Mount Pleasant Primary School

Mount Pleasant Primary School Literacy Policy Spring 2008

Mount Pleasant Primary School. English Policy Document 2008. Introduction. Language resides at the heart of our lives. Through language we can make sense of our world, enabling us to communicate thoughts, ideas, information and emotions at a variety of levels and in many different ways. Language is the most powerful tool in the learning process and each aspect of it must be nurtured. At Mount Pleasant we believe that each child has the right to have access to all areas of the curriculum and of life through language learning. We want our children to become independent, confident and committed learners with a secure knowledge and understanding of the English language. It is in this way that they will become proficient, skilful and proactive communicators. It is imperative that we ensure that speaking, listening, reading and writing are united so that pupils have the chance to express themselves as fully as possible. This policy is a framework that brings these aspects of language together and states how we intend to develop the children s full potential as language users. It has been created to deliver the statutory requirements of the Foundation Stage, National Curriculum and also includes the introduction of The Primary National Strategy for Literacy and Mathematics (2006). Claire Grinsell Spring 2008 1

Policy Statement. Through the teaching of English, Mount Pleasant will follow the National Curriculum requirements in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing and this in turn will complement and fulfil the requirements of The Primary National Strategy for Literacy and Mathematics (2006). The PNS will be used to plan for learning and will be used alongside the National Curriculum to provide a guide for assessment. Literacy lessons will be the main means for teaching the objectives specified in the PNS, although literacy objectives can and should be included across the whole of the curriculum. This policy will be reviewed on a regular basis, alongside staff, in accordance with the development of the SIP. Guidelines. The guidelines will outline: Organisation for teaching English; Agreed methods of planning, assessment, record-keeping and monitoring; Resources. Schemes of Work. The PNS Framework for literacy provides a strong basis for teaching the English programmes of study for the National Curriculum. The range of reading and writing, speaking and listening skills for each term and the teaching sequence that is suggested to carry out this work has been adopted as our basic scheme of work. The scheme is also supported by: Letters and Sounds for phonics Oxford Reading Tree for reading. 2

Aims. Our aims will be: To provide opportunities for the children to have access to: a rich variety of oral language both as active speakers and attentive listeners in a wide range of situations, including drama activities, a wide variety of reading material which will engender in them interest and enjoyment and will provide them with information, opportunities to record the written word in many forms, giving pupils the opportunity to communicate effectively depending upon purpose and audience. To develop skills through teaching so that the children can: communicate clearly and with assurance, speak with confidence, clarity and fluency, articulate ideas, feelings and information appropriately and with ease, listen attentively and respond in an appropriate manner, read aloud with fluency and expression, use a variety of strategies to decode texts in an efficient way, read a range of texts and extract meaning from these and write for a range of purposes, organising content and style to suit purpose and audience, use visual literacy to enhance their writing skills, actively use the shared rules of grammar, spelling and develop a legible style of handwriting, use a variety of presentational skills, including ICT. To develop children s knowledge of language so that they: can become familiar with good quality literature, poetry and nonfiction works, can read between the lines and beyond the images, make choices and form their own opinions about stories, poems and plays, use a rich and varied vocabulary in all aspects of English, talk and listen showing an awareness of dialect, style, groupings and circumstances. 3

Policy Spring 2008 4

The Role of the Literacy Manager. The Literacy Manager has a vital role in overseeing the literacy curriculum across the whole school with particular responsibility for the implementation, monitoring and review of the Policy Statement, Guidelines and Schemes of Work. The following shows the overarching responsibilities of the Litco: monitoring whole school planning, auditing children s work and moderating this to ensure a collegiate understanding of levelness, advice and support for the staff through INSET (DFES and school based), Lead Literacy Teacher meetings and informal meetings, in line with being a self reviewing school, monitoring the planning, teaching and development of Literacy, informing colleagues of changes occurring in teaching and policy, resource ordering and organisation, providing relevant information or documentation, liaison with LA advisors with regard to staff and school needs. In consultation with the Head Teacher it is the responsibility of the Literacy Manager to carry out the following: Teaching and Learning: 1. Ensure that the teaching of Literacy is in accordance with the school s schemes of work and the statutory national curriculum (which may include the National Literacy Strategy). 2. Liaise with colleagues to plan and deliver units of work in a collaborative and effective way. 3. Promote the employment of a range of teaching styles in the teaching of literacy. 4. Ensure that Teaching Assistants that assist with the delivery of Literacy and its associated booster programmes are well trained and able to deliver the content of this work. 5. Liaise with the Assessment Co-ordinator in order to set appropriate end of year targets for children s attainment levels. 6. Demonstrate good practice in the planning and teaching of Literacy. 5

Assessing and Reporting: 1. Ensure that staff plan and evaluate the teaching and learning of literacy (and its components) appropriately in accordance with the school s policies. 2. Ensure that Literacy work is assessed, marked and returned (as appropriate to the age group and activity) within an agreed time span, providing feedback and targets for future attainment. 3. Ensure that the entry of known assessment data relating to literacy is entered into INTEGRIS worksheets as required by the Assessment Policy. 4. Monitor and evaluate statutory assessments (SATs) in order to inform the Headteacher and Governors of areas of weakness and known strengths in the teaching of literacy. 5. Provide assessment reports to monitor children s progress. Leadership and Management: 1. Be aware of individual staff strengths and suggest opportunities for professional development. 2. Maintain an awareness of the developments in Literacy and communicate this to staff. 3. Organise regular meetings/insets in order to share information, evaluate current projects, develop new initiatives and disseminate relevant information to staff. 4. Gather and distribute fixed and consumable resources for literacy and encourage the safe and efficient storage and use of resources (eg Reading Room). 5. Consult with the Headteacher on all matters relating to curriculum development and progress towards agreed standards. 6

Resources. The Litco has the responsibility for ordering and maintaining resources to support the delivery of the English National Curriculum and the Primary National Strategy. We strive to ensure that we provide a range of good quality, accessible texts and resources that are age and interest appropriate. Guided Reading KS1 resources for guided reading are stored in the Reading Room and a variety of published schemes are used. KS2 Guided reading resources are stored in Y4 library area and consist mainly of ORT texts. Each KS2 year group also use the Navigator guided reading resource and these are stored in individual year group bases. Individual Reading Our main reading scheme is ORT, although this is enhanced by the use of New Way and books from other schemes. The individual resources are stored in Reception, Y1 and outside of the school hall. The main schemes used are clearly matched to NC levels so that movement between schemes is as accurate as possible (see following sheet). Reading Journals Individual reading journals have been created for each year group. There are 2 reading journals per year group: one for the average to more able and another for the pupils in the focus group. The templates for these are stored both in the shared area and in each year group s folder in the shared area. Publications Each year group is given DCFS publications and any purchased for that particular year group to store in their bases. These must remain in the classrooms even if staff move year groups. There are also copies of publications to be found in the reading room. 7

Practical Equipment Any practical equipment is generally stored in individual bases. There are also some resources to be found in the reading room. Phonics resources from Sweet Counter have been disseminated to individual year groups to create permanent displays. ICT (ref ICT policy) 21 st century children are surrounded by ICT in many forms. Each teaching base (from Reception upwards) has an interactive whiteboard or smartboard to use to enhance their literacy teaching. There are many resources that can be used both online and on the school shared area and ICT links are included in short term planning. 8

ORT reading book levels This is a guide to reading levels for the ORT reading books. ORT Stage Approx year gp Bookband NC level 1 R 1 - Pink Wc/wb 2 R 2 - Red Wa 3 Y1 3 - Yellow 1c 4 Y1 4 - Blue 1b 5 Y1 5 - Green 1b/1a 6 Y2 6 - Orange 1a 7 Y2 7 - Turquoise 1a/2c 8 Y2 8 - Purple 1a/2c 9 Y2 8 - Purple 1a/2c 10 Y3 9 - Gold 2b 11 Y3 10 - White 2a/3c 12 Y4 Approx-3c 13 Y4 Approx-3b 14 Y5 Approx-3b/3a 15 Y6 Approx-3a/4c 16 Y6 Approx-4c/4b New Way reading book levels This is a guide to reading levels for the New Way reading books (remember these are good for developing phonic abilities). New Way Stage Bookband NC level Pink 2 - Red Wa Red 3 - Yellow 1c Green 4 Blue/5 - Green 1b/1b-1a Blue 6 - Orange 1a Yellow 7 Turq/8 - Purple 1a/2c Violet 9 - Gold 2b Orange 10 - White 2a/3c 9

Equality of Opportunity Equal Opportunities(Ref Equal Opportunities & Racial Equality Policy) The school aims are designed to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met regardless of gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, sexual orientation, age, disability, ability and social circumstances. At Mount Pleasant, excellent English teaching and learning is provided as a right for all children. All pupils have an equal entitlement to English teaching and learning. The pupils will be actively included in Literacy lessons and English teaching in any other context. The needs of the pupils will be protected and interests will be nurtured regardless of gender, culture, ability or attitude. Equality of opportunity also applies to all members of the Mount Pleasant community pupils, staff, parents, governors and community members. Standards in the acquisition of skills in reading and writing are often lower for pupils nationwide. The school is aware of this and standards and progress are constantly monitored and programmes put in place to ensure that all groups of learners and individuals achieve their full potential. Provision for all Abilities. (Ref SEN policy) We believe that every child is entitled to full inclusion in all aspects of language learning in our school. This is achieved both through differentiation and through our commitment to pupils individual needs whether they are the lowest attainers or the very able and therefore have Additional Educational Needs (also known as Special Educational Needs). Differentiation. We believe that differentiation should enable children to work at a level that is just difficult enough to stretch them in their tasks. This should engender a feeling of success as they strive to achieve the intended outcome. This can be seen in guided and group activities during literacy lessons, where pupils will work on activities that have been planned so that they are working at an appropriate level for their abilities. This may 10

also involve the use of Support Staff to provide even more structured support to groups and individuals. Additional Educational Needs (SEN). For advice on identification, assessment and provision for pupils deemed to have additional needs, please refer to the school s S.E.N. and Identification of Needs Policies. Where possible, resources are adapted or purchased especially for AEN pupils. Booster Groups There is the opportunity for pupils to work in smaller groups with a focus on basic skills through booster programmes such as ELS, ALS and FLS. These are also sometimes used to fill gaps for larger groups (teacher led) or are tailored specifically to the needs of small groups (support staff led). Gifted and Talented Pupils who are deemed to be gifted or talented in English (see guidelines in Gifted and Talented policy) work upon a personalised programme that is carefully monitored. 11

Assessment, Recording and Reporting. Assessment (Ref Assessment policy) and Recording As a self-reviewing school, Mount Pleasant sees regular assessment and monitoring as vitally important and we approach it as a whole school issue. Both informal and formal assessments are used throughout the school year in a formative way to inform planning and to evaluate teaching and learning. Agreed information is transferred as the pupils progress through the school. The importance of regular assessment is acknowledged by both teaching and support staff and enables us to judge what pupils have achieved and, more importantly, what they need to do to move to the next level and to fill gaps in learning. Planning can then be tailored more closely to the needs of the children. Assessment for learning and other types of assessment is built into planning and teachers constantly make informal judgements throughout each lesson. Staff record their judgements on post-its, notes on planning or on separate sheets and this is then used to inform future planning and update learning ladders. Learning ladders have been created to show progression of skills from FSP4-5 to Level 5a in writing. These are stuck into Big Write books and shared with pupils so that they can clearly see where they are going with their learning and begin to take responsibility for that. The ladders inform teacher assessment and show clearly where there are gaps in learning that need to be filled. Writing is also formally assessed by using evidence from the Big Write books and the Ros Wilson Criterion Scales for Levelling. Staff level at least twice per term and can choose to level all pupils in one go or stagger the levelling into small groups throughout the half term. Staff may also choose to level pupils for other reasons eg pupils who are underachieving or exceeding targets. Lead literacy staff have regular moderating meetings to ensure a corporate understanding of writing levelness and a portfolio of evidence from these meetings is being developed. Writing is also formally assessed at year end using optional SAT/SAT materials. 12

Reading assessment is ongoing and takes place during guided and individual reading sessions. As of Summer 2008, staff have guided reading records that have been created in a similar style to learning ladders for writing where they can record when they have seen evidence of achievement. This can also be used when reading individually. Pupils in KS1 are also assessed formally using the PM assessment kit and in Y2 using the KS1 SAT s materials. Pupils in KS1 are formally assessed using the SAT s material published for each year group. Reading is formally assessed at half and year end using optional SAT/SAT materials. Phonics is assessed on a daily basis in sessions in EYFS and KS1. Pupils also have an individual phonics record that teaching and support staff assess them on every half term. Support staff can then fill in the gaps with the pupils in extra phonics sessions. Spellings Pupils have informal spelling tests depending on their stage of attainment and development. During KS2 this involves the spelling challenges which the children work through on a weekly basis the results of which are displayed in the classroom so that everyone knows exactly how well they are progressing. Speaking and Listening is formally assessed as part of the EYFS profile and then again at the end of Y2. It is then informally assessed during lessons as it is now a cohesive part of the Primary National Strategy. SAT s and EYFS Profile At the end of KS1 and KS2 pupils are formally assessed in reading and writing and continually assessed during EYFS to inform the Foundation Stage Profiles. Results are reported to Dudley LA and the DCFS and these are collated and KS2 results are published in local and national league tables. Results are also sent, on request, on transition or movement to other settings. 13

Recording As well as the recording mentioned above, pupils books and teacher observations are also valuable tools to evidence assessments. Records of assessment results are kept on the MIS (Integris) system and staff are responsible for inputting the data which can then be monitored and evaluated by all staff. Reporting At present staff report NC levels for writing to parents at the middle and end of the year. These are broken down into a,b,c levels and learning ladders are used to support this when levels are being shared with parents. At present reading levels are reported at the end of the year only. Annual reports are produced at the end of the year using statements created for each year group. These are based on expectations for each particular year group and are then tailored to fit individual pupils. Parents are invited to discuss these at a parents evening. Data is collected and passed on to receiving staff so that pupils begin their new year at the point at which they ended the last, thus ensuring continuity and progression throughout the school. 14

Health and Safety. At Mount Pleasant the health and safety of children and adults in school are of paramount importance at all times. During Literacy lessons staff will act in accordance with the school policy on health and safety and strive to ensure that necessary requirements are met. These may include: the safe storage of resources, books and materials, safe access for pupils and staff, the correct and safe use of resources such as scissors, tape recorders, computers etc, how particular pupils with physical/medical needs can be supported, rules for the use of library areas and other study facilities. For further details see Health and Safety policy 15

Parental Involvement At Mount Pleasant we have a thriving and developing programme to include our parents in as much of their child s school life as possible. A strong partnership between home and school helps to break down potential barriers to a child s learning and develops trust. It also means that pupils progress better if parents take a constant interest in their learning experiences. Parental involvement in Literacy is vital if we are to ensure that our children progress as successfully as possible. We try to achieve this in a variety of ways: Monthly class newsletters with information about what we are covering in reading and writing and handy hints to help to enhance this and the inclusion of useful websites and publications. Parental workshops where parents can be clearly informed of the reading and writing experiences that is pertinent to their child s present year group. Parents In Partnership Programme where parents are invited to work alongside their child in normal literacy lessons. Reading Buddies a programme where parents (including other family or community members) are trained by Mrs Grinsell to read with specific pupils in school on a regular basis. Home/school contracts where parents are asked to support their child in a variety of ways. Getting to Know You evenings where staff introduce the individual year group structures to parents, including a focus on basic skills. SAT s workshops for Y6 parents. Home learning for Literacy is predominantly reading with your child as frequently as possible. End of Year Reports. Learning ladders for writing are shared with parents at parents evenings. EYFS have meetings with parents where basic skills information is shared and Reception class have a Becoming a Reader Project during the first term of a new intake. New Y1 pupils work on a book related project during the Summer holidays that forms the basis of their first week or two in Y1. Spelling challenges run from Y2 to Y6 and parents are kept informed of how their children are progressing and are asked to help with the learning of these words. 16

Planning At Mount Pleasant we understand that planning is of the utmost importance in all areas of learning. Planning should be clear, succinct and ensure that all pupils are catered for regardless of their needs. Planning should also clearly show continuity and progression through learning stages. The lead literacy teacher plans for literacy lessons and is responsible for teaching and learning in literacy. Plans are created in accordance with the needs of the pupils and the starting point is predominantly the PNS. At present pupils are set into literacy groups according to their maths attainment so that maths and literacy can be taught simultaneously. Pupils are monitored and planned for rigorously to ensure that all receive their literacy entitlement. Support staff are allocated to work with pupils where appropriate. Literacy in the PNS now consists of 12 strands. These are: 1. Speaking 2. Listening and responding 3. Group discussion and interaction 4. Drama 5. Word recognition 6. Word structure and spelling 7. Understand and interpret texts 8. Engage with and respond to texts 9. Creating and shaping texts 10. Text structure and organisation 11. Sentence structure and punctuation 12. Presentation Strand 5: Word recognition : decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) is the exception in that it only covers objectives from Foundation Stage to the end of Key Stage 1 since the expectation is that, for the majority of children, these learning objectives will have been covered by the end of Year 2. The objectives are slotted into units that we have agreed to teach consecutively and the teaching sequence can be found on the PNS website. 17

Weekly planning Staff are encouraged to plan their week in short sections (2 or 3 days at a time) so that they can respond to the needs of the pupils should they exceed objectives or need more work on them. Each lesson is evaluated, generally using post its or jottings and any further action is taken using support staff or by changing lessons to accommodate needs. All NC year groups use a planning sheet in a common format as can be seen in the scheme of work section. Differentiation should be clearly seen in these plans and the Headteacher, Literacy Manager and Senior team can have access to them for monitoring purposes. Planning for EYFS for literacy can be seen across the Foundation Stage and more structured basic skills lessons are taught when appropriate. 18

Classroom Management Learning and Teaching Areas. Pupils are organised in National Curriculum year groups throughout the school and each year group consists of 2 teachers (1 in Nursery) and at least 1 member of the support team. One member of staff is the named literacy lead teacher and teaches literacy lessons to all of the year group in two separate ability groups. Teaching areas are arranged in accordance with the type of lesson being taught and can be rearranged and adapted to suit the learning activities taking place. Interactive whiteboards, whiteboards or chalk boards may be the main focal point for the pupils as they take part in demonstration, instruction and modelling sessions. Pupils should have easy access to resources to help to foster independence from the EYFS to Y6. In the EYFS especially, literacy will be a play-based experience with oracy, experiential and hands on learning being of particular importance. Displays Displays should celebrate the work that is ongoing in the classroom and should also include developmental aspects of literacy (eg spelling patterns, VCOP, key vocabulary etc). VCOP displays should be evident from the earliest stages (Y1) up to Y6 and utilised at all times. There should be an interactive phonics display (based around the Sweet Counter resources) from EYFS to at least Y2 and spelling strategies displayed in KS2. Wherever possible displays should be interactive and vibrant to inspire pupils and show that literacy is valued in our school. 19

Time Allocation. Time is allocated for English teaching in the following ways: Pupils work with the designated literacy lead teacher in separate ability grouped lessons so that pupils can have a literacy curriculum tailored more closely to their specific needs. Each year group has at least five hours of literacy per week with the Foundation Stage working on literacy, language and communications activities as appropriate to the EYFS Guidance, It has been agreed that, where appropriate or where necessary, the structure of literacy lessons should be varied and can be adapted to allow for more sustained work in the areas of extended writing, drama or speaking and listening, Additional time is allocated for drama, speaking and listening, story time and handwriting wherever possible. Our curriculum also offers the pupils the opportunity to use English across the curriculum and specific links are made to highlight this in lessons. 20

Big Write In order to continue to raise standards in writing, the whole school has adopted the Ros Wilson Big Write strategy after having an inset day of training on this in May 2007. Pupils have a Big Write session timetabled on a weekly basis in which they can have the opportunity to write for a sustained period of time often with soft music in the background and scented candles burning. The pupils often use special writing implements (gel pens, coloured pens/pencils, coloured paper etc) and are encouraged to use the four strategies for improving writing: Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation (VCOP) to ensure their work is the best it could be. Previous to Big Write pupils have the opportunity to plan their writing and review VCOP strategies. Staff are encouraged to write with the children in order to show that they value this time as well. Staff mark Big Write either using the criterion scales (once every half term in order to ascertain a writing level) or by using VCOP, or the two/three stars and a wish process. Big Write time may be used as guided writing for groups of learners who have particular need or as a class session for improving writing, but it has been agreed that standard Big Write sessions should take place at least once per fortnight. Big Write books not only contain writing from Big Write sessions, but also contain any type of sustained writing from all areas of the curriculum. In the front of the books are the learning ladders for writing so that staff and pupils can refer to these to ensure that progression is happening. Big Write books are an excellent resource for monitoring progression for all staff and for pupils and parents. The books are passed up to be continued during the following year. Completed books will be kept in school until there are 2 full books and a new one has been begun. Then the earliest full book can be sent home to be kept by pupils as a lasting memory of their writing development. Completed learning ladders will be filed in school in the class Learning Ladders file. 21

Magic Write The concept of Big Write has been tailored to suit children in EYFS and Y1 by us. Magic Write introduces the principles of Big Write to pupils who are not ready to write, through to emergent and beginner writers. Pupils are encouraged to see Magic Write as a special and important time and sessions go from reading and retelling stories orally, to supported composition with modelling of the writing process done by teachers/support staff and moves into guided and independent writing. Aspects of planning, handwriting, VCOP and text creation are explored and demonstrated throughout these sessions and are more appropriate to young children who are just beginning their journey through the writing process. This approach can of course be used with special needs and less able pupils throughout the school. 22

Phonics (Taken from PNS guidance.) The 'simple view of reading' The Rose Report makes a number of recommendations for the teaching of early reading and for replacing the 'Searchlights' model, used in the original literacy framework. It makes clear that there are two dimensions to reading - 'word recognition' and 'language comprehension'. These two dimensions are represented in a new conceptual framework - the 'simple view of reading' (see The new conceptual framework for teaching reading: the simple view of reading - overview for literacy leaders and managers in schools and early years settings) - as word recognition processes and language comprehension processes. The processes by which children comprehend spoken language are the same as those by which they comprehend the words on the page; the difference being that the first relies upon hearing the words and the second upon seeing the words in written form. Obviously, in order to comprehend written texts children must first learn to recognise, that is decode, the words on the page. The report notes that when children begin to learn to read they have already made considerable progress in their language development. Unlike early language acquisition, the subsequent, time-limited task that is word reading is 'generally achieved as a result of direct instruction'. High-quality phonic teaching, therefore, secures the crucial skills of word recognition that, once mastered, enable children to read fluently and automatically thus freeing them to concentrate on the meaning of the text. In other words, the learning of phonic skills for reading is a timelimited process whereas 'developing the abilities necessary to understanding and appreciating written texts in different content areas and literary genres continues throughout the lifespan'. The 'simple view of reading' shows that both dimensions are necessary to achieve fluent reading. However, the balance between word recognition and language comprehension shifts as children acquire secure and automatic decoding skills and progress from 'learning to read' to 'reading to learn' for purpose and pleasure. The ultimate goal of learning to read is comprehension. To achieve this, practitioners and teachers need to be clear about which activities are designed to teach children to acquire word recognition skills, and which will help children develop high-level comprehension skills. Principles of high-quality phonic work The Rose Report makes clear that 'high-quality phonic work' should be taught systematically and discretely as the prime approach used in the 23

teaching of early reading. This means that settings and schools should put in place a discrete programme as the key means for teaching phonics. Importantly, the report makes clear that high-quality phonic work is not a 'strategy' so much as a body of knowledge, skills and understanding that has to be learned. Beginner readers should be taught: grapheme-phoneme correspondences in a clearly defined, incremental sequence to apply the highly important skill of blending (synthesising) phonemes in the order in which they occur, all through a word to read it to apply the skills of segmenting words into their constituent phonemes to spell that blending and segmenting are reversible processes. The report recommends that high-quality phonic work will be most effective when: it is part of a broad and rich curriculum that engages children in a range of activities and experiences to develop their speaking and listening skills and phonological awareness for most children it starts by the age of 5, subject to the professional judgement of teachers and practitioners it is multisensory, encompassing simultaneous visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities to enliven core learning it is time-limited, such that the great majority of children should be confident readers by the end of Key Stage 1 it is systematic, that is to say, it follows a carefully planned programme with fidelity, reinforcing and building on previous learning to secure children's progress it is taught discretely and daily at a brisk pace there are opportunities to reinforce and apply acquired phonic knowledge and skills across the curriculum and in such activities as shared and guided reading children's progress in developing and applying their phonic knowledge is carefully assessed and monitored. Assessment The Rose Report emphasises the importance of phonics as the prime approach to teaching word recognition for the vast majority of children, including those with English as an additional language. Moreover, highquality phonic teaching, following the principles above, can substantially reduce the number of children who fall below age-related expectations. 24

This focus on quality-first teaching should reduce the need for intervention in many cases. To achieve these ends, a robust and continuous assessment of children's phonic progress is needed to identify those with additional needs, including those with specific learning difficulties. These children will require immediate and sustained additional support to close the gap with their peers. For a very small minority of children with special educational needs such as neurodevelopmental disorders there are considerable obstacles to learning to read and write. To support such children, settings and schools should make full use of the specialist guidance and support that is available. Mount Pleasant and Phonics We have adopted the Letters and Sounds framework for phonics teaching as our favoured scheme of work. However, this is not to the total exclusion of other phonics resources that can be used to enhance this area of learning. Each child in school has a phonics checklist matched to the phases of phonics teaching and this is reviewed on a regular basis. Gaps are then filled (usually by Support Staff) out of phonics sessions so that the pace of the phonics sessions are not interrupted by revisiting sounds that the majority do not need. The Letters and Sounds scheme has been started formally in EYFS and Y1 and elements have been trialled by Y2 upwards in order to ensure that the programme continues rigorously into Y2 in September 2008 and so that the sequence is phased in effectively. Support Staff across the school have access to the Scheme in order to meet the needs of the less able pupils in every year group. We are presently engaged in an LA cluster project to ensure that phonics is developed as rigorously as possible using ideas from a support group of local schools. 25

Handwriting. Philosophy. We want each child at Mount Pleasant to become proficient in handwriting in order to facilitate the recording of thoughts, ideas, experiences etc. with ease, confidence and fluency. Pupils will be taught an agreed way of forming letter shapes through purposeful, guided handwriting practice. This will then be developed in order for each child to foster a comfortable and legible handwriting style. Objectives. Strand 12 of the PNS specifies detailed termly objectives for handwriting and presentation to which staff can refer. Guidelines. Pupils will be encouraged to form letters according to a style (agreed September 2007) whereby pupils begin each letter on the line. This is being phased in from Reception to Y3. Each letter has a cursive beginning and end (see example of basic letter formation below). It has been agreed that even from the Foundation Stage pupils will be taught to form letters with the inclusion of the cursive flicks. This helps to ensure that letters are formed accurately as the cursive flick must be drawn as part of the whole letter. This also helps to encourage joined and thereby more fluent and speedy handwriting as the pupils develop. The use of specifically chosen handwriting pens will be allowed for those children who are shown to be forming letters correctly and producing mostly joined handwriting in a neat style. The award of a certificate will be given to those who have developed a joined, consistently legible and fluent handwriting style. Evidence of achievement must be produced from throughout the curriculum and assessed by the Litco/Headteacher. Examples of excellent or improving handwriting should be clearly displayed in the classroom so that pupils are aware of what they must aim for. 26

Letter Formation We have agreed to adopt the following cursive style of handwriting from EYFS upwards. At present this is being phased in. Each letter begins with a cursive flick starting on the line. The basic letters are formed as follows: 27

Drama. Philosophy. Drama is both a creative art form and a tool for learning. At Mount Pleasant the use of dramatic conventions complements not only Literacy teaching, but also other areas of the curriculum e.g. history, PSHE, Citizenship, art etc Drama also provides a meaningful context in which to teach Speaking and Listening skills by developing awareness of and competence in the uses and varieties of language. Objectives. Learning Objectives for drama are to be found in those for speaking and listening, reading and writing in the PNS. Guidelines. Children may use drama in a formal drama lesson (where timetable constraints allow) or in a variety of other lessons so that a particular point or idea may be explored more deeply. It is also possible for drama to be used in Class Assemblies or School Productions. Pupils should be introduced to a range of dramatic conventions including: role play (pupil/teacher) hot seating mime freeze frame (tableau vivant) improvisation narration dramatic play published plays trust games thought tapping using artefacts Further guidelines and advice about drama teaching can be found in Dudley policy and guidelines for drama and Drama tried and Tested produced by Dudley Drama Advisory Team as well as in the PNS website. 28

Library Provision. Due to limited space, library areas are situated in the following teaching settings: Children s Centre. Nursery where parents and children are encouraged to lend a book per week as part of their Nursery programme. Reception have a class library of fiction and non-fiction books. Y1, Y2, Y3 as Reception. Y4,5,6 have a central store of non-fiction books used for topics and also have relevant topic books in their classrooms. **Where appropriate, pupils have access to the computers to do research work. Library skills Pupils are taught relevant library skills across the curriculum and during guided reading sessions. This ensures that they can see the relevance of learning these skills and have a context in which to practise them. We have a library scheme of work that can be used as a point of reference to develop this area. Library Visits In order to ensure that we are able to teach a range of library skills and reading appreciation, staff are encouraged to arrange visits to the local libraries during the year for the pupils. Thus pupils have planned access during the year to the wide variety of facilities found in a public library and addresses our need to teach the pupils how to use the Dewey Decimal System. 29

Scheme of Work Spring 2008 30

31 DAY Shared learning and teaching Independent learning Key vocab Assessment for learning,key questions, success criteria. M O N D A Y T U E S D A Y W E D N E S D A Y T H U R S D A Y F R I D A Y Literacy Planning Year 1 Week beginning: Week:

Year 1 Objectives Unit 1 Narrative: Stories with familiar settings (4 wks) Most children learn to: (The following list comprises only the strands, numbered 1 through 12, that are relevant to this particular unit.) 1. Speaking Tell stories and describe incidents from their own experience in an audible voice Retell stories, ordering events using story language 2. Listening and responding Listen with sustained concentration, building new stores of words in different contexts 4. Drama Explore familiar themes and characters through improvisation and role-play 5. Word recognition: decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) Recognise and use alternative ways of pronouncing the graphemes already taught Recognise and use alternative ways of spelling the graphemes already taught Identify the constituent parts of two-syllable and three-syllable words to support the application of phonic knowledge and skills Recognise automatically an increasing number of familiar high frequency words Apply phonic knowledge and skills as the prime approach to reading and spelling unfamiliar words that are not completely decodable Read more challenging texts which can be decoded using their acquired phonic knowledge and skills, along with automatic recognition of high frequency words Read and spell phonically decodable two-syllable and three-syllable words 6. Word structure and spelling Spell new words using phonics as the prime approach Segment sounds into their constituent phonemes in order to spell them correctly Recognise and use alternative ways of spelling the graphemes already taught 32

Read and spell phonically decodable two-syllable and three-syllable words 7. Understanding and interpreting texts Identify the main events and characters in stories, and find specific information in simple texts Use syntax and context when reading for meaning 8. Engaging with and responding to texts Select books for personal reading and give reasons for choices Visualise and comment on events, characters and ideas, making imaginative links to own experiences 9. Creating and shaping texts Independently choose what to write about, plan and follow it through Use key features of narrative in their own writing Create short simple texts on paper and on screen that combine words with images (and sounds) 10. Text structure and organisation Write chronological and non-chronological texts using simple structures 11. Sentence structure and punctuation Compose and write simple sentences independently to communicate meaning 33

Mount Pleasant Primary School Communication, Language and Literacy Targets Working towards FS/A Speaking and Listening I enjoy listening to stories, songs, rhymes and poems. I can talk in different ways to my teacher, a friend, in a group or to the class. I can answer a question about something I have heard. Sentence Structure I can say a sentence using the correct word order. I can write the key sounds I hear in words. I can tell someone else what I have tried to write. Composition and Effect I can retell a story to my friends/teachers using role play and puppets. Spelling I can write the first and last sounds in words. I am beginning to write words by sounding out e.g elift-elephant, tbl-table. Writing/Handwriting I can hold a pencil correctly. I can form letters that people can recognise. 34

Guided Reading Record FS A I can turn pages from front to back. I can use the pictures to tell the story. I am able to describe the pictures or illustrations in a book. I can sequence a simple story or event. I can act out a simple story, event or rhyme by using gesture, actions and talk. I can predict using the title and the illustrations. I am beginning to understand the difference between a letter and a word. I can read my own first name. I can say some sounds, especially those in my name. I can recognise the difference between upper and lower case letters. I am happy choose to look at books. 35

Foundation Stage End of Year Objectives Foundation Stage End of Year Objectives NB: In Years 1 to 6, Literacy does not have end-of-year (EOY) objectives. For the remaining Foundation stage objectives see the PNS website. Listening and responding Listen with enjoyment and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems and make up their own stories, songs, rhymes and poems Sustain attentive listening, responding to what they have heard by relevant comments, questions or actions Extend their vocabulary, exploring meanings and sounds of new words Group discussion and interaction Interact with others, negotiating plans and activities and taking turns in conversation Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events Drama Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences Word recognition Explore and experiment with sounds, words and text Link sounds to letters, naming and sounding the letters of the alphabet Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are formed correctly Hear and say sounds in words in the order in which they occur The wording of this objective may change depending upon the outcomes of the consultation on changes to the Early Learning Goals pending parliamentary approval. 36

Use phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words Read a range of familiar and common words and simple sentences independently. Word structure and spelling Use phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words Understanding and interpreting texts Know that print carries meaning and, in English, is read from left to right and top to bottom Extend their vocabulary, exploring the meaning and sounds of new words Show an understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings, and how information can be found in non-fiction texts to answer questions about where, who, why and how Retell narratives in the correct sequence, drawing on the language patterns of stories Engaging with and responding to texts Listen with enjoyment to stories, songs, rhymes and poems, sustain attentive listening and respond with relevant comments, questions and actions Show an understanding of the elements of stories, such as main character, sequence of events, and openings and how information can be found in non-fiction texts to answer questions about where, who, why and how Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences Creating and shaping texts Attempt writing for various purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions Text structure and organisation Attempt writing for various purposes, using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions 37

Sentence structure and punctuation Write their own names and other things such as labels and captions and begin to form simple sentences sometimes using punctuation Presentation Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed 38

Literacy Objectives Our schemes of work are based upon the end of year objectives which can be found in the PNS, either online or paper copy. There are far too many to be recorded in this section. To access the objectives please use the following link: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primaryframework/literacy/learningob jectives/ The objectives should be organised into the following teaching sequence over each unit and should: Cover the development of speaking and listening, reading and writing.lead to learning at a challenging pace towards the end-ofyear expectations or beyond. Have regular teaching at word-level and sentence-level embedded within it, or identified as discrete teaching alongside it, to ensure children achieve these critical learning objectives in a coherent and progressive way. Follow and build upon the teaching sequence, from reading into writing and developing comprehension. Fully integrate the appropriate use of ICT opportunities to develop key aspects of learning and assessment opportunities. The planning should consider opportunities for literacy learning both within dedicated literacy teaching time and also across the whole curriculum. Involve a wide variety of enjoyable and engaging learning opportunities, related to children's experience, building on previous learning and therefore appropriately personalised. Identify the particular needs of children working below or significantly below age-related expectations and the needs of gifted and talented children working significantly above those expectations and plan to meet these needs. The following shows an example of the unit teaching phases: Phase 1: Familiarisation with the text-type; reading comprehension Phase 2: Reading analysis of the text type; capturing ideas and writing in role 39

Phase 3: Comparison of oral and written narratives and analysis of their key features; retelling known text orally using appropriate techniques to engage the audience Phase 4: Evaluation of oral performances; transfer of skills learned during oral performance to support writing with clear authorial voice; collaborative writing of the text type for a EG tourist leaflet 40

Level Descriptors In order to ascertain reading and writing levels, we use the Ros Wilson Criterion Scales for Writing, Learning Ladders and NC level descriptors and for reading we use the guided reading descriptors and NC level descriptors. These are accessible from the shared area and within the classroom resources. 41