English
For our extensive information about Reading, go to our specific 'Reading' page under 'Our Curriculum'.
Writing
Carefully planned opportunities to embed writing run throughout our curriculum. Writing may derive from study in the wider curriculum for example in History, it may be linked throughout a unit to the shared reading text in class. We also look for realistic contexts for writing that will have relevance for children.
We have worked hard at Roche to develop a rich and robust curriculum, which is committed to opportunities for progression and consolidation, primarily based upon our ‘drafting, editing and enhancing’ programme. This programme champions the idea of fluency of writing, as well as development, as does our ‘writing conferencing’ initiative, which sees pupils working one to one, or in small groups, with their teacher to address the areas that are pertinent to them.
We want children take ownership over the improvement of their writing and understand the components of vocabulary, punctuation and grammar that will give them increasing levels of control over how and what they communicate when they write.
Targeted academic support for reading and writing
Whilst our emphasis is on quality first teaching, we know that in some cases our curriculum needs to include opportunity for targeted academic support to enable children to make accelerated progress. This is particularly relevant following the pandemic which has impacted negatively on the progress of many children. School has adopted the Education Endowment Foundation’s tiered approach to School Development Planning and placed emphasis on targeted support in phonics, reading and writing. This may be in the form of; additional phonics for a group as well as 1:1 intervention, writing conferencing led by class teachers as well as school’s designated writing conference teachers, additional reading comprehension activities in groups or in 1:1 scenarios and Precision Teaching for phonics or spelling. These activities will be part of the curriculum in all classes to ensure that all identified children will receive additional targeted support. We are currently developing the use of diagnostic assessment to sharpen the curriculum content for all as well as identification of specific learning needs ensuring that provision is accurately targeted.
Spelling
Additional teaching and learning for spelling in Key Stage 2
School uses the Read Write Inc. spelling programme across Key Stage 2 to further develop children’s learning of spelling. This works alongside their learning in reading and writing. The programme follows many of the approaches and strategies from the Read Write Inc. phonics programme so is familiar in learning style for the children.
At the start of the Autumn term, each child is assigned to a spelling group that best suits their current level. As the scheme progresses, constant assessment will take place to ensure children are moved into different groups as and when suitable.
The new scheme follows a 5 session plan with particular activities happening in each session. These sessions explore not just a particular sound pattern but also word families, suffixes and prefixes applicable to those words, and, of course, the spelling.
Each child will have a log book to record words they find tricky and it is these that they will need to practise at home. These will travel to and from school and the children are expected to practice these. Depending on how tricky they found the words that week, you are likely to find that the number of words they need to practise will vary from week to week. Read Write Inc. Spellings allows a constant cycle of practise, games and application and allow children to see their progress.
Additionally, at the end of a group of units (timings vary per class), children will be given an opportunity to showcase their progress in an assessment of 20 words, which will also include learning from previous year groups.
As always, we ask that you encourage your child to access their log book frequently and practise their words in whichever way they prefer. Children now have access to additional ‘Extra Practice Zone’ online and have a suggested timetable to activities to complete for each week. This can be found in the back of their spelling log books.
Follow the Spelling link from the home page to access the parent information on how to use the 'Extra Practice Zone.'