Speaking and Listening
We strongly believe that speaking and listening skills are the building blocks of English. In order to succeed as thinkers, readers and writers, children need to cultivate a love of words and language. They need to build a bank of stories, which they can draw on for ideas and language patterns, and develop oral story telling skills that help them internalise the language they need. Therefore, developing talk in the classroom is a priority at Sir Thomas Abney, as well as developing the children's confidence in using and understanding subject specific vocabulary and concepts. Children's participation in talk partners, group and whole class discussion is planned into lessons across the curriculum which enables them to become confident speakers and listeners with the ability to express ideas and to learn from others. Opportunities to memorise, recite and perform work in class based assemblies, drama lessons, debates and performances happen throughout the year.
Reading
INTENT
What do we teach? Why do we teach it?
At Sir Thomas Abney, we want all of our children to be confident, inquisitive and aspirational. To achieve this, we prioritise reading and view this as the foundation for motivated and independent learners.
We strive for our children to be:
- Fluent readers who can draw meaning from texts
- Passionate about reading a range of different text types
- Intrigued and inspired by stories about people and the world
- Informed by texts, both in school and in their home reading
- Confident when talking about what they have read
We aim for all of our children to develop the skills and drive to be life-long readers who enjoy reading for pleasure and to learn more about the world.
IMPLEMENTATION
How do we teach and assess and how does this look in practice?
At Sir Thomas Abney, children start their day with the phonics or reading lesson and have additional opportunities to read independently or listen to stories during the rest of the school day. Our English curriculum is built around each year group exploring an engaging, vocabulary rich new text each half term. Whole class read-aloud texts and free choice books in the class book corners and the school library ensure children have exposure to a diverse range of genres and authors that are engaging and reflective of our school community and the children’s learning across wider subjects.
Phonics
Children are first taught to read through phonics in Early Years Foundation Stage and this continues into Key Stage 1. Phonics is taught four times a week in small groups through the systematic, synthetic phonics program: Read Write Inc. This provides a rigorous and consistent approach to teaching phonics and early reading that equips children with the tools to decode words, before building fluency and the ability to comprehend and question independently.
Information about the programme and how parents and carers can support at home can be found here: Read Write Inc.
In Reception, children begin by learning Set 1 initial sounds and then move on to Set 2 diagraphs and trigraphs for the key vowel sounds. In Year 1, the children start by revising Set 2 sounds before moving onto Set 3. This final phase teaches alternate spellings for the vowel sounds and by the end, children should be able to confidently decode all words to read fluently. Set 3 is revisited at the start of Year 2 to consolidate the children’s decoding skills. The children are assessed every half term to ensure they are making progress and reading at an appropriate level. Any children in Reception and KS1 who need additional support in blending to read, receive additional 1:1 or small group intervention each afternoon. This is supplemented with additional repeated practice in whole class sessions.
STA Loves Reading
Once children have finished the RWInc program, reading is taught four times a week through STA Loves Reading lessons. Children are taught to retrieve, summarise, infer, predict, discuss meaning and make comparisons and links through whole class reading of high-quality shared texts that enrich the children’s vocabulary and develop comprehension skills. Where possible, these texts relate to the curriculum, which can be seen in our Curriculum Overviews.
Children are assessed using Accelerated Reader quizzes to ensure they have understood what they have read and that they are reading at the correct level. In addition, there is a termly NTS Reading test that ensures children are on track with their learning and helps teachers identify gaps in children’s knowledge and adapt planning to reflect this. Children who need extra support attend targeted small group reading sessions or have 1:1 catch up reading with a familiar adult in school.
Home Reading
Early Years and KS1
Reading at home is one of the best ways to help your child. It will improve their reading ability, enjoyment for stories and can also improve their outcomes across other areas of the curriculum. Children in Reception, Year 1 have two books to read at home each week.
- Reading Practice Bookbag Pack
This is the RWInc book that they have read in school with the adult 3 times already and a linked text that contains similar phonemes and themes. They should be able to read this independently, to their adult at home. Repeated practice (re-reading the same thing) helps move learning into the children’s long-term memory and will help them to become more fluent, confident readers.
- A Sharing Book
This is a book that the children can choose from the class book corner. This is to read and enjoy together, discussing the content, characters and vocabulary. It is a great opportunity to make predictions, use different voices for characters, and explore interesting facts in a non-fiction book. It is a great way to inspire young readers!
Years 2 to 6
Children select a book from the school library from their Accelerated Reader Level and also a Discovery Reader book that is completely free choice. Teachers help children choose books that will excite, engage and challenge the children as readers. Children are expected to read at home every night between 15 to 30 minutes. Depending on your child’s age and ability, this can be done with an adult or independently. However, even if your child is an extremely competent reader, we would encourage you to read with them a few times a week. Your input and interest in their book will have an incredible effect on their enjoyment of reading and their ability to acquire new vocabulary.
Parents/Carers guide to Accelerated Reader
Sir Thomas Abney also encourages parents and carers to read more complex texts to their children at home and school. If you are interested in volunteering to read with some of our children please contact us on admin@sirthomasabney.hackney.sch.uk.
We also offer the opportunity for parents/carers to read in class with their child every week in Early Years and Year 1.
Representation in Books
At Sir Thomas Abney, we have invested in books that are rich, relevant and representative for our curriculum, classrooms and newly revamped school library. We believe that the love of reading can be nurtured further when children can see themselves, their families and their cultures in the books they read. A full map of our English Curriculum Books can be found in our STA Reading Offer document below.
Enrichment
Reading is practised and embedded across the wider curriculum through events like World Book Day, National Poetry Day and National Storytelling week, trips to museums, theatres and storytellers, weekly family reading sessions in Reception and Year 1 and Key stage 2 Reading Champions that build the school’s reading for pleasure culture.
For more details, please also see our : STA Reading Offer; English National Curriculum.
IMPACT
By the time our children leave our school:
Our reading offer at Sir Thomas Abney strives for every child to leave our school reading fluently and talking confidently about the books and authors they love. We aim to instil in our children a real love for reading that will span their lifetime.
USEFUL LINKS
RWInc Oxford Owl: Click here!
A great website for supporting children’s early reading skills and ideas for making reading fun and engaging.
Collins eBooks: Click here!
Website for decodable books that can be read online on a tablet or computer. Speak to the class teacher for log-in information.
Words for Life: Click here!
This site has lots of tips to get children reading; fun stuff to do; book recommendations; ideas for all ages up to the end of KS2. It’s an excellent site!
Book Trust: Click here!
This is an extensive site giving tips on how to share books; book lists & recommendations; catering for all ages. Highly recommended!
Writing
‘We need to prioritise writing for enjoyment and recognise its importance in helping children express their thoughts and feelings as they make sense of the world around them,’
National Literacy Trust
INTENT
What do we teach? Why do we teach it?
Literacy is an essential skill for life and learning and as such, is a crucial part of our curriculum at Sir Thomas Abney. We have designed our English curriculum with the intent to foster a love for writing in children from Early Years all the way to Year 6. By the time the children leave us in Year 6, we aim for them to be clear, confident writers who can communicate effectively, adapting their tone and style to suit the genre. In every year group, children will engage in a range of both fiction and nonfiction genres, with a focus on writing for purpose. As they progress through the school, we intend for them to work as authors, taking more ownership of their writing through drafting, redrafting, editing and self-assessment. We set high expectations and want children to take pride in the presentation of their work; our handwriting and spelling curriculum are intended to give the students the necessary knowledge and skills to achieve this. At Sir Thomas Abney, we believe that every child has the potential to succeed in Writing and put in place the necessary supports to ensure that all children make progress.
IMPLEMENTATION
How do we teach and assess and how does this look in practice?
In order to develop capable writers, who can express themselves within a range of genres, we use high quality reading texts which supports children not only in their content knowledge, but also their vocabulary development. Most of our writing units are cross-curricular, linking to Humanities or Science topics. This provides our children with regular opportunities to write for a range of purposes and audiences.
At Sir Thomas Abney, we have a huge emphasis on ‘writing for purpose’; for this reason, we think carefully about the intended audience and how the final piece will be published. Writing is four times a week and each lesson has a clear learning intention. Each half term is centred around a high quality, engaging text that builds towards their final write at the end of each half term. Children are taught how to self-assess and edit their work, making corrections to spelling, grammar and punctuation, while also making changes to improve the overall effect for the reader.
Alongside writing lessons, spelling is taught using the Read Write Inc Spelling Zone approach. Pupils learn to spell through whole class sessions and activities. Children are encouraged to think about word types, root words, synonyms and how words can be changed using suffixes and prefixes.
Handwriting is taught using the Nelson Handwriting approach. Children start by focusing on pencil control and correct letter formation in EYFS and Year 1. As children move to Year 2 and beyond they learn basic and then more complex joins before starting to develop their own handwriting style.
Lessons are scaffolded and the teaching is adapted so that all children can access the key learning intention. If/when children need additional support, we provide targeted interventions to ensure children make the necessary progress.
For more details, please also see : English National Curriculum.
IMPACT
By the time our children leave our school:
Our writing curriculum ensures that children leave Sir Thomas Abney with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to actively engage with their learning in secondary school and beyond. Children are able to express their opinions and creativity in writing that is well structured, clear, technically accurate and interesting to read. Above all, children value and love to write.
Progression document for tracking skills back.pdf