Kennet Valley Primary School

English is taught every day and lessons develop pupil’s spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary. We endeavor to make links to other areas of the curriculum but also encourage reading widely and for pleasure.

From EYFS and throughout Key Stage 1 children engage in high quality, focused phonics lessons on a daily basis to develop both reading and writing skills, following the Letters and Sounds programme along with Jolly Phonics in EYFS.

We use various reading schemes including the Oxford Reading Scheme. Reading is taught to the whole class and in differentiated guided groups weekly with the classteacher from Year 1 to Year 6. Parents are provided with guidance and clear expectations about how to support their child with reading at home.

We develop writing skills so that our Reception Class pupils have the stamina and ability to write simple statements and sentences by the end of the year. We create writing opportunities inspired by books and reading, film and imagery and use teaching strategies including modelled, shared and guided writing, self and peer editing. We encourage the children to prepare for writing by talking, expressing and exchanging ideas. We provide a purpose for writing and encourage pupils to see themselves as authors.

Spelling is taught discretely.  In Year 1, children continue to learn to spell through daily phonics lessons.  Through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters, they begin to spell words with increasing speed and accuracy.  This practice is continued in Year 2 along with the introduction of daily spelling lessons, where further word and spelling structures are introduced and embedded.  In Key Stage 2, spelling is taught for one hour every week to ensure all curriculum content is covered and understood.  Teachers will continue to model good spelling practice in their English lessons and it is expected that children will apply their knowledge of spelling in all their writing.

Good writing depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting.  At Kennet Valley handwriting is taught throughout both spelling and English lessons, but also discretely using the Pen Pals programme.