English
Pupils at St Michael’s Primary School engage in learning using a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts, which provide excellent writing opportunities each term.
We offer a skills-based writing curriculum, which means that the main focus within a lesson are the progressive writing skills identified in the National Curriculum. Alongside this, the children learn about the different language and layout features of each genre studied.
Our texts are chosen by the English subject lead in collaboration with the class teachers. These have been carefully selected to link well with our history, geography, science curriculum topics, and to reflect British cultural diversity. These texts provide rich reading and writing opportunities as well as broader subject enrichment. From the very beginning, our youngest children learn that writing is purposeful and something they can all do. In Years 1 - Year 6 children learn to write at length to inform, to entertain, to persuade, and to argue. These are skilfully taught by class teachers ensuring that our children become confident communicators and writers. The writing opportunities are inclusive and flexible and meet the needs of all of our children and the cohorts.
Reading
At St Michael's we aim to enable all its learners to develop confident word reading and comprehension. We want our readers to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. To develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information and acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
In order to do this we teach the National Curriculum Programme of study which consists of two dimensions
- Word reading, including phonics for the early teaching of reading
- Comprehension skills (both listening and reading)
We use the Little Wandle Phonics scheme in Reception and Year 1 and 2. We have bought in Little Wandle Catch Up materials for children aged 7+. Reading is the gateway to life long learning so we aim to ensure all children leave St Michael's as confident and fluent readers. Children are assessed regularly so gaps in knowledge are identified and closed.
Once children are secure in their phonic knowledge we assess children at key learning points using the York Assessment of Redaing Comprehension. This tells us if children have a good phonic understanding, rate of reading and that they have understood what theu have read. It means if w identify gaps in learning or understanding we can identify these early and plan approroiate support as rwequired.
Whole Class Reading
In Years 3-6 learners participate in whole class reading. This takes place three times a week. Teaching is based around high quality texts and we have a folder of texts and excerpts to develop vocaularly and inference skills
As well as this work taking place three times a week learners have a class novel in each class that is read regularly.
Writing
We base all writing on high quality texts. Over the course of a week of teaching learners develop a range of skills which are then applied to extended pieces of writing. We use the four purposes of writing which build up knowledge of a variety of writing forms as learners progress through the school.
Colourful semantics - as a support for the development of writing
Colourful sematics is a therapy approach created by Alison Bryan. that is used to support expressive language.
The approach aims to improve the length and structure of sentences using colour coding. It is usually recommended by Speech and Language Therapists for individual children. The approach has four key colour coded stages to show the ‘structure’ of a sentence.
Presentation Policy
Handwriting
We use the Kinetic letters handwriting resources