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Literacy Curriculum

Why we do it? – Intent

We want students to develop into adults who have skills that enable them to live fulfilling and productive lives. We want them to live lives that are enriched through  a broad range of experiences. It is important that they fulfil their potential to enable them to be confident and have pride in themselves and what they can achieve. We celebrate difference and are aware that students come to us with a wide range of abilities and interests. The English curriculum is planned with these things in mind. 

 We aim to offer a broad English curriculum that gives the chance of progression through skills covered and  also texts encountered. We also offer a curriculum that  provides repetition of key skills to ensure that learning is embedded, as many of our students learn in this way. The curriculum is also flexible enough to be adapted to suit the needs of our students. We recognise that some students may not be able to access the written word but strive to ensure that they enjoy stories and books. Our aim is to enable students to be as independent in reading and writing as they are able to be – this is as much to enrich their lives as to provide them with the life skills that they need for adult life.  We also want our students to become good communicators and these skills are taught through the English curriculum as well as across all subjects.  For this reason our plans have a broad range of texts taken from different times and covering different genres. We have ensured that these reflect issues important to the world that we live in and challenge both gender and racial stereotyping. We also have a phonics programme that runs through the school but becomes more age appropriate as the students get older.

What does Literacy look like in KS2?

In KS2 students have phonics sessions 3 times a week in ability groups. They then go back to class for some work around books, poems, plays or non fiction. They are encouraged to enjoy stories in these sessions and we use drama, written tasks, talking and listening to explore themes and types of writing and text. Depending on their age and ability we use picture and chapter books. Students are supported by staff in their classes to work towards fulfilling their potential and enjoying learning. Some of the areas we cover are – 

Some of the books we cover are –

  • George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
  • Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth  by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
  • Man on the Moon by
  • Books by Julia Donaldson
  • Laika the Astronaut by Owen Davey
  • There’s a Snake in the School by David Walliams
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

 

The students say about English:

”That was fun - writing about the rain forest

RD

What does Literacy look like in KS3?

In KS3 students have three English lessons a week. They start with a focus on phonics and then some work around books, poems, plays or non fiction. They are encouraged to enjoy texts in these sessions and we use drama, written tasks, talking and listening to explore themes and types of writing and text. Texts are also chosen to broaden their knowledge of the world and encourage them to understand and make choices about what they are reading. Depending on their age and ability, we use picture and chapter books. Students are supported by staff in their classes to work towards fulfilling their potential and enjoying learning. 

Some of the areas we cover are-

Some of the books we cover are – 

The Firework Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

Boy by Roald Dahl

Illegal by

Diary of a Ninth Grade Ninja – Marcus Emerson

A Christmas Carol

Jungle Book

The students say about Literacy:

What is the curriculum intent?

In KS4 students study for some accreditation in English. Most students will work towards an Entry Level Certificate in English. This qualification helps them to develop and use valuable speaking and listening, reading and writing skills that will need to use later in life and also gives them the opportunity to extend their experience of reading different types of literature that they began lower down in the school. The course covers practice in lifeskills, so equipping them with the tools that they need later in life and as they look towards the next stage in their education. 

 

How is it implemented?

The students have 3 lessons a week and each lesson lasts 55 minutes. The groups are organised roughly around the students’ ability in this subject area. Some content is delivered through class texts which are chosen with the ability and interests of the groups in mind.  We read carefully selected books and texts to develop children’s understanding of people and the world we live in. These books often provide a gateway into themes which can be used for reading, writing and speaking and listening assessments, for example students in Year 11 have been reading ‘The Silver Sword’ and this has led to them completing a speaking and listening task comparing film clips from the war. Some of their wonderful and thought provoking stories have been included in our newsletters – please check them out. Students also have lessons practising the grammar and spelling that they need to achieve their potential. These lessons are run to improve the accuracy of their written work, which again is valuable in preparing them for their futures. Students in this Key Stage also have a daily reading slot after lunch where they read texts differentiated to their own individual ability and following either a reading scheme or, if they are able, the Accelerated Reader programme, which aims at improving their reading and comprehension skills. This, in turn, supports the work done in English lessons. There are opportunities for students to develop their interest in stories outside the classroom, as students are involved in World Book Day events and theatre trips. Last year some of them supported Lower School students by helping to create a Lost Boys area in the woods and this year we have had a visiting poet in to school to help them explore spoken word poetry. This was very successful and led to some students performing their poems. We also use trips and visits to give children the opportunity to experience learning first hand.  For example work based around a trip to Roar!! includes writing recounts, reviews and using leaflet information to locate places and times of attractions, which children then use to answer customer enquiries by phone and over the counter as part of their speaking and listening tasks. We recently went to see Unexpected Twist at The Theatre Royal, Norwich.  This exuberant and impactful story of a girl drawn into a street gang because of poverty is based on Michael Rosen’s update on Oliver Twist.  Our children thoroughly enjoyed the beatboxing and the R&B score which was brilliantly performed by up-and-coming stars. As one of the children said, “the story highlighted many of the issues faced by young people today”. Following the performance, the cast spoke to students and sent us a photo and email thanking us for our enthusiasm and participation.  Students have also been to London in the past, to see theatre performances. All of these experiences help to bring the subject to life as well as offer experiences that develop the students’ social skills and knowledge of the world.

 

An Unexpected Twist by Michael Rosen

World Book day 2023

 

Assessment

The course at KS4 is assessed through 2 test conditions assessments for reading, which are externally moderated,  and teacher assessed coursework tasks for speaking and listening and writing. Students can be awarded levels from Entry Level 1 (lowest) through to Entry Level 3 (highest). 

 

Other Links and Resources

What does English look like in KS5?

In KS5 students study for some accreditation in English. Most students will work towards a Functional Skills Certificate in English. This qualification helps them to develop and use valuable speaking and listening, reading and writing skills that students will need to use later in life, as they look towards the next stage in their education. It also gives them the opportunity to extend their experience of reading different types of literature that they began lower down in the school. It also provides a good basis for moving on to study GCSE English elsewhere. They build on the level that they achieved in Key Stage 4.

Areas that are covered –

How do we measure progress?

Salford

This is an assessment which assesses reading skills  and comprehension skills. Students are assessed twice a year to see whether what we have taught them has helped them to progress. We use these results to decide whether they need to stay reading reading scheme books to build up their reading skills or whether they should move to AR books to also test their comprehension skills.

L’Explore

We currently use this for all lower Phase students. It is a programme that uses eye tracking to see how a student reads. It is particularly good as it shows small units of progress and also will give us some information about how our students who are non verbal are doing in their reading. Students have to be able to sit still for this assessment!

Accelerated Reader

We currently use this for all of our students who have a reading age of 6 years and above. It looks at how they understand what they read and helps us to know how to support comprehension skills. The students answer questions on a computer about books they have read.

Accreditation

Currently we offer Edexcel Entry Level Qualifications in English for our older students. Those from Year 10 to Year 13 follow a course working towards this qualification and are assessed consistently through the year.

Beyond the Curriculum

  • World Book Day – once a year in March we have World Book day. Students are encouraged to dress up as their favourite story characters and there are lots of exciting book themed activities going on around the school (add photos)

For World Book Day 2023 we had our very own ‘The Masked Reader’ competition. Below are the videos, be sure to watch part one first so you dont spoil the unveiling in part two.

  • Theatre Trips – Classes often go out to theatres to watch performances. This helps to encourage them to love stories and engage in a different way with them. It is also really good for them to learn valuable life skills about being out in the community. We have been to the pantomime and to norwich and even London Theatres to see performances. (photos)
  • Visiting Theatre Companies – we have visiting theatre companies into school which helps students to explore and enjoy stories in a different way.
  • Trips in the Community – these become more frequent as our students get older. They are invaluable ways of encouraging them to use their speaking and listening skills in real life situations, for example Titan and trips to local museums.

Why? (Intent)

We believe in having a flexible approach to reading to enable students to fulfil their potential in this area. For some this will mean developing fluency in reading texts to enable them to read books and operate successfully in real life situations. For others this will mean having an emphasis on early communication and a symbol and sensory approach to reading. For many the priority is to be able to read for independence, for example reading food labels or menus, whilst out in the community.

 

How? (Implementation)

Each student in Lower School has:

  • a book bag with a reading scheme book in.
  • a daily reading slot, where they can read to an adult.
  • access to Lower School library (photo).
  • phonics lessons to teach them the nuts and bolts of reading.
  • extra support from our intervention team where they are struggling.
  • access to Literacy Planet, which offers an individual programme of grammar and reading support through fun activities.

 

Each student in Middle School has:

  • a daily reading slot, where they can read to an adult.
  • access to the main School library (photo)
  • phonics lessons to teach them the nuts and bolts of reading.
  • extra support from our intervention team where they are struggling.

Each student in Upper School:

  • a daily reading slot, where they can read to an adult.
  • access to the main School library 
  • extra support from our intervention team where they are struggling.

All students who are ready to build their comprehension skills are also given an Accelerated Reader login. This is a programme that guides them to appropriate books and assesses their understanding of what they have read.

 

Phonics

If you have a child at school, you’ll probably have heard of phonics! Phonics (sometimes called synthetic phonics) is the system almost all schools use to teach children to read. Phonics teaches children the link between letters and the sounds they represent. It has its own vocabulary which can make it sound more complicated than it really is.

At Sidestrandhall school we follow the ReadwriteInc programme.

In Key Stage 2 we follow ReadWriteInc Phonics and the students are split into groups to work on the group of sounds that they need to work on. In Middle School this is taught through the Freshstart phonics (logo) programme, which is similar but aimed at an older age group. They follow this in their English classes.

In Key Stage 4 and 5 we teach phonics to the students who need it, using Freshstart and also use a variety of different reading strategies for those that clearly aren’t learning through phonics.

Some students, who need extra support with reading, have a Nessy login logo, which is a programme giving extra support with phonics and whole word recognition through fun games with lots of repetition. We also have some Literacy intervention run by our intervention team,  for those that need it.

All staff have inhouse training on phonics, so that we are consistent in our approach.

There is more information about phonics and how you can support your child at home on Oxford Owl website. Here you will find out which order we teach the sounds in and there are even some videos to check that you are saying the sounds right! – https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/phonics/ 

There are also some good websites with games and activities that can strengthen your child’s phonic knowledge in a fun way. Check out:

www.ictgames.com

epicphonics.com/games/play

https://www.topmarks.co.uk

www.phonicsbloom.com

www.phonicsplay.co.uk

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