English
A love for learning is at the heart of the Shade Primary School.
We are respectful, we are responsible, we are resilient,
we are reflective and we are ready to learn.
At The Shade Primary School, we believe that a stimulating, progressive and creative English curriculum will give our children the best opportunity to become confident, literate and successful members of society.
Writing
Through quality-first teaching, children will learn to write independently for a range of purposes and audiences, with opportunities to develop and consolidate taught English skills.
We recognise the importance of fostering a culture where pupils take pride in their writing, write clearly and accurately, and modify their structure and language choices to suit a variety of audiences, purposes and contexts. Children are taught the four main types of writing across KS1 and KS2: Writing to entertain, to inform, to persuade and to discuss. Throughout the school, there is a developmental approach to progression of these text types, as well as writing skills, as laid out through the various strands in the statutory framework for EYFS and The National Curriculum.
From September 2024, our writing model will be based upon Jane Considine's 'The Write Stuff'. 'The Write Stuff' brings clarity to the mechanics of writing and provides clear systems through which to focus the writer’s attention. The combination of the fiction and non-fiction units we have carefully selected to follow, provide children throughout their journey with the experience of a wide range of high quality texts and authors. In our lessons, teachers follow a repeated pattern of ‘Initiate’, ‘Model’ and ‘Enable’ whereby they use the three zones of writing to provide a consistent, whole school systematic approach to writing carefully constructed sentences that form a fluent and grammatically correct narrative. Children also receive daily whole class feedback in which common threads of error and opportunities for growth are exemplified.
Through independent application, children apply what they have learned throughout the unit in an independent piece. A strong culture of error permeates throughout classrooms, ensuring children approach the 'purple polishing' editing process with rigour, seeing it as an opportunity to learn from their mistakes as they revise and adapt their work for the reader.
High-quality CPD is rooted in our mission to empower and equip teachers with the learning experiences to provide success for all, enabling our writing curriculum to be equitable, inclusive and responsive, in turn providing our pupils with the skills needed to become confident and literate writers across any purpose, genre and for any audience.
Please find below the progression of skills through different genres taught at The Shade Primary School:
progression through genres 1 .pdf
Reading and Phonics
At The Shade Primary School, we put reading at the heart of the curriculum. We strive for our children to leave us as lifelong readers, who have an instilled love of reading.
We understand the impact reading has on a child’s academic achievement, wellbeing and success in life. Children at The Shade Primary School are encouraged to read widely and are exposed to a variety of genres. Reading across all subjects within the curriculum helps to prepare pupils for life beyond the primary classroom, whereby they can apply their learnt skills to help them in in-depth reading and analysis.
We intend for our pupils to be both independent and reflective readers who can read fluently for enjoyment, meaning and purpose. Across our school and within our classrooms, we provide a reading rich environment where pupils can access texts linked to the 5 plagues of reading, curriculum areas and their own areas of interest.
In our reading sessions, we endeavor to provide rich, meaningful discussions around texts, where all children feel confident and able to contribute by using their reading skills to access all areas of learning. We use the reading VIPER approach that encourages children to spot clues and apply strategies to understand texts at a deeper level.
At The Shade Primary School, we truly believe that reading is a right. It should open up a world of possibility and intrigue and is a fundamental life skill which enables children to communicate effectively in all areas and equips them for the challenges they will face in the wider world.
Little Wandle daily phonics sessions are conducted in Reception and Key Stage 1. Children in Y1 take part in the Phonics screening check during the Summer term. Children who require further support will undertake the screening check again in Year 2. Children in KS2 who require further support with phonics will attend a daily 'Rapid Catch-Up' session. These children will also be assessed regularly in order to monitor progress.
Children are supported in developing their reading skills through the use of high quality fiction and non-fiction texts, covering a wide range of genres.
Please see our parent guide below regarding the reading journey of children at The Shade Primary School for more information on the progression of phonics and reading for each year group:
childrens reading journey at the shade.pdf
Please find below the programme overview for Little Wandle, showing what children in Reception and Year 1 will learn and when:
programme overview reception and year 1 1.pdf