Literacy at Our School

At our school, we want every child to develop a lifelong love of reading, writing and communication. We believe that strong literacy skills open doors to learning, build confidence and give children a voice. Our aim is to provide children with the tools they need to become efficient, creative communicators who can read with understanding, write with purpose and express themselves confidently.

From the moment children join us, we place language, communication and vocabulary at the heart of everything we do. We know that children who can talk confidently about their ideas are better equipped to read, write and learn successfully across the curriculum.

Learning to Read

Early reading starts with our Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme, where children are taught the essential skills needed to decode words, read fluently and develop confidence as readers.

As children progress through school, they take part in high-quality whole-class reading lessons using Steps to Read, which helps them develop fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and a deeper understanding of a wide range of texts.

We also use Accelerated Reader to encourage independent reading and help children develop a love of books. Pupils can choose from a wide range of carefully selected texts, challenge themselves appropriately and celebrate their reading success along the way.

Developing Great Writers

We teach writing through Talk for Writing, which enables children to immerse themselves in high-quality texts and learn how successful authors craft their work. Through storytelling, discussion, oral rehearsal and shared writing, children build the confidence and skills needed to write for a range of purposes and audiences.

We want our children to see themselves as authors, using their imagination, experiences and growing knowledge to create writing they are proud of.

Speaking and Listening

We know that communication is about much more than reading and writing. Our oracy programme provides children with regular opportunities to discuss, debate, perform and present their ideas. By developing strong speaking and listening skills, children learn how to communicate clearly, respectfully and confidently with others.

Spelling, Vocabulary and Grammar

Alongside reading and writing, children are taught the key building blocks of language through:

• Steps to Spelling, providing a clear and progressive approach to spelling.
• Word Aware, which helps children develop a rich and ambitious vocabulary.
• Discrete grammar lessons, ensuring children understand how language works and how they can use grammatical features effectively within their own writing.

Our Vision

We want every child to leave our school as a confident reader, an enthusiastic writer and an articulate communicator. By combining phonics, reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling, grammar and oracy, we nurture children who can communicate their ideas with confidence, creativity and purpose, preparing them for success both in school and beyond.