Deansfield Primary School
Literacy Policy
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Deansfield
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engaged in
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‘Towards outstanding’
At Deansfield school we recognize dyslexia as a specific learning difference and place it on the continuum
of learning styles and preferences. We are committed to ensure that if children do not learn the way we
teach, we will teach the way they learn, actively developing our experiences and the body of research
available.
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DEANSFIELD LITERACY POLICY
Deansfield is committed to providing a rich, stimulating and engaging literacy curriculum founded in developing
meaningful contexts for learning. We are committed to literacy being at the heart of the curriculum permeating
all areas of learning.
Our Literacy Policy is built on a number of core principles:
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A language rich environment is vital in supporting children’s language development
Talk is at the heart of learning and planned opportunities for talk allow children to experiment with, rehearse
and control language.
Talk, reading and writing are inextricably linked
Good quality texts are central to teaching and learning of literacy at Deansfield.
‘Reading aloud’ to children is a key element in supporting children’s reading and writing development.
Display as an important tool in motivating children and valuing the learning in which they are engaged.
The importance of a strong partnership with parents
The need to be aware of new research and evidence to ensure that our practice is the best it can be.
Speaking and Listening
We aim for all children to become confident speakers and listeners.
At Deansfield we recognise that talk is fundamental to children’s development and learning. Talking and listening
underpins the learner’s understanding and use of language. Children are encouraged to become confident speakers and
active listeners through a wide range of planned learning experiences including talk partners, drama activities,
discussions and debates (other practical ideas listed at Appendix 1).
Reading
We aim for all children:
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To be able to read well by the time they leave Deansfield
To enjoy reading as a positive activity; within school and outside, and to be able to justify and evaluate their
preferences
To experience a range of genres and authors and have the appropriate technical vocabulary to discuss these
To read fluently and with understanding, using a range of independent strategies to monitor and self-correct.
OBJECTIVES:
To fulfil these aims, we are committed to providing:
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A wide variety of good quality texts and resources which are accessible to children and well-organised and
maintained
Consistent, well planned and effective teaching of reading throughout the school to support every child’s ability
and needs
Opportunities to explore texts in a range of contexts, including whole class, groups and pairs.
A clear framework for monitoring and assessing children’s progress accurately.
PLANNING FOR READING:
Class teachers plan using good quality texts according to:
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Early Years Foundation stage- Curriculum Guidance
The National Framework for Literacy at Key Stage 1 and 2
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Work is carefully planned to match pupil’s abilities, experiences and interests but also to ensure progression, continuity
and balance throughout the school. When planning, we set high expectations and provide opportunities for all children
to experience success in learning.
Medium term planning is undertaken by Class Teachers
All class teachers are responsible for weekly planning, based on the medium term plans and using an agreed format,
they will:
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Assess and plan for the specific needs of children within their class or set
Identify the appropriate teaching and learning strategies required
Provide a balance of approach in content and organisation of lessons.
Guided Reading
Guided Reading is a structured reading time when teachers are able to address the specific learning needs of
individuals and groups of children. Children are put into reading groups according to their reading ability and teaching
focuses on specific targets that have been set for the group. Guided Reading sessions might include specific teaching
of a strategy or skill, teacher modelling, talking about the text, individual reading practice, comprehension activities
etc.
TEACHING AND LEARNING:
Foundation Stage:
In the Nursery/FS2:
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Children participate in a planned storytime every session, differentiated according to ability
Children have opportunities to share books individually and in small groups with their Key Worker regularly
Children will have opportunities to browse and read as part of their independent play.
Taped stories and interactive story CD’s are available for children to utilise in FS2
Children participate in shared, group, individual and guided reading sessions
In FS2 each child takes part in two 1:1 reading sessions with the class teacher weekly, and when possible, a third
with a TA
The primary approach is through using synthetic phonics using the Letters and Sounds programme but essentially
each child is encouraged to use a range of strategies to tackle unknown words.
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Key Stage 1:
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Whole-class shared reading two/three times weekly
There is a planned reading session which is separate to the normal literacy session. During this session children may
undertake a range of reading activities including browsing through the range of books within the class library.
The primary approach is through using synthetic phonics using the Letters and Sounds programme but essentially
each child is encouraged to use a range of strategies to tackle unknown words.
Guided differentiated reading sessions with the class teacher. For children who are reading below Level 2 this
should happen twice weekly although one Guided Reading session may take place with the TA. Children reading at
Level 2 or above should take part in a Guided Reading session once a week.
There is a Reading Contact book in which parents/carers write when they read with their child. The teacher also
writes in here at least on a weekly basis preferably more frequently
Where children need extra reading input the TA and/or Reading Volunteer will read on a 1:1 basis with these
children.
Daily story times when the class teacher reads a variety of texts aloud to the class is a Key element of our reading
practice.
Key Stage 2:
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Reading aloud is a key element of our reading practice and this happens daily both in the main Literacy session
and/or at other times during the day.
Weekly guided differentiated reading sessions with the class teacher
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Planned individual reading time for twenty minutes each day, including a range of directed activities, e.g. shared
reading, topic research, comprehension, ICT activities
Daily story times when the class teacher reads a variety of texts aloud to the class.
Home Reading Journals used weekly to reflect on current texts being read at home
Throughout the school:
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Children are encouraged to read every day at home and to evaluate their choices.
Teachers and children participate in discussions to recommend titles and authors
Reading for research and in planning for writing is supported across curriculum
Each class has an well-defined and equipped reading area to promote books and children’s responses to them. Books
are stored and displayed attractively, classified and grouped for ease of access and storage. At Appendix 1 there
is a copy of the checklist of what should be seen in a book corner.
We have a Reading Buddies system where classes pair up to enable older children to read with younger children for
their mutual benefit and enjoyment.
Parent/Carer Reading Volunteers support individual reading throughout the school. Each volunteer is assigned to a
particular class each year and supports reading every week.
INCLUSION
In guided reading activities, children work in differentiated groups with sessions planned to support and extend
children of all abilities. Children with identified special needs will follow an IEP written by the class teacher and
reviewed with the SENCO.
Guided reading books are banded according to reading recovery guidelines up to and including Level 3 Lower. A range of
texts to challenge more able readers and to encourage reluctant readers is available. Less able readers are not
restricted to a single scheme: a wide selection of texts, including CLPE Core Books, is available.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:
Every child has equal access to the English curriculum irrespective of race, gender or physical ability. Deansfield will
ensure that all children will cover the content made statutory by the programmes of study as set out in the National
Curriculum 2000. Suitable resources and learning environments will be available to provide access as required. Where
children do not speak English as a first language, classroom support will be sought from the appropriate language
community through the LEA’s EMAG Service.
ASSESSMENT AND TARGET SETTING:
Ongoing assessments are made during guided reading sessions, using an agreed format. These inform the planning
objectives for future sessions and monitor the progress of individual children. Grouping of children is fluid and is
informed by these assessments.
Summative assessment of reading takes place on a termly basis. All children are formally tested using SAT’s/ optional
SAT’s materials. Results are analysed to monitor progress and underachieving children are identified and targeted
through a system of termly progress meetings.
At times additional assessments such as running records or individual conferencing are utilised as appropriate.
Phonics is taught using Letters and Sounds and assessments take place at the end of each Phase taught. Sight
vocabulary reading tests are carried out each term until children have a sustained sight vocabulary of approximately
100 words (Letters and Sounds List of first 100 high frequency words)
Records are passed on from teacher to teacher ensuring progression and continuity.
RESOURCES:
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All classrooms have a clearly labelled book area, including a range of genres and books suited to children’s interests and
abilities and are regularly supplemented.
Children are encouraged to visit and borrow books from the School Library on a weekly basis.
Guided reading sets are held centrally. These are banded up to Level 3c according to Reading Recovery Guidelines, then
by year group and genre. The SENCO has sets of books to tempt reluctant readers and more structured reading
schemes for use as appropriate.
There are a wide range of shared reading texts and big books available which are stored centrally.
MONITORING:
The implementation of this Policy is to be monitored by:
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Classroom observations of reading sessions
Monitoring of summative assessments
Writing
AIMS:
We aim for all children to:
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Develop the necessary writing skills for life
Provide opportunities for developing writing skills across the curriculum
Communicate clearly and confidently in speech and writing
Understand and develop control of the structures of spoken and written English
Be empowered as writers, with a sense of purpose and awareness of their audience and how this
affects them
OBJECTIVES:
To fulfil these aims, we are committed to providing:
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Experiences which allow children to encounter written language and to practise their skills from the
earliest stage
A range of meaningful contexts and purposes for imaginative, factual and poetic writing
A foundation of key skills including spelling, grammatical awareness and handwriting
A consistent framework of assessment, feedback, and monitoring to ensure progress and pupil
engagement in the evaluation of their learning.
PLANNING FOR WRITING:
Class teachers plan using a range of stimuli, including good quality texts, images and films taking
objectives from:
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Early Years Foundation Stage- Curriculum Guidance
The Primary Framework for Literacy at Key Stages 1 and 2.
Work is carefully planned to match pupils’ abilities, experiences and interests but also to ensure
progression, continuity and balance throughout the school. When planning, high expectations are set and
opportunities provided for all children to experience success in learning and to be challenged appropriately
Medium term planning is undertaken using the core teaching sequence outlined in The Primary Framework
for Literacy. This would begin with time spent ‘immersing children into the text’ and familiarising them with
the genre and identifying key features of the text. This moves on to an exploration of the text through
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speaking and listening activities including drama. Following this the teacher would model writing to the class
and to groups which is a key strategy in supporting children’s writing development and making ‘good writing’
explicit to all learners. The children then have opportunities to write independently – working on different
aspects of the writing process: drafting, revising editing and presenting.
There are opportunities for ICT to be used at each stage of the teaching sequence
All class teachers are responsible for medium term and weekly planning. There is an agreed format for
weekly planning. They will:
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Assess and plan for the specific needs of children within their class
Identify the appropriate teaching and learning strategies required for class and guided group sessions
Provide a balance of approach in content and organisation of lessons
A Literacy session takes place every day in each class across Key Stages 1 and 2. In addition, writing
opportunities for many purposes are provided in cross-curricular contexts, including Humanities, RE and DT.
TEACHING AND LEARNING:
Foundation stage:
In the Nursery/ FS1:
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Children are provided with daily opportunities to communicate their ideas and feelings to peers and
adults. They are encouraged to develop their spoken language and to broaden their vocabulary
The learning environment is organised to reflect the importance of language through signs and notices
on displays, a large writing area, alphabet puzzles and simple game activities
There is direct teaching on an individual basis with Key Workers with an emphasis on hearing,
discriminating and producing sounds, especially through rhyme.
They begin Letters and Sounds which is the synthetic phonics teaching programme which Deansfield
uses
In Reception/FS2 where more structured literacy sessions are introduced are introduced:
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Letters and Sounds and Jolly Phonics games are used in whole class and group teaching
Shared writing, supported writing and individual writing are introduced
Daily handwriting sessions take place.
Key Stage 1:
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Daily interactive teaching of phonics and high frequency spelling strategies using the Letters and
Sounds teaching programme and the Support for Spelling material.
Guided Writing sessions with small focussed groups
Whole class shared writing sessions which include talk for writing, supported composition and sentence
level work
Scaffolded and supported opportunities for independent writing
Key Stage 2:
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Word level work includes whole class interactive and investigative activities 2/3 times a week, using
Support for Spelling to focus on spelling rules and word definitions whilst supporting phonic and high
frequency spelling awareness
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Grammar for Writing units of work and activities support sentence level teaching in whole-class
sessions 2/3 times a week, and whenever possible planned with relevance to writing objectives
In shared writing 2/3 times a week, class teachers model, scribe and support children’s own composition
Guided Writing sessions with small focussed groups
Scaffolded and supported opportunities for independent writing
Throughout the School:
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Children’s written work is valued through classroom display. High standards of written work are on
display in all classes
Drama and role-play are employed to enhance children’s access to writing and provide valuable speaking
and listening opportunities, developing talk for writing
Children are encouraged to write in a variety of settings, including paired, group and individual work.
Classroom displays support learning through provision of vocabulary, examples of punctuation (see VCOP
learning wall)
Big Write/Sustained Independent Writing
Children will have weekly opportunities for sustained independent writing to allow them to apply the skills
they have learnt and to build up their writing stamina. During ‘Big Write’ sessions a particularly calm, quiet
atmosphere is created by the use of a candle and quiet music. The Class Teacher would still work with a
focus group during this time.
At Deansfield we have adopted the following aspects of Ros Wilson’s approach to writing:
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VCOP working walls displayed in each classroom to support the children’s learning
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Big Write sessions
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Focused feedback related to writing targets and next steps
Guided Writing
Guided writing occurs in most Literacy sessions. It is a focussed classroom activity in which pupils are
grouped together by writing ability. The teacher works with each group on a task carefully selected to
offer an appropriate level of challenge to the group. It should be seen as a ‘mini’ lesson with elements of
shared, scaffolded and independent writing. Challenge may be in terms of spelling, letter formation, simple
punctuation, language and vocabulary, or sophisticated aspects of generic structure, planning and editing,
use of imagery and so on.
Assessment and Targets
Assessment is carried out formatively through Guided Writing sessions and marking. We are developing our
summative assessment procedures using the APP Assessment materials. These assessments are used to
inform target setting and planning and to monitor pupil progress. All children have 3 writing targets which
relate to the VCOP or the Literacy Framework. These are reviewed regularly and are used to provide next
steps for writing development.
Targets are shared with children and parents.
Until the end of Year 2 children’s phonic knowledge and sight vocabulary are assessed termly by class
Teachers and TA’s. Assessments continue throughout the school until children have reached Level 3 in word
level work.
In FS children are assessed using the Early Learning goals.
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Children are assessed at the end of Key Stage Two using SATs materials. In KS1 SATs materials are used
as a part of the teacher assessment process.
HANDWRITING
At Deansfield we use the Continuous Cursive handwriting style (See Appendix 2 for models) and each class
has a handwriting resource folder. In continuous cursive script every letter starts at the same point- on
the line, when it is being learnt for the first time, the out-stroke of the previous letter is used, therefore
avoiding problems associated with starting at the wrong point and having to remember where to start. Thus
a cursive script is helpful for all pupils and is recommended for dyslexic learners.
Pupils are taught this style once they have completed Phase 2 of Letters and Sounds, developing their
skills so that they are using a neat joined script by the time they leave Year 2. We strongly believe that
children should use neat handwriting whenever they write (except note taking) and these skills are
reinforced across the curriculum. It is expected that all children will practise their handwriting at least
three times a week.
SPELLING
Children are given the opportunity to develop a range of strategies to improve their spelling. This is planned
using the Support for Spelling as a guide to ensure continuity and progression. A range of teaching
strategies are employed.
SEN:
Children work in a dyslexia friendly environment.
In weekly planning, activities are differentiated to support less able and extend more able pupils. Children
work in a range of groupings often differentiated by ability. Children with identified special needs will
follow an IEP written by the class teacher and reviewed with the SENCO.
Where provision has been made for a TA to work with an individual child or class, class teachers will ensure
that this is taken into account when planning; TA’s have access to weekly plans and IEP’s. All such support
is provided within the classroom inclusively. TA’s inform teachers on a weekly basis of children’s learning
when assistance is given.
Where intervention programmes are considered appropriate, children will be assessed by appointed TA’s in
discussion with the SENCO and relevant class teachers.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:
Every child has equal access to the English Curriculum irrespective of race, gender, class or physical ability.
Deansfield will ensure that children will cover the content made statutory by the programmes of study as
set out in the National Curriculum 2000. Suitable resources and learning environments will be available to
provide access as required. Where children do not speak English as a first language, classroom support will
be sought from the appropriate Language Community through the LEA’S EMAG Service.
ESOURCES:
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A wide range of texts and teaching materials are kept to support the schools mid-term plans. We strongly
believe that good quality texts in a range of genres are essential in guiding children through the process of
writing for different purposes.
In addition, the following resources are available to all teachers:
Letters and Sounds
Word Bank
Developing Early Writing
Grammar for Writing
Jolly Phonics
From Alpha to Omega
Non fiction “Skeletons”: Sue Palmer Non-fiction writing frames: Lewis and Wray
Jumpstart Literacy Pie Corbett
How to teach Story Writing at KS1 Pie Corbett
How to teach Fiction Writing at KS2 Pie Corbett
How to teach Poetry Writing at KS1 Michaela Morgan
How to teach Poetry Writing at KS2 Michaela Morgan
How to teach Writing across the Curriculum at KS1 Sue Palmer
How to teach Writing across the Curriculum at KS2 Sue Palmer
Support for Spelling
MONITORING:
The implementation of this Policy is to be monitored by:
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Classroom observation
Regular monitoring of planning
Assessment analysis and tracking
Book scrutinies
This Policy is to be reviewed annually.
January 2010
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Practical ideas to develop good speaking and listening skills in Deansfield.
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Develop the use of ‘Talk Partners’.
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Class mind maps – brain storming.
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Group projects.
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Groups to feedback in the plenary.
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Circle Time (even just the use of the circle as a format can be helpful).
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Use the ‘Speaking and Listening’ posters in class (When I speak. When I listen …. Look at the
person speaking etc).
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Lots of singing – develops auditory memory, teaches new vocabulary, develops attention skills
etc.
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Read stories daily.
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Listening corners/ Story Dens/ Talking Table.
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Hand out to staff and discuss the ‘Do/Don’t handout, which is about the ‘hands up’ model and
that it is ok to say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I need more time’.
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Provide vocabulary in class for pupils to use e.g. science word topics, maths vocabulary,
describing words etc.
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Show respect for children. Being positive. Give children space for reply. Remember your
impact.
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Paired classes ~ paired children on a variety of activities including S&L. (Chatterbox
Resources, SENCO games).
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Show and Tell.
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Role play areas in class, role play in general, small world, puppets.
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Adults coming into class to talk.
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Listening to music.
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Listening to story tapes/CD’s.
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Listening games – Register games- answer with a different voice, answer with an author, silent
register, say initials rather than name etc.
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Listening games – Secret whispers, I went to the shops one day and bought….list them all, My
funny voice game and a range of circle games.
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Teach a child a game and child explains it to another.
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Barrier games – Describe a shape and other person draws it/ peg board same idea.
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Tape of instructions to build up a picture (listening skills).
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Oral story telling.
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Story sacks/ Topic boxes.
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