At Featherstone Primary School we follow the principles set out in the National Curriculum and EYFS Statutory Framework. Language and Literacy skills are taught on a daily basis from Reception to Year 6 during English lessons. These skills are then applied in cross-curricular learning opportunities in other subjects. Through our curriculum we aim to use a wide range of high-quality mult-icultural literature and reference materials, to develop the self-esteem of all children and an understanding and respect for all cultures alongside their own.
READING
In Key Stage 1, Children are taught to read during their daily Read Write Inc phonics session and receive at least 5 sessions per week. The Read Write Inc phonics programme texts are of graded difficulty and are closely matched to the phonic knowledge of the children. During these sessions, children are also taught comprehension skills. All sessions take place in a group no bigger than 15 children.
Once children complete the Read Write Inc phonics programme, children will move away from book scheme books and into a whole class/group reading lesson that mimics the format of Key Stage 2 at an age-appropriate level.
In Key Stage 2, children receive at least four whole class reading sessions per week. These sessions provide opportunities for children to develop their independent reading skills, inference skills and comprehension skills. As well as using written texts to support reading skill development, children are also given the opportunity to apply their inference skills to new contexts such as images, video clips and advertisements
Handwriting
At Featherstone Primary School, cursive handwriting style is taught from Reception. The aim is to ensure all children are joining their letters by the end of Year 2. This is then consolidated throughout Key Stage 2.
Spelling lessons
Key Stage 1
Once children in Key Stage 1 have completed the Read Write Inc phonics programme, they will move on to daily spelling sessions. These sessions teach the spelling objectives prescribed for each year group and consolidate the good phonic knowledge taught by the Read Write Inc phonics programme.
Key Stage 2
Daily spelling session takes place in Key Stage 2. These sessions teach the spelling objectives prescribed for each year group. The focus for these sessions is to review, teach, practice and apply taught spelling patterns in a fun and creative way to apply these in their writing.
Whole school spelling and home spellings
Every Friday morning, Children in Years 1-6 take place in ‘Ice Cool Spelling’ sessions. Ice cool spelling is a successful spelling scheme that is built on repetition and challenge. The children are split into ability groups and tested weekly on a list of common words and words that are set out in the National Curriculum. A copy of their current ‘Ice Cool Spelling’ list will be sent home weekly.
All spellings must be correct in the list to move on to the next level. As children progress further into the programme, they will be expected to use the spelling words provided in grammatically correct sentences that demonstrate that the children understand the words being spelt. The aim of this is to improve vocabulary and also encourage the use of spelling words in everyday writing.
