Literacy at West Meadows:
At West Meadows, literacy is at the heart of learning. We inspire a love of reading and writing through the use of high quality texts, engaging stories, phonics, and creative activities that spark children’s imagination. From an early age, pupils develop strong communication skills, confidence in expressing themselves, and a rich vocabulary to support their learning across all subjects.
Reading:
Throughout school we strive to encourage a rounded approach to reading where phonics skills are applied to increase fluency and improve comprehension. Our reading books are levelled to match the progression in phonics in order to offer children a range of fiction and non-fiction texts to challenge them at an appropriate level to ensure accelerated learning.
Our aims are that all children should use phonics as their primary strategy for decoding words in order to read and subsequently use this strong foundation and other strategies in order to develop a life-long love for reading.
For those children who have a secure knowledge of phonics and have an embedded ability to use this to support reading and writing we begin to introduce spelling strategies and patterns. The spelling patterns are introduced using a progressive structure which flows throughout school. Spelling is taught during literacy skills time and is taught through the use of pupil led and collaborative activities.
Early Reading:
In the Early Years and Key Stage 1, we teach children to read using the Read Write Inc. phonics scheme. This structured programme helps children learn the sounds that letters make, blend them together to read words, and develop fluency and confidence in their reading. Through fun, engaging lessons and carefully chosen books that match their phonics level, children quickly build the skills they need to become successful, enthusiastic readers. Our aim is to give every child the best possible start in their reading journey, fostering a lifelong love of books and stories.
In the early years (Reception), Read Write Inc (RWI) teaches children Set 1 sounds, handwriting, and how to blend sounds to read and spell simple words.
In Years 1 and 2, they progress to learning more complex Set 2 and 3 sounds, develop reading fluency, comprehension, and writing skills, and focus on reading decodable storybooks and practising grammar and punctuation.
Older children who still need support receive a tailored RWI program, focusing on their individual needs to ensure continued progress.
If you would like further information about phonics please speak to our phonics leader Miss Bennett.
West Meadows - Reading Approach‘Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s success.’ (OECD 2002)
We value reading for pleasure highly and work hard as a school to grow our ‘Reading for Pleasure’ pedagogy. We read to children every day. We choose these books carefully as we want children to experience a wide range of books, including books that reflect our children and our local community as well as books that open windows into other worlds and cultures. Every classroom has an inviting book corner that encourages a love for reading. We curate these books and talk about them to entice children to read a wide range of books. In Reception, children have access to the reading corner every day in their free flow time and the books are continually refreshed.
We value reading as a crucial life skill. By the time children leave us, they read confidently for meaning and regularly enjoy reading for pleasure. Our readers are equipped with the tools to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary. We encourage our children to see themselves as readers for both pleasure and purpose.
Writing:
West Meadows - Writing CurriculumIf you would like to find out more information about our reading or writing curriculum, please do not hesitate to speak to our English Leader, Mr Naylor.