English at Springfield
The ability to develop the use of the English language is crucial for each child’s education. It is the main medium through which children will access the world around them as well as the rest of the primary curriculum. In order to communicate effectively with others and interpret the world around them, we aim to provide children with a high-quality English education.The ability to develop the use of the English language is crucial for each child’s education. It is the main medium through which children will access the world around them as well as the rest of the primary curriculum. In order to communicate effectively with others and interpret the world around them, we aim to provide children with a high-quality English education.
Phonics
At Springfield, we want all our children to become fluent readers and writers and our starting point is phonics. From Reception, children follow the Read, Write, Inc phonics scheme of learning which is a Department for Education validated systematic and synthetic phonics programme. The programme follows a carefully structured approach, teaching letter-sound correspondences and blending skills to help children read and spell words accurately. Overall, our phonics teaching aims to create a strong foundation for reading success, fostering a love of reading and enhancing literacy skills across the curriculum.
Introduction to Read Write Inc - presentation to parents
Reading
At Springfield, we believe that reading is a key life skill which opens up the world to children. We understand the importance of reading not only for its academic benefits but also for the wider impact it has on children, from teaching empathy to future success.
We have a dual approach to reading: reading instruction and reading for pleasure. This approach enables us to ensure that the children at Springfield leave us as fluent readers who enjoy reading and will become lifelong readers.
Once children have completed the phonics programme, we continue to teach reading through fluency and comprehension lessons. Fluency is seen as a vital skill as it bridges the gap between decoding and understanding.
Reading for pleasure is part of the ethos at Springfield. Staff share a wide variety of texts with the children at story time and children are given opportunities to share their favourite books with the class. We promote a love of reading through regular assemblies, events such as World Book Day, author visits, a half termly book news letter, reading buddies and ambassadors and a well stocked library which is constantly being added to.
We understand and appreciate the importance of reading role models and ask parents and carers to support their child in their reading journey by being a reading role model- both through reading to and with their children and by being readers themselves. We aim to foster successful home- school partnerships which enables parents and carers to understand how to enhance the skills taught in school and to strengthen their child’s love of books. We do this through offering parent workshops including in phonics and reading cafes.
Reading Newsletters
Springfield Reading Curriculum Maps
Foundation Stage Key Stage 1 Lower Key Stage 2 Upper Key Stage 2
Writing
It is a vital that children learn to communicate effectively with others. In order to do this children need to be able to speak and write articulately, coherently and using a wide and appropriate vocabulary. In the early stages of writing, we ensure that children are equipped with the foundational skills to be able to express themselves in writing. This includes using their phonic knowledge to write words, learning to form the letters correctly in handwriting lessons and be able to orally compose sentences. As children become fluent and develop automaticity in these foundational skills so they are able to become fluent writers.
At Springfield, we use a mastery approach to Writing based around core texts which give children a context for writing and help them to develop a rich vocabulary. It also makes writing more enjoyable and gives them a purpose for writing. We understand that the writing process is not linear and that planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing are all aspects of the writing process which need to be taught, modelled and practised. It is our aim that children move towards using these processes effectively and independently as they journey through the school.
Writing Curriculum at Springfield intent document