Reading & Writing at Gillas Lane Primary Academy
As children progress Read Write Inc Phonics, we use Lexile Measures to ensure children are reading appropriately challenging texts. Our most valuable tool is our staff, whose love of reading and knowledge of children's literature is second to none. High-quality core texts are used to develop a love of reading from Nursery to Year 6. A carefully curated text pacer has been developed to ensure coverage of a wide range of genres, authors and themes - ask any of our children and they will tell you that our books are the best!
In Year 1, engaging texts are used in English lessons to develop key reading skills such as inference and deduction, as well as a writing stimuli for The Curious Quests. From Year 2 onwards, children read a wide range of texts themselves, developing key reading skills in line with the National Curriculum objectives for their Programme of Study. From Tuesday in Year 2, to The Nowhere Emporium in Year 6, children enjoy a wide range of texts that are brought to life by teachers with a real love of children's literature.
Building on from the strong foundations built in EYFS and KS1, the explicit teaching of transcription skills continues to KS2. Handwriting lessons are regular and systematic, where all teachers have high expectations of children’s letter formation and presentation. Our exercise books really do look gorgeous! Spelling is taught daily following Read Write Inc, to ensure consistency and a smooth transition from our phonics programme.
Our text-based approach to teaching English means our writing links directly to the texts we read. During English lessons, there is an equal focus on both reading and writing - children routinely read texts as a whole class. A variety of genres are covered each term and children have the opportunity to write, receive feedback and then redraft their work. Children are given the opportunity to write for a variety of reasons and purposes, and we often share children's work with the authors that inspired them via our Twitter account. Carefully planned steps to teaching writing from Reception to Year 6 ensure children become competent, confident writers who are fully invested in the writing process.
