Implementation

Across the school, pupils have the opportunity to study great works of literature, including texts by Dickens, Shakespeare, Larkin, Hughes and Wilde and are introduced to literature from a range of genres. Quality texts provide opportunities for children to meet objectives drawn from across the National Curriculum for English.

Units planned for cover the teaching of reading, writing (including grammar, punctuation and spelling), performance and spoken language. In addition to this, children are taught aspects of the English curriculum through our integrated curriculum, through guided reading sessions, independent reading, class texts, phonics teaching and discrete spelling and handwriting lessons.

In planning, teachers ensure a balance of purpose (to explain, persuade, inform, describe, instruct, entertain etc.) and audience across each year.  Quality outcomes are planned for that are varied, purposeful and increasingly more sustained as the children progress through the school. Outcomes focus on quality rather than quantity with some units having just one or two outcomes depending on the unit length and content.

Each unit should include:

• word reading – as children encounter unfamiliar words
• grammar and punctuation – through seeing them in context and considering how they are employed for effect
• comprehension – through listening to, reading, and discussing challenging texts
• vocabulary and spelling – by encountering new language
• spoken language through participating in discussions about books, learning from both specific language modelled by the teacher and also that of their peers
• writing (both transcription and composition).

Texts used in whole class teaching often focus on texts which are just slightly above the reading level of the children in the class to ensure progression is made and high aspirations set.

Reading

At Thomas Jones we are systematic in teaching reading to ensure that every child will leave for secondary school with certain key competencies in reading. Teachers take responsibility for the following:

• word-reading skills – both phonic decoding skills and the quick recognition of ‘common exception words’ (tricky words)
• comprehension – including retrieving information, summarising, predicting, making inferences and using evidence from the text to justify these.

This simple view of reading, highlighted in the Rose review of early reading, forms the backbone of provision for reading at Thomas Jones. Children are taught to apply these skills to read for meaning across a wide range of genres. The first dimension constitutes being able to read, but the essential element for our children is developing their abilities as a reader. This is about developing the love of reading and books and the desire to read. We recognise that the two elements are intertwined; each relies on the other if children are to become life-long readers.

As a school we explicitly teach:

• knowledge about authors and books
• the language of books
• reading stamina
• book selection

Through the Foundation Stage and Key Stage One, our pupils follow a rigorous system of synthetic phonics - the Jolly Phonics reading scheme. This is matched with the DFE ‘Letters and Sounds’ document, to ensure children quickly and securely build up their word reading skills. Alongside this, pupils in this phase of the school have access to high quality books,  both to study in legitimate English lessons and to read independently. The school follows the Pearson Bug Club reading scheme for guided reading sessions, supplemented with other high quality books banded into the scheme. Home reader books are matched to the children's phonetic level and these books are also available for free reading in every class book corner. Specific language teaching also forms part of phonics lessons, particularly in key stage 1 when stages 5 and 6 of Letters and Sounds are taught. 

By Key Stage Two, many pupils are reading independently, borrowing books from our well-stocked library or classroom collections. Children may remain on our levelled reading scheme through KS2 however, until a class teacher assesses that a child’s fluency and comprehension is such that they are able to select from a wider range of texts independently. Our aim is to enable all children to become ‘free readers’ as soon as they are ready to do so, enabling them access to the wealth of quality literature in the school whilst ensuring that children are secure in their abilities as a reader before they are moved from the levelled scheme. Pupils read individually each day, normally at the start of school and occasionally after lunch. Some pupils are allowed a completely free choice in what they read, while others are guided towards titles by their teachers. The allocation of books is based on the teacher’s knowledge of a pupil and their reading needs, not any preconceived ideas about age.

Teachers read to their classes each day, more than once with younger children, sharing good quality literature with them. This helps our pupils to develop their vocabulary as well as introducing them to unfamiliar ideas and concepts. It also offers pupils the opportunity to tackle longer or more challenging texts than they would be able to alone. Quite aside from this, it is a joyful time of day, a chance to share a story as a class and to listen for sheer enjoyment. Listening to longer or more complex texts than they would be able to read alone increases children’s knowledge and understanding, and, along with the rich vocabulary they encounter, develops their reading comprehension. When the teacher reads aloud, it makes literary language accessible and also provides a model of expressive reading.

Through English units and other opportunities to read to the class, our teachers model reading behaviour including- approaching unfamiliar words, reading punctuation, varying expression, making inferences etc. Regular modelling of ‘how to read’ supports our children to develop their own strategies as a reader.

At Thomas Jones we recognise that children’s reading comprehension relies upon their understanding and experience of the world.  Many of our children have a limited experience of the world outside of the school. We therefore plan with this in mind and wherever possible through our English planning and whole school curriculum aim to develop and extend children’s comprehension and experiences as widely as possible.

As with all subjects, opportunities for trips to enhance learning are sought where relevant and appropriate. This can also include visitors to the school and immersive learning experiences.

Phonics

Phonics begins in the Nursery, with letter/sound correspondence beginning in the reception class, and is taught throughout the EYFS and KS1 as whole class teaching sessions. We follow the ‘Letters and Sounds’ guidance alongside the ‘Jolly Phonics’ scheme to teach the sounds. The LCP ‘Phonic families’ scheme is used to teach the alternative sounds in Year 1 and Year 2.

For children that require additional time/focus in order to complete a stage of the phonics teaching additional sessions will be added to their phonics diet. This may be in a small group or one to one as required.

From Year Three and above, phonics is tailored to form a ‘recovery’ scheme to support those children who may still require discrete teaching of this key skill.

See separate ‘Phonics Teaching’ document.

Guided Reading

Weekly guided reading session for all pupils afford them an opportunity to develop their reading skills in small groups. Throughout the course of the year children are introduced to books from a range of genres and develop their ability to discuss books read in detail, broadening their literary language. All children read with their class teacher and sometimes additionally with a teaching assistant on another day.

Across the school, guided reading groups are organised by attainment, but remain flexible enough for pupils to move between groups. It is also common practice for pupils to work in slightly mismatched groups so they have the opportunity to work with stronger readers as role models. There will be a different focus for different groups, with some continuing to read as a group and focus on the mechanics of reading, and others functioning more as a literature circle with pupils reading the texts individually at home, leaving greater time for discussion and the teaching of higher level concepts.

At Thomas Jones we have selected a number of books for each year group that we would want all children to read and explore during guided reading sessions. These supplement reading scheme books in reception and KS1 and lower KS2. By building up on a collection of quality and classic literature we hope to expand children’s individual bookshelves.

All children are given individual reading targets that are shared with children and families near the beginning of each term. Children are reminded of these targets each guided reading session and families are asked to support children to work toward these targets at home.

Reading volunteers are often used across the school to support children’s reading development and to afford children additional time to read aloud to an adult.

We aim for all children to have access to and utilise the local library and actively promote the library service throughout the year. Library card audits take place regularly with support for families to access the library service if required.

Writing

Writing is taught through the study and exploration of quality texts.  These texts may be used a models for writing or as a catalyst for quality teaching. There is a balance of fiction, non-fiction and poetry taught each term.

Fiction units focus on narrative, traditional tales, well-loved stories, myths and legends, classic texts and selected authors.

Non-fiction units are always connected to the children’s cross-curricular topic learning or other foundation subjects. These units cover non-chronological reports, explanations, parts of a non-fiction text, biographies and auto-biographies, instructions, diaries, letters, reviews, evaluations and personal response.

Poetry units focus on poetry appreciation, descriptive language and features of poetic verse. All children have the opportunity each year to learn, recite and perform poetry within their class. Each class’ book corner contains a selection of quality poetry books for the children in that class to access.

At Thomas Jones, we recognise that our teachers are valuable models for children in terms of their written and spoken English. We always insist that staff and children alike speak in standard spoken English and our teachers frequently model exceptional writing through shared writing and writing scaffolds during lessons.

The Writing Process

At Thomas Jones we explicitly teach and model to children the steps needed for the writing process to take shape:

• Collecting, brainstorming, shaping ideas

This can be utilising the current text/previous texts studied, ‘magpie’ technique from other writing, extracts from film/music, teacher modelling.

• Planning

Not too much time is focused on planning, yet planning techniques are taught to support children to plan and shape their writing in advance.

• Writing a first draft

Any specific grammar, punctuation or spelling should be taught prior to this session or before the editing process to enable children to adopt this in their writing. Children learn that writing the first draft is an opportunity to challenge themselves and aim to utilise impressive vocabulary and phrasing. They know that they will have the opportunity to ‘tidy’ this up when they edit their work.

• Editing

Children are introduced to the process of editing from an early age in order to recognise that this is just one step within the writing process: the chance to improve upon what they have already produced. The editing process at Thomas Jones can be a process of many small steps, starting with children reading their work aloud, teacher modelling of how to edit, peer support and opportunities to re-visit their work.

• Re-drafting

At Thomas Jones we recognise the merit of the re-drafting stage within the writing process. This affords the opportunity for children to adopt everything they have learnt and all of the additions/alterations they have made to one final, near perfect piece of writing. The importance of producing a piece of work that is a showcase of their abilities supports the children’s view of themselves as a writer and supports the children’s journey to becoming competent young writers in earnest.

Handwriting

From the time that children enter Thomas Jones in the nursery or reception class they are taught correct pencil control and are afforded abundant opportunities for mark making and writing in a range of contexts. In the reception class children are explicitly taught handwriting and learn correct letter formations and sizes during their phonics sessions. In the summer term children begin more ‘formal’ handwriting sessions at tables to develop their skills at a faster pace and prepare them for year 1.

In Key Stage 1 children are supported to develop consistent handwriting following the Nelson scheme of work. Children utilise special lined books to support their developing handwriting and consistency of size.

As children move into KS2 they are taught the specifics of our ‘Thomas Jones’ style of handwriting. This is modelled by all class teachers and exemplars from previous and current year 6 scholars are utilised to support the development of younger children. Across the school handwriting practice forms part of the daily timetable.

Regular professional development sessions are run by the head to ensure that all class teachers are teaching handwriting explicitly in a consistent manner. By the time our children leave us at the end of Key Stage 2 they all have beautiful, consistent, cursive handwriting and exceptional presentation across the cohort.

Speaking and Listening

Meaningful dialogue between teacher and child and between children themselves is central to effective English teaching and we ensure that children are afforded opportunities to discuss texts read, and use talk as a scaffold for writing. Teachers plan for and use questioning carefully alongside managing talking activities to move children’s learning forwards and develop children’s speaking and listening skills.

Book talk is encouraged in all classrooms though a form of soft analysis that allows all children to participate and engage in text discussions. Questions utilised by teachers include:

• Is there anything you liked about this text?
• Is there anything you disliked about this text?
• Is there anything that puzzles you about this text?
• Were there any patterns or connections you noticed with other texts?

Speaking and listening scaffolds and vocabulary are provided alongside demonstrations of effective dialogue in order to support children in this area.

Throughout the curriculum opportunities for speaking and listening are planned for, with opportunities for children to discuss learning in groups and address their cohort for a variety of purposes, to inform, persuade, entertain etc.

Performance/Drama

Performance and drama opportunities are planned through our text rich English units affording pupils opportunities to immerse themselves in a text and explore character perspective and character motivation.

The texts that class teachers select often lend themselves to wonderful opportunities for performance including poetry recitals.

Class assemblies occur once a year and afford pupils an opportunity to immerse themselves in staging and performance. All children are afforded speaking roles and are supported to develop their ability to project and add dramatic intonation to their voices.

Occasionally performance and drama opportunities also arise in different subjects such as personal development, history and geography.

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are planned for and taught within our English units rather than standalone lessons unless a specific grammar or punctuation lesson is required. Also through phonics lessons in year 1 and 2 (Letters and Sounds phases 5 and 6).

Much of the children’s learning of grammar, punctuation and spelling takes place through shared reading opportunities or adult read texts. When sharing a text together as a class, teachers explicitly identify and explain specific grammar, punctuation or spelling patterns, drawing the children’s attention to specific features in practice.

Grammar and punctuation work that has a real purpose is always planned for. This may be through shared writing or in identifying planned errors within a piece of text. Opportunities are always sought for the best place within a unit for grammar and punctuation to be taught to enable children to learn and adopt skills for their own pieces of work. Ideally in the drafting/editing phase of the writing process to ensure that children can act upon this specific learning to improve upon their own work. If language features are presented to children within the unit of work with a clear purpose for their own writing children will gain the most from these sessions.

Our ‘Language Features Progression map’ identifies which areas of grammar and punctuation will be taught each year, building upon children’s prior learning and ensuring opportunities for consolidation.

Spelling

At Thomas Jones we have organised 32 spelling lists that are progressively more challenging as they are taught across the school and match the year-on-year content of the 2014 National Curriculum. Across each year group, the word lists contain a mixture of new words and words previously learnt earlier in the scheme. This affords the children the opportunity to revise words they have already learnt.

Spelling, especially in KS1, is taught through a phonetic approach. Later lists are organised by specific spelling rules. In addition, there are common exception words that do not fit with spelling patterns on each list or topic related vocabulary can be added. It should be noted that apart from the common exception words and statutory spelling words, children are learning the letter string, sound or spelling rule, not the specific word. This helps them to learn to generalise from the words they've learnt and apply their understanding further. Sometimes this is utilised in weekly spelling tests as children encounter a ‘mystery word’ using the given rule that week.

In addition to teaching the rule/sound, children benefit from being taught the meanings of words and how they can be used, supporting the development of their vocabulary. Spellings are also taught through the teaching of writing.

Our spelling scheme begins at the start of year 1. Before children begin, they need to be familiar with:

• all letters of the alphabet and the sounds which they most commonly represent
• consonant digraphs and the sounds which they represent
• vowel digraphs which have been taught through the phonics scheme and the sounds which they represent
• the process of segmenting words into sounds before choosing graphemes to represent the sounds
• words with adjacent consonants

By year 6, children should have reached the final spelling list and then utilise time to revisit and revise spellings from all 32 lists. Children also expand their understanding of word origins in year 6.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Children’s love of reading begins when they join us in the nursery or reception class. Teachers spend quality time sharing a range of literature with children and model how to select and enjoy a book for pleasure. Through regular sharing of an extensive range of texts children begin to make book choices for themselves and are able to develop their comprehension skills and make links between the books they have shared and their developing understanding of the world.

Our EYFS spaces support our desire to immerse children in the world of books from the day they join us. Activities are set up with literature choices alongside. Reading spaces are prioritised both inside and outside of the classroom. Opportunities to re-enact stories are provided and encouraged with performance spaces, props etc.

Children in the EYFS are afforded regular and extended opportunities to select books for themselves developing their enjoyment of selecting books and their book handling skills.

One of the key areas for focus within our setting is the development of children’s language, both receptive and expressive. In both the Nursery and Reception, we place an emphasis upon creating a language-rich environment, which supports our overall curriculum aims. We provide a wide range of resources for children to access in order to develop their language skills. Daily story time sessions are planned for, during which staff introduce children to a wide range of texts, new concepts and vocabulary. Staff are highly skilled in using questioning to develop children’s understanding of age-appropriate stories and poems. Regular time is set aside to sing nursery rhymes and songs with the children. Throughout our setting, emphasis is placed upon the importance of early reading as a key way through which children are able to develop their vocabulary, understanding of the world, and focused attention and listening skills.

As part of our robust curriculum provision, children are introduced to a wide range of vocabulary throughout the 7 areas of development, and are supported to develop their language through access to a variety of adult-led, whole class and child-led activities. Children are confident in sharing their thoughts and ideas with their peers, both during small group and whole class sessions.

In reception children are afforded time to settle into the rules and routines before starting synthetic phonics teaching in the autumn term.

In the summer term of Nursery, children are introduced to small group guided reading sessions. These sessions, carried out in small groups, develop children’s book-handling skills, and support children’s confidence in talking in front of a small group of their peers.

In the autumn term of Reception, children continue guided reading sessions focused upon developing their book handling skills and readiness for discrete phonics teaching. In the spring and summer term, children in Reception have weekly guided reading sessions with their class teacher which are focused upon developing children’s phonetic reading skills, alongside their recognition of sight vocabulary and an understanding of the main events in stories they have read.

All children in our EYFS take home weekly PACT books (Parents and Children Reading Together books) of the children’s choice. Parents/carers are encouraged to share these books with their children at home and are supported with suggestions of questions and discussion topics.

English Curriculum Map

Nursery

Reception

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6