initial mark-making in Early Years.
Letter formation is taught alongside phonics in Reception and from Year 1. Joined, neat, legible handwriting is an essential skill which is taught to all children. A consistently high standard of handwriting is expected across the school in order to foster a sense of pride and respect in work.
Legible writing that can be produced comfortably, at speed and with little conscious effort allows a child to attend to the higher-level aspects of writing composition and content.
Spelling
In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, spelling is taught alongside the phonic session, learning about the rules of language and making connections between the sounds (phonemes) and the different written representations of that sound (graphemes).
Starting in Year 2, and through Key Stage 2, we use ‘Read, Write Inc.’ to teach spelling. This is a scheme with proven results. Rather than learning a list of stand-alone words, the emphasis is placed on the morphology of words – learning the rules of our language. The children learn to apply these rules to groups of words and understand the way English is constructed. Prefixes, suffixes, word classes and more are all taught and the words being learnt will be recorded in individual log books which will come home for you to see what your child is learning about that week. Little and often is the best way to learn spellings and this is the approach that ‘Read, Write Inc.’ takes.
The lessons are interactive, including online videos and activities along with peer- teaching and teacher-led sessions. The focus is on teaching children spelling and not testing. There are opportunities throughout each unit for the pupils to apply their learning and see what they have remembered along with consolidating tricky words and writing dictation sentences. It is fully in line with the raised expectations of the school curriculum.
Subject Leadership
Our subject leader for English is Miss Choudhury. Additionally, Mrs Massiah supports the leadership of phonics and early reading.
At Pinner Park Primary School we believe children should learn to read in a way that motivates and inspires them. We recognise that getting children’s early reading experiences right are crucial to them growing into confident readers.
Competence in reading is the key to independent learning and has a direct effect on progress in all other areas of the curriculum. We want our children to be ‘readers’, not just children who can read. Meek (1983) believes that, ‘Readers are made when they discover the activity is worth it.’
By the time they leave primary school they will have the knowledge, skills and enthusiasm to read widely to further their knowledge and for pleasure. They will read with confidence and talk confidently about their reading experiences and habits.
Teacher and TA subject knowledge in phonics and reading enables all pupils to achieve their full potential Pupils have a wide vocabulary and a rich understanding of the meaning of words encountered.
Because of its central importance reading is planned for carefully and systematically from the outset. Each English unit is well sequenced and develops incrementally.
Phonics teaching is planned in line with the Little Wandle Revised Letters and Sounds programme. Individual reading books are organised to link with Letters and Sounds Phases and coloured book band system, running records and regular assessments are completed. Phonics and reading audits are completed by the Subject Leader.
Reading for pleasure is promoted across the school. All children are given regular opportunities to read independently and to listen to stories read by adults. National events such as World Book Day and Summer Reading Challenge are promoted, as are school specific challenges such as ‘book battles.’
In our culturally diverse community, where many of our families do not have English as their first language, a vocabulary-rich curriculum is essential.
Vocabulary is introduced across the curriculum and identified on planning formats. New vocabulary is discussed and displayed in classrooms.
Writing
At Pinner Park we want every children to be able to write in a clear, grammatically correct and engaging manner by the time they leave Year 6. Writing is a key life skill - it is vital that children are able to be successful writers - and we also want children to enjoy writing.
We promote daily writing opportunities so that children can successfully write for a range of audiences and purposes.
At Pinner Park, children's grammar, punctuation and grammar skills are developed as they move through the school. Children are taught to use precise grammatical terminology as they talk about their own writing, and the writing of others.
Children are taught the main features of a range of different genres of writing. They work on their writing each day, often crafting a piece of writing over a number of days ('Big Write'). This helps children build their writing stamina and gives them sufficient time to draft, adapt and publish a quality piece.
Handwriting
Children develop their handwriting as they progress through school - from initial mark-making in Early Years.
Letter formation is taught alongside phonics in Reception and from Year 1. Joined, neat, legible handwriting is an essential skill which is taught to all children. A consistently high standard of handwriting is expected across the school in order to foster a sense of pride and respect in work.
Legible writing that can be produced comfortably, at speed and with little conscious effort allows a child to attend to the higher-level aspects of writing composition and content.
Spelling
In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, spelling is taught alongside the phonic session, learning about the rules of language and making connections between the sounds (phonemes) and the different written representations of that sound (graphemes).
Starting in Year 2, and through Key Stage 2, we use ‘Read, Write Inc.’ to teach spelling. This is a scheme with proven results. Rather than learning a list of stand-alone words, the emphasis is placed on the morphology of words – learning the rules of our language. The children learn to apply these rules to groups of words and understand the way English is constructed. Prefixes, suffixes, word classes and more are all taught and the words being learnt will be recorded in individual log books which will come home for you to see what your child is learning about that week. Little and often is the best way to learn spellings and this is the approach that ‘Read, Write Inc.’ takes.
The lessons are interactive, including online videos and activities along with peer- teaching and teacher-led sessions. The focus is on teaching children spelling and not testing. There are opportunities throughout each unit for the pupils to apply their learning and see what they have remembered along with consolidating tricky words and writing dictation sentences. It is fully in line with the raised expectations of the school curriculum.
Subject Leadership
Our subject leader for English is Miss Choudhury. Additionally, Mrs Massiah supports the leadership of phonics and early reading.
