Learning & Development
English
English sits at the heart of our curriculum – it is through language, story and text that children learn to form concepts, connect ideas and express themselves. Through literacy, in all its forms, children learn to both make sense of the world and shape their place within it.
At Red Lane Primary School, we believe that proficiency in reading, writing and oracy is vital for our pupils’ success, including our SEND and disadvantaged children. Through these, our children not only develop the communication skills essential for their educational journey, but also, for life’s journey.
We know and understand the needs of our pupils well and have designed our own curriculum to support their needs whilst meeting the requirements of the national curriculum. Our ambition for our English Curriculum is that it provides for all our children the substantive and disciplinary knowledge to become independent learners, who can flourish in education and subsequently, in employment.
At Red Lane Primary School, we promote high quality texts for all our children. Across school we support our children through the delivery of same-day phonics interventions; the use of choral and echo reading; the explicit teaching and learning of reading comprehension skills that are transferable across the core and foundation curricula; targeted reading fluency interventions; appropriate scaffolds during English writing lessons, including ‘vocabulary mats’ and sentence starters; bespoke Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS) interventions, using purposeful technology, for example, Learning by Questions (LBQ).
Speech, language and communication is the first and most important aspect of development and is a significant focus not only within the Early Years but throughout school. Put simply, language is our tool for thinking and learning. It is through communication that we build relationships and resolve conflicts. By the time children leave Red Lane Primary School in Year 6, their knowledge of language from Early Years will have expanded enormously, giving them the language they need to understand sophisticated texts and express themselves in a wide range of contexts.
Long term studies have found that early speech, language and communication difficulties predict a wide range of negative outcomes. That is why our teaching of vocabulary and communication is explicit and all our staff are highly trained in developing vocabulary and communication. At Red Lane we use a range of tools to support our teaching and also to provide targeted interventions for pupils. These include, Word Aware, ELKLAN, Nursery and Reception Narrative and WellComm. We also employ a school based speech therapist for 1 day per week to provide support and advice to staff as well as work with identified pupils for interventions.
Further information about our approach to developing communication as well as helpful parent guides can be found on our dedicated communication and language page here.
We believe that proficient reading skills are fundamental for academic success across all subjects and that reading proficiency among disadvantaged pupils serves as a cornerstone for unlocking future success and breaking the cycle of poverty. Whether it's comprehending complex texts in science and mathematics or analysing literature and historical documents, the ability to read fluently and critically is indispensable. Proficient reading skills enhance communication abilities, enabling individuals to express themselves effectively, advocate for their needs, and engage meaningfully in society. In a rapidly evolving global landscape where information is abundant, the capacity to critically evaluate and synthesise information from diverse sources is invaluable for making informed decisions and participating in civic life.
Moreover, reading fosters a lifelong love for learning and curiosity about the world. Children who develop strong reading habits early on are more likely to continue seeking knowledge and expanding their horizons throughout their lives. This thirst for learning opens doors to various opportunities, from higher education to career advancement, empowering disadvantaged pupils to overcome socio-economic barriers and realise their full potential.
As soon as the children start in EYFS, we begin the teaching of phonics and start to develop children’s love of books by modelling reading, sharing stories and encouraging children to explore a range of books as part of their daily routine. We follow the Read Write Inc programme, which is a systematic and consistent approach to phonics. All children in EYFS, Key Stage One and, where necessary, Key Stage Two have daily phonics sessions in small ability groups where they participate in phonic activities that are matched to their current needs. Sessions are delivered using RWI consistent delivery practice. Timely intervention is planned for those children who are working below expected levels as soon as their needs are identified. Any child who is not working at the expected level will receive support, such as daily 1:1 tutoring, extra reading with an adult and specific small group phonics intervention. All staff refresh their RWI phonics training yearly and any new member of staff is trained in a timely manner.
Early reading is crucial to all children and we place a huge amount of importance on this, including supporting children with SEND to develop this skill. We liaise closely with the SEND team to support all children. This includes small groups and interventions which ensure children with identified SEND make progress with early reading. Where appropriate, learning is repeated to ensure retention and concrete resources are used.
Our reading curriculum is planned using the National Curriculum to ensure there is a clear skills and knowledge progression. Skills and knowledge are built on year-by-year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.
Our reading curriculum uses a text-based approach that enables us to create opportunities for reading, discussion and writing within English lessons. The reading spine includes a range of books and quality texts. Texts are also chosen to promote cultural capital; supporting children to develop the necessary knowledge, behaviours, skills and cultural awareness to be successful in society today and in the future. Children are exposed to opportunities to read across the wider curriculum.
Reading for pleasure is actively encouraged across the school. Each day, children are read to by the class teacher, or sometime a guest reader. They are also encouraged to explore a variety of genres and books in a ‘Drop Everything and Read’ session ran each day after dinner time. The children have a choice of challenging and enriching texts available in classrooms, which are promoted through year group recommended reads lists. Each year, we aim to invite in authors to celebrate Reading with the children, run workshops and staff CPD. Our most recent author was poet Ian Bland, who ran poetry sessions tailored for each year group and engaged with the children excitingly.
Reading at home is strongly encouraged and celebrated. Children working on the Read Write Inc. programme take home a ‘book bag book’ matched directly to their current phonics level and are also encouraged to choose an additional book to share with their family at home. This includes our SEND children, who have a booked matched to their phonics knowledge and their choice of the same high quality books that their peers can access to read for pleasure. Following this, children work through our reading scheme using a ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development), which match the child’s current reading ability. Accelerated Reader is used to assess the child and give them a ZPD range, the child can choose a book from the class library which includes a variety of books covering all the ZPDs of children in the class. Class libraries are updated half- termly, coinciding with the children completing an Accelerated Reader assessment.
We expect family members at home to read these books with their child at least five times per week and make comments in their child’s reading record. Once children have completed the colour book band scheme, they become free readers. Children can independently complete their reading at home record book and the expectation is that they do this at least five times per week.
You can find out more about our teaching of phonics and reading through our dedicated Reading page.
At Red Lane Primary School, we have developed our writing curriculum based upon the success we have seen from the rigour and structure of Read, Write, Inc sessions in developing early writing linked to phonics and what we know and understand about developing schema and the capacity of working memory. At Red Lane we also believe that just as we would not ask a child to read a book that they do not have the phonetic knowledge to decode, we do not ask pupils to compose words, sentences or texts where they do not have the phonetic knowledge to do so.
You can meet our subject leader below. Subject Leader profile.
EYFS
Learning to write is a complex process that involves learning many skills. First, children need to learn to speak, build their vocabulary and develop the fine motor coordination they will need to manipulate a writing instrument. As they grow, they need to learn about the alphabet and to make connections between spoken and written words.
Purposeful and planned activities in nursery allows even the youngest pupils to begin on their writing journey. By listening to stories and rhymes and developing listening and attention skills, pupils begin to develop their communication. They also participate in a number of gross and fine motor activities to develop the physical abilities needed to write successfully. Throughout provision, pupils are encouraged to express themselves through mark making and this is modelled by adults alongside high quality interactions.
In Reception pupils continue their learning experiences from nursery but also immediately begin to learn the alphabetic code needed for reading and writing. Pupils immediately learn how to form each letter as they learn its corresponding sound. Through the Read, Write, Inc programme and pupils begin to form words and sentences. Alongside the development of this early transcription, pupils learn early composition through the Book talk session which takes place daily. Pupils then practise and apply learning in transcription through writing dictated sentences (matched to their phonic ability) as part of their carousel of provision activities. Pupils are not asked to compose texts or writing that they do not have the phonetic knowledge to do so. However, pupils compositions through provision and play are celebrated in order to develop a love of writing and purposeful teaching and corrections are made as appropriate.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, we maintain a focus on providing pupils with the phonetic knowledge, transcriptional ability and grammatical knowledge to succeed in writing. Lessons are taught with a structure which places a focus on correct letter formation and provides dedicated retrieval practise as well the teaching and application of new learning.
At the start of Year 1 the English curriculum is heavily focused on supporting reading and writing the alphabetic code which matches pupils phonics teaching. The daily Book Talk sessions teach children how to compose different text types through shared composition with the teacher. This builds their knowledge ready to support them when they have the transcriptional ability to compose their own texts. As the year progresses lessons incorporate the grammar, punctuation, transcription and composition requirements of the national curriculum. By the end of year 1 pupils compose simple texts of their own.
In year 2, pupils continue with Book Talk sessions which support reading comprehension as well as their understanding of writing composition. Their English lessons continue to be structured with a focus on correct letter formation, dedicated retrieval practise as well the teaching and application of new learning. Pupils begin to compose a range of genres after exploring their features through reading and analysing. In order to avoid overloading working memory, pupils are taught all spelling, punctuation and grammatical knowledge that they need related to the genre before the explore the genre itself.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, English lessons follow the same lesson and unit structure as in Year 2. This supports pupils to firmly grasp the foundational grammatical and transcriptional knowledge needed to apply to a genre. Once this knowledge is secure, pupils start the reading into writing process. This process provides our pupils with an exciting stimuli, an awareness of purpose and audience, extensive quality examples of writing and the knowledge and support to plan, draft and edit their own compositions.
Across the key stage pupils explore and revisit a variety of text types and clear examples show how these progress in different year groups.
Our writing curriculum includes engaging resources, which have been specifically linked to year group units of work. A variety of books or stimuli have been selected for year groups based on foundation subjects or the year group literature spine. John Murray’s ‘Read, Write, Perform’ is another resource used to ensure our children are exposed to high quality texts and rich learning opportunities.
With this approach to writing, our children at Red Lane are exposed to a vast and varied amount of texts and stimuli’s to support their capabilities. This is particularly apparent when it comes to writing across a variety of genres, enabling the children to be adaptive and provide more purpose to their writing.
In addition to our carefully considered curriculum, handwriting is taught alongside and remains a key component here at Red Lane. Our lessons are delivered using a three-challenge structure. This structure is progressive and begins with letter formation or letter join, then applying this into words and finally onto completing whole sentences using the focus join or letter. Working walls are key here at Red Lane and are used as a tool to support the children’s writing. They are updated and will centre on the current focus for that unit displaying excellent examples, vocabulary and sentence examples. Prior learning is also key for our children and having this displayed is an effective tool to support their understanding.
By including the teaching and learning of a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres and having this revisited across school, children are able to thrive and succeed in their writing journeys, who can articulate themselves throughout our whole curriculum, where writing can place high demand on the children.
Our curriculum overviews and sequence for the Autumn term can be found below.
Pupils begin their spelling journey as soon as they start in Reception. Phonics lessons start immediately and teach pupils the knoweldge of the alphabetic code. Pupils use their phonic knowledge to spell words as they are taught new sounds. This progresses and pupils learn alternative representations for the same sound. The curriculum in Year 1 onwards also embed the spelling national curriculum requirements. These are taught as part of the English lessons as well as spelling sessions.
Spelling is discretely taught. An overview of content and sequence can be found below, each stage represents a year group e.g. Stage 1= year 1.
Fostering parental engagement and supporting our families is at the heart of everything we do at Red Lane Primary School. We desire to ensure our families feel supported with their child’s learning at school and at home. We offer a variety of workshops and open mornings across school to build their confidence. This enables parents and carers to see what resources and models we use within school and strategies they can adopt when teaching their children at home. Our English workshops and open mornings include: enabling parents to support their child’s phonetical development; EYFS and KS1 reading workshop, KS2 reading workshop and parental engagement in Knowledge Days and book fairs.
In addition, we offer bespoke support for the parents and carers of those in year groups experiencing national testing, including: Reception Baseline testing, Year 1 Phonics Screen; Year 4 Multiplication Check and lastly, End of KS2 SATS. These informative workshops support our parents and carers understanding of these tests and the support our school offers our children in preparing them academically and emotionally for these examinations.
We endeavour to provide every opportunity for our parents and carers to support their child’s learning at home.