WEALDCOMMUNITYPRIMARY SCHOOL LITERACY POLICY

Contents

  1. Introduction
  1. Aims when teaching Literacy
  1. Learning and Teaching
  1. The Foundation Stage
  1. Contribution of Literacy in other areas
  1. Assessment, Moderation and Reporting to Parents
  1. Marking
  1. Speaking and Listening
  1. Reading
  1. Spelling
  1. Writing
  1. Homework
  1. Class management, Behaviour and Rewards
  1. Equal opportunities
  1. Access to the Curriculum
  1. Special Educational Needs
  1. Differentiation
  1. Library
  1. Staff Development
  1. Health and safety
  1. Record- keeping

Introduction

At WealdCommunityPrimary School we promote high standards of Literacy, believing that it is a fundamental life skill. Literacy develops children’s ability to listen, speak, read and write for a wide range of purposes. Children are enabled to express themselves creatively and imaginatively as they become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama, as well as of non-fiction and media texts. Children gain an understanding of how language works by looking at its patterns, structures and origins. Children use their knowledge, skills and understanding in speaking and writing across a range of different situations.

Aims When Teaching Literacy

  • For all children to develop as competent and confident users of language. In doing so, our focus is on the key areas of speaking and listening, reading and writing.
  • To provide access for all children to a broad and diverse English curriculum, using the framework of the National Curriculum. In doing so, we aim to ensure pupils achieve their full potential.
  • To equip children with the knowledge, skills and understanding to read and write, speak and listen effectively.
  • To foster a love of reading, and an understanding of the creative opportunities which language offers.
  • Through careful choice of texts and teaching styles, we aim to develop the following skills:
  1. An understanding of the world and one’s place in it
  2. The ability to explore and break down prejudice
  3. An ability to look at the world critically and understand how meanings are created
  4. The ability to reason, analyse and reflect on one’s experience and others’.
  5. An ability to listen and respond sensitively to others.
  • To develop children’s knowledge of, and interest in the diversity of language and literary texts. This includes reading texts from our literary heritage, as well as texts from other cultures and traditions.
  • To create a positive learning environment which is both enriching and flexible.
  • To provide pupils with relevant and purposeful learning tasks and opportunities for performance and debate
  • To provide students with learning situations which are appropriate for the twenty-first century.
Learning and Teaching

At WealdCommunityPrimary School, we use the Primary Framework and a Creative Curriculum as a basis for our planning. Literacy is taught on a daily basis from Years 1 to 6, for approximately one hour per day.

We carry out the curriculum planning in Literacy in three phases (long-term, medium- termandshort-term). The New National Curriculum details what we teach in the long term. Our medium-term and short-term plans are adapted from this and in liaison with the Creative Curriculum focus. These plans define what we teach, and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each unit, covering a range of genres.

These plans include weekly short term planning which detail the objectives and the differentiated activities, including support, where appropriate. This is followed through with teacher assessment against the learning outcomes.

The Foundation Stage

We teach Literacy in the Foundation Stage as an integral part of the school’s work. We relate the Literacy aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals and Foundation Stage Curriculum Guidance, which underpin the curriculum for children aged three to five. We give all children the opportunity:

  • to talk and communicate in a widening range of situations
  • to respond to adults and to each other
  • to listen carefully
  • to practise and extend their vocabulary and communication skills.
  • to explore words and texts

Contribution of Literacy in other Curriculum areas

The skills that children develop in Literacy are linked to, and applied in, every subject. The children’s skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening enable them to communicate and express themselves in all areas of their work at school.

Mathematics

The teaching of Literacy contributes significantly to children’s mathematical understanding, in a variety of ways.

Children in the Foundation Stage develop their understanding of number, pattern, shape and space by talking about these matters with adults and other children. Children in Key Stage 1 experience stories and rhymes that involve counting and sequencing. They focus on new mathematical vocabulary according to the topic. Children in Key Stages 1 and 2 are encouraged to read and interpret problems, in order to identify the mathematics involved. They explain and present their work to others during plenary sessions, and they communicate mathematically through the developing use of precise mathematical language.

Personal, social and health education (PSHE), citizenship, SEAL

Literacy contributes to the teaching of PSHE and citizenship by encouraging children to take part in class and group discussions on topical issues. Planned activities within the classroom also encourage children to work together and to respect each other’s views.

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Literacy contributes to all these areas. The children can offer critical responses to the moral questions they meet in their work. Their understanding and appreciation of a range of texts brings them into contact with their own literary heritage and with texts from a diverse range of cultures. The organisation of our lessons allows children to work together, and gives them the chance to discuss their ideas and results.

ICT

The use of information and communication technology, with clear learning objectives, will promote, enhance and support the teaching of Literacy at word, sentence and text level. ICT is used at whole-class, group and independent level.

The screen projection of text enables it to be read and shared. The projection of a word processor permits the writing process to be modeled effectively. Groups can work at a computer and input text. A range of software is used to develop specific grammatical and spelling skills.

Lessons can focus on what pupils have achieved using ICT, or ICT can provide the means of presenting their outcomes (via multimedia presentation or the school website). A range of equipment is used to promote speaking and listening and also prepare children for writing experiences. The Interactive Whiteboard is used regularly to model writing at an independent level and allows children to interact and engage with the writing process.

Assessment, Moderation and Reporting to Parents

Literacy Assessment operates within the framework of the whole-school Assessment Policy.

  • Teacher assessment should aim to be positive. It should help children to understand what they are learning and recognise their own progress.
  • It is important that clear learning outcomes are therefore provided.
  • There should be a balance of assessment methods, including formative, summative, and diagnostic assessment.
  • Children must be at the centre of the whole process; this will ensure opportunities to discuss progress, as well as for self-assessment.

Formative Assessment:

This is on-going, regular and often informal. Methods include:

  • Regular marking of written work, with verbal and/ or written comments, to which children are expected to respond,
  • Peer group assessment
  • Pupil self-evaluation

Summative Assessment:

This takes the forms of tests and examinations at regular periods:

  • Baseline testing: Reading (Oct & May) and Spelling Tests (Sept. Yrs 2 - 6)
  • Phonics assessments
  • Regular end of unit writing assessments, plus reading in-house assessments (Group Reading/APP)
  • Key Stage tests
  • End of term and year tests

Reporting

Reporting takes the form of:

  • Parent Consultation evenings (twice yearly)
  • Written report (yearly)

Moderation: How are Standards agreed and maintained?

The following processes all contribute to standards being set and maintained across the school:

  • Group moderation of children’s work - This needs to be regular, and involve all members of staff.
  • Standardisation of internal assessments
  • Dissemination of exemplar material and common units of work (work from partnership moderation in central file)
  • Monitoring by the Staff and Governor Teams of mark books, exercise books and lessons in line with whole school policy (Book Looks; Lesson Study Approach)
  • Moderation with partner schools: Chiddingstone; Leigh; Four Elms; Crockham Hill
  • In-school moderation as appropriate

Marking

Please see the School’s Marking Policy

Speaking and Listening

Talk for writing means making explicit the processes and thinking involved in the writing process so that ultimately they can be internalised and applied by the children to their own writing. Teachers will model the correct use of standard English and accurate speech to improve grammar in writing.

  1. Talk for writing. Talk helps children to think and improve what they would like to write. This is modelled by the teacher and in shared discussions with children, making use of the prompts around the classroom.
  1. Story-telling and story-making. This involves the learning and repeating of stories, building the children’s confidence to develop and extend the stories; first orally and then in writing.
  1. Word and Language games. Talk activities are used to develop vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and grammar, as well as looking at writing structures, such as settings in stories, or structures of reports.
  1. Paired Talk. Children use talking partners to articulate their ideas and make focused oral responses and questions during learning times.
  1. Drama. This is used to develop communication skills. In addition to class activities such as hot-seating and play-reading, there will be performances each year, which may include a Lower School play at Christmas and an Upper School play in the Summer Term.

Reading

Shared reading

This takes place within the Literacy lesson; the teacher models the reading process to the whole class as an expert reader, providing support.

Guided Reading (Years 1 – 6)

Guided reading occurs daily outside the literacy session and is based on a rotation during the week within the class. Children are grouped according to ability and when not reading with the children are given a purposeful activity to do independently e.g. reading other genres, spelling games, comprehension questions, follow-up activity.

Individual reading

Children have access to graded books in a reading scheme to support the development of their individual reading skills. Children start the reading scheme in FS and continue until they become competent readers. They can then choose from a wide variety of readers in the classroom, or from appropriate texts brought in from home.

Reading is not restricted to the Literacy hour. Many opportunities are provided for children to practise and extend their reading in other subjects. Reading for pleasure is given a high priority. All classrooms have reading areas and initiatives are utilized to encourage further reading. Teachers also read a class story as part of a ‘story-time’ session.

Whenever possible, extra 1-1 reading is provided, particularly to boost basic reading skills, for those who are working below age-expected levels. Adult volunteers play a key role in this provision.

Phonics

Children are taught the principles and practice of phonics, following the guidance in ‘Letters and Sounds’.

The teaching of phonics is key to children developing their reading and daily phonics sessions take place in the FS and the Lower School. Regular assessments monitor progress and inform planning.

Children take a Phonics Assessment Test at the end of Year 1 and a re-test at the end of Year 2 if necessary.

Spelling

Spelling is an integral part of Literacy learning. It supports pupils’ capacity to read and use written information and to write appropriately in a range of contexts. Learning to write well, involves learning to spell. Writing creates the need for spelling, in that the purpose of spelling is:

  • To make meaning
  • To share meaning in a way that is clearly understood by readers.

We have high expectations of every child. We will fulfill the requirements of National Curriculum for English and the Early Learning Goals (see EYFS Policy & Action Plan)

Strategies for teaching spelling

It is important to recognise that spelling is essentially a learner-based activity, which is an on-going process. Therefore, individual and group strategies are usually more appropriate than whole class ones. One useful sequence is as follows:

Tell them how to do it

Show them how to do it

Encourage/Ask them to try it

It is important to strike a balance between:

  • Explaining the rules of word formation
  • Providing pupils with strategies to recognise, construct and check spellings.
  • Providing pupils with opportunities to practise their spelling in context as much as possible.
  • We recognise the value of teaching spelling as a discrete subject.

Other possible strategies:

  • Spelling investigations, in which pupils work in groups to explore words and draw out key principles.
  • Consolidation activities: flash spelling cards, choice cards, spelling webs
  • Words of the Week and display work are important in reinforcing spellings.

Writing – Preparation and Presentation

We believe that children should understand that writing is a form of communication and that they should be encouraged to develop as confident, independent writers; able to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas in a variety of contexts and for a range of purposes. To foster this, we enable children to learn the skills progressively, through systematic teaching, with lively, interesting tasks. The process of writing is clearly an important one. Children need to be able to recognise the conventions of different types of texts.

They also need to be taught explicitly about a text’s structure, its purpose and audience.

Aims:

  • To give children confidence in themselves as writers.
  • To make writing an enjoyable and purposeful experience, to create an environment where children are treated as writers and encouraged to ‘have a go’.
  • To teach children to structure their writing appropriately and to sequence it logically.
  • To teach children to use punctuation and grammar accurately.
  • To extend and improve children’s vocabulary and to develop a curiosity/ interest in words.
  • To develop children’s creative and imaginative skills.

We are aiming to place greater emphasis on teaching writing strategies more explicitly. A useful sequence to follow is:

  • Establish clear aims
  • Provide examples
  • Explore the features of the text
  • Define the conventions
  • Demonstrate how it is written
  • Compose together
  • Scaffold the first attempts
  • Independent writing
  • Draw out key learning

During this sequence, pupils need time for:

  • Brainstorming, putting ideas down on paper
  • Drafting the ideas into shape, according to the criteria
  • Revising, redrafting, making amendments which improve clarity and quality
  • Proof-reading, editing, checking for errors in presentation and sense.

Drafting can be used as part of the teaching/learning process, where emphasis is laid on developing the content and structure. The importance of the teacher as demonstrator is emphasised.

Presentation of work

Children should be encouraged to view their drafting work as equally valid as their final neat versions. All class work should begin with a title or Learning Intention (LI), which is underlined, and a date.

All final work should be presented with care, and emphasis should be given to the neatness of handwriting and accuracy of spelling and grammar. However, pupils should be aware of the balance between secretarial aspects, content and style. The creation of exciting, original and meaningful work is at the forefront of all our aims.

The use of ICT is to be encouraged, as and when appropriate.

Handwriting

A cursive handwriting style is encouraged from the Foundation Stage.

Homework

The following points are worth noting:

  • Homework ensures children learn to work independently
  • Progress is monitored through the setting of regular homework tasks.
  • It develops children’s organisational skills, as well as self-discipline.
  • It allows children to consolidate and revise tasks done in class.
  • It enables parents to become more involved in their child’s learning.
  • Homework should always be purposeful and relevant. Children should view it as an integral part of their Literacy work. It can serve the following purposes:
  • As preparation
  • As research
  • To complete work started in class
  • To develop further an aspect of learning in lessons.

Class Management, Behaviour and Rewards.

Members of staff aim to develop trusting relationships with the children, based on mutual respect and understanding. In doing so, we aim to build a healthy and positive learning environment, in which constructive discussion and purposeful tasks are completed.

For good practices in Literacy, we award house points, which are recorded across all subjects and acknowledged by the whole school. The display of a pupil’s work is also seen as an indication of its value.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to equal opportunities in terms of race, gender, sexuality and disability. At its centre, is the notion of ‘access for all’. This policy should apply to all aspects of the Group’s work, including the use of resources, lesson content, teaching styles and environment.

We also recognise the link between equal opportunity and scope for differentiated learning. To this end, we adhere to the Whole- School policy on ‘Respect for others and Anti-Bullying’. The following points are of importance to the English curriculum.

Materials used in the classroom inevitably contain representations of groups of people. It is important that texts used promote positive models in relation to issues of race, sexuality, class, disability or gender. Moreover, prejudice should be challenged. Class or group discussions provide an excellent means of engendering a sense of tolerance and understanding of difference.