Intent
At Manor Leas Junior Academy, we are passionate about instilling a love of reading among our children. We want them to become independently literate individuals who can confidently comminicate their thoughts and ideas, reading across a range of subjects and for different purposes. We also strive for all pupils to be motivated writers who can confidently, communicate their knowledge, ideas and emotons through their writing. Children will develop and utilise a wide range of vocabulary, acquire a solid understanding of grammar and be able to spell new words by effectively applying spelling patterns and rules. We want children to have the opportunity to write coherently, adapting their style for a range of contexts, purpose and audiences, with a focus on the processes of planning, writing and editing.
Implementation
The KS2 English curriculum is delivered through structured, progressive lessons focused on the key areas of:
- Reading: Once pupils are able confident with phonics, there is a focus on reading fluency strategies. in order for pupils to confidently unpick the meaning of the text as a whole, they need to be fluent readers. Reading comprehension skills are taught on a whole-class level: high quality texts are used and pupils are encouraged to engage in discussions to enhance their understanding of themes, characters and authorial intent.
- Writing: Pupils learn to write for different purposes and audiences (see Pathways to Write), exploring genres such as narratives, persuasive texts, reports, and poetry. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are taught explicitly (through Active English and Active Spelling progammes), and embedded within writing tasks. Relevant tier 2 vocabulary is taught alongside every writing unit and pupils are taught to generate and select a range of appropriate vocabulary
- Active English: This is taught at the beginning of every English lesson, which allows pupils to recall grammatical terms, respond to and unpick a carefully crafted piece of writing and apply their knowledge to a written response. These are interactive sessions as pupils learn actions and images alongside each grammatical term, enabling a 'hook' for their learning.
- Active Spelling: This is taught daily as a discreet sessions that uses the principles of mnenomics, images and verbal reasoning to aid the retention of spelling patterns and rules and, in turn, develop a breadth of vocabulary. Active Spelling involves discussions about spelling strategies and therefore promotes lifelong spellers who can independently select the strategies that work for them.
- Handwriting: We use the Nelson Handwriting approach and we have regular, short handwriting sessions at the beginning of each English lesson. We believe that regular practise will enable the stamina for writing and will allow pupils to have a sense of pride in their work.
- Speaking and Listening: Pupils develop skills in verbal communication through activities such as debates, presentations, drama, and storytelling. These experiences build confidence and articulation.
- Accelerated Reader – Accelerated Reader is used throughout the school to inspire children to immerse themselves into independent reading. It allows children to check their understanding and comprehension of the text; it also allows class teachers to monitor the level of difficulty of their reading. The school's target is for all pupils to read for 30 minutes per day and the Accelerated Reader programme allows us to measure this.
Impact
Children read for pleasure, showing an interest in books andmaking informed choices about the books they choose to read. Children are conscious readers who ask and answer questions about what they have read and read widely across subjects in school. Pupils are motivated to write for a range of audiences and purposes and will do so confidently and fluently, showing a good understanding of age-appropriate skills. Reading is assessed every half term and analysed to ensure teaching is bespoke to the children's needs. Pathways for Write focuses on building skills towards an independent piece or writing - pupils' writing is assessed on a half-termly basis and regular year-group moderation takes place to assess the impact. Pupils’ work demonstrates that the writing curriculum is taught at an age-appropriate standard across each year group through a variety of engaging writing opportunities. Impact is also shown through the progress and outcomes of pupils in national testing.
Patron of Reading
We are thrilled to share our Patron of Reading with you. Lydia Sanders, a local author, has agreed to support Manor Leas Junior Academy in this role.
Lydia's role is to inspire children to read widely, support the school by recommending books and modelling to children a love of reading. Lydia works with our Reading Ambassadors ( a team of incredibly passionate children about all things reading) to develop our use of the library and spread the love of reading.
Use the link to have a look at Lydia's work (www.hysterical-herstories.com/)