English

We follow The Literary Curriculum at Stoneraise School. It is a book-based primary English planning resource which seeks to systematically develop reading and writing skills through quality texts. The scheme of learning supports Early Years to Year 6. The scheme seeks to engage children to be critical readers whilst becoming confident and informed writers. All National Curriculum requirements are embedded, making the grammar purposeful and there are always a mixture of shorter, longer and extended writing outcomes where the audience and purpose is clear and exciting for children!

As the children read through a class text with their teacher, they use small steps (similar to our mathematics curriculum approach) to unpick the author's choices about structure, layout, grammar, punctuation and spelling. They then begin to use these key learning points in their own work, culminating at the end of each unit with a longer extended writing piece which embeds all of the learning from the text. This constant recapping and clear progression links brilliantly to our Sticky Knowledge approach as key skills are kept 'on the boil' and stick in the long term memory and become second nature.

To read The Literary Curriculum Policy, please click on the logo below:

Phonics and Reading

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1, children learn to read using synthetic phonics. As a school we have begun to use the Read Write Inc. Phonics Scheme.

Read Write Inc. Phonics is a whole-school approach to teaching literacy for 4 to 9-year olds that creates fluent readers, confident speakers and willing writers. It integrates phonics with comprehension, writing, grammar, spelling and handwriting using engaging partner work and drama.

As the children move towards the end of Year 1 and into Year 2, they move onto Read Write Inc. Spelling. This uses a proven phonics approach and uses engaging lessons beamed straight into the classroom by aliens from an exciting online spelling planet, to prepare children for the higher demands of the spelling requirements in the National Curriculum.

For more information about Read Write Inc. please click on the image below:

For further information on learning to read, please click here:

To further develop the love of reading, we use a reading program called Accelerated Reader. This helps teachers to manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child picks a book at their own level, and reads it at their own pace. When finished, they take a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) Accelerated Reader gives your child, and class teacher, feedback based on the quiz results, which is then used to help set goals and direct ongoing reading practice. Further information can be found here: