English

St Paul’s Reading Subject Statement 

Intent 

At St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School, we strive to give children the gift of reading for pleasure and believe that reading is the key for academic success. We value reading as a key life skill and are dedicated to enabling pupils to become purposeful lifelong readers. 

We intend that all children: 

• read fluently with a good understanding; 

• become enthusiastic and motivated readers; 

• read often for both pleasure and information; 

• acquire a wide knowledge and vocabulary from a range of genres and text type; 

• use reading to provoke thought and discussion, as well as supporting them emotionally. 

Implementation 

Reading begins in Early Years with lots of talk and exploration of stories and themes. A love of books is nurtured as children journey through our school and all the National Curriculum objectives for reading are delivered as outlined in our Progression of Skills for Reading document.  

Phonics and decoding are the essential building blocks for reading and there is detailed information and support about our chosen SSP (Systematic, Synthetic Programme) available on the Phonics Subject Statement tab.    

Even before children are ready to read print, they have a wealth of opportunity to engage with books and print in their environment. Reading fluency is the next key focus and children begin to develop their reading fluency in Read Write Inc sessions, moving onto Whole Class Guided Reading in the Autumn or Spring term of Year 2. 

Reading Comprehension 

Guided Reading Sessions are delivered three times weekly with additional reading instruction across the curriculum. Comprehension skills are developed from Y2 (vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval and sequencing/summarising). This approach ensures pupils make good comprehension progress and develop the skills needed to analyse a text. Crucial to this is reading fluency and stamina so the key focus of our guided reading lessons is improving reading fluency as well as sharing a love of books with the children.   

Our reading curriculum ensures knowledge and skills are built upon each year. Teachers use a variety of texts and written material for guided reading lessons, these often link to writing genres being studied or other curriculum areas being taught.  

Assessment 

Read Write Inc assessments are carried out every six weeks. This allows any child falling behind to be quickly identified for intervention. Fluency is also measured as part of these assessments. From Reception to Year 2, we use offer our pupils access to the online reading platform Reading Eggs where children work progressively through their reading skills lessons. Pupils in Years 3- 6 use Reading Plus to ensure they are reading a range of engaging texts. Both programmes are used by teachers to support on-going assessment.  

Intervention 

Any children not making the expected progress in reading access additional 1:1 or small group support. Parents and Carers will also be supported to provide help at home. Precision teaching is another very effective approach that we use to support individuals. Class teachers discuss the best options with the Reading Leader and pupil progress is reviewed termly.  

Home Reading 

At St. Paul’s, we have an effective home-school reading system where children take home a reading book that is appropriately matched to their reading level. Nursery children have a story sack loan system. From Reception to Year 2, children take home a Read Write Inc ‘Book Bag Book’ or blending book to reinforce the phonic phase at which they are working. This phase is reassessed every six weeks to ensure children make rapid progress. Beyond Phonics, children move through ‘book bands’, choosing their own reading books from a wide variety of high-quality texts in the library. We request that children read for at least 15 minutes each day at home. Reading Records are used to record home reading and from Y4, children use reading journals to respond to their reading. 

Reading for Pleasure 

There is a buzz about books at St Paul’s which begins with our wonderful Staff who share and model their love of reading every day. Classrooms have recommended reads and texts that and updated regularly. Teachers read with passion and enthusiasm, discussing their own favourite books and authors. At lunchtime, our reading buddies read with our younger children in designated reading zones. ‘Book Club’ is a dedicated time to talk about and share a love of reading when children talk about the books they enjoy and make recommendations to their friends. We also engage in a variety of activities to celebrate reading including virtual author visits, books swaps, competitions and, of course, World Book Day – one of the highlights of the year! 

Impact 

• Pupils will develop a love of books and read for pleasure across a range of genres; 

• Pupils of all abilities will be able to succeed in all reading lessons; 

• Pupils will be ready to read in any subject in their forthcoming secondary education 

• Parents and carers will have a good understanding of how they can support reading and home, and contribute regularly to home-school records; 

• ARS will be above national average for expected and at greater depth standards 

• There will be no significant gaps in the progress of different groups of pupils 

• Pupils will be well placed to make good progress at Key Stage 3 

St Paul’s Writing Statement

 

Intent

At St. Paul’s, our intent is that every child learns to write with purpose and an awareness of the reader.

To do this, we help them to:

• develop the skills of a writer as a lifelong means for communication and expressing one-self;
• write clearly and accurately with purpose, adapting language and style for a range of contexts, always with the reader in mind;
• appreciate the richness and power of the written word.

Implementation

At St. Paul’s, we have designed our writing curriculum to inspire our children to become happy, confident writers. Teaching is supported by the recommendations identified in the EEF’s ‘Improving Literacy’ recommendations at both KS1 & KS2.  Writing outcomes are developed across a two-week unit, with purposefully selected, high quality texts as the foundation.   Children begin by developing their oracy skills and appropriate tier 2 vocabulary, often learning a text by heart using the Talk for Writing approach. They use short-burst writing activities to really build their confidence with the genre. Grammar and sentence structure teaching is taught both discretely and within the context, which really helps the children to develop as writers, understanding the impact of their choices on their audience. 

In all year groups, children study a variety of text types and genres; this may include recounts, news reports, explanation texts, poems, plays and stories of all kinds. Lessons during the first week of the unit will focus on identifying the specific features of the text type, extending vocabulary and teaching specific grammar objectives. Lots of engaging activities are used to really immerse the children in the text, ensuring a vocabulary-rich experience.  The second stage is an opportunity for the children to plan their own  extended  piece of writing, applying and building upon the skills and language patterns they have learnt, drafting, editing and improving their work. Cohesion documents used Trust-wide also support the planning process. Editing and improving first drafts is another key part of the process.

A writing ‘working wall’ is visible and used in all classes. This wall is interactive and updated throughout the English teaching cycle. It is used as a learning tool by the children and displays vocabulary, conjunctions, sentence openers and punctuation (VCOP) to support the children in uplevelling their writing. Model texts and genre toolkits are used where appropriate. The Talk for Writing ‘Progression in Grammar’ document provides the basis for a range of activities to ensure the children develop their syntactic skills, supported also by Alan Peat Sentences. 

The National Curriculum’s statutory requirements for spelling are taught using lists from Spelling Shed to ensure progress and consistency across the school. In EY and KS1 spellings are linked to the phonics being taught.

 

We encourage our children to always take pride in their writing and to respect their books. They complete writing work in their ‘Writing Profiles’ which reflect the rich variety of writing opportunities in school. We celebrate their achievements weekly with ‘Handwriter of the Week’ and children often share their work with SLT. We always encourage our children to enter competitions such as the BBC 500 Word competition and have seen lots of success.

Impact

Children make excellent progress in the quality of their writing content, genre and sentence structure.

Children are confident writers who are able to respond to a stimulus in Y6, in their own choice of genre.

Children understand the power of the written word and the potential impact on the audience.

 

 

St Paul’s Handwriting Statement 

Intent  

To develop students’ fine motor skills and promote legible, fluent writing that enhances their ability to communicate effectively. Our handwriting curriculum aims to:

1. Develop Gross and Fine Motor Skills: Encourage the development of the small muscles in the hands and fingers to improve coordination and control.
2. Promote Legibility and Fluency: Ensure students can write clearly and quickly, allowing them to express their thoughts without additional cognitive load.
3. Instill Confidence: Build students’ confidence in their writing abilities through regular practice and positive reinforcement.

Implementation   

Early Years (Foundation Stage): Focus on gross and fine motors skills, pre-writing skills, including gripping tools, tracing shapes, and practicing letter formation.                                                                             

Key Stage 1: Introduction of formal handwriting styles (print followed by joining) with a focus on letter formation, spacing, and posture. 

Key Stage 2: Emphasis on speed, fluency, and the refinement of handwriting style, reducing cognitive load, freeing up capacity for writing content.

Teaching Strategies: 

Direct Instruction: Daily handwriting lessons (Reception and KS1) and weekly KS2, that include modelling, guided practice, and independent practice.

Multisensory Approaches: Utilize visual and kinesthetic methods (e.g., sandpaper letters, sky writing, and digital apps).

Regular Assessment: Frequent assessments to monitor progress, providing targeted feedback and additional support when needed.

Resources: Provide students with appropriate tools, such as ergonomic pencils, pencil grips and lined paper. Use bespoke handwriting books that reinforce letter formation and spacing.                                                 

Implementation

 Through thoughtful implementation and regular assessment, we anticipate a positive impact on student learning and confidence in their writing   abilities.

Student Outcomes: Improvement in handwriting legibility and fluency, assessed through samples of students’ work at regular intervals. Increased confidence in writing as evidenced by student self-assessments and teacher observations. Ability to complete written tasks in a timely manner, reflecting speed improvements.

Staff - Regular discussions with Staff and Book Looks, evidence the effectiveness of the handwriting program and any areas for improvement which can be quickly addressed.

Parental Involvement: Engagement with parents through EYFS meetings, Parent Evenings and Seesaw assignments will demonstrate how they can support handwriting development at home.

Long-term Goals:

Establish a culture of writing across the school, where students see handwriting as a valuable skill, preparing them for transition to secondary school.