Warfield CE Primary School
Literacy Policy
Reviewed October 2014
Next review date: October 2015
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Amendments
October 2014:
Policy completely re-written in line with new curriculum
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At Warfield we believe that language and literacy is fundamental to the overall development of
the child and their access to the curriculum in all its aspects. We aim to deliver quality teaching of
reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to enable children to become confident and
successful in their literacy. We follow the National Curriculum (2014) for English.
We want all our pupils by the end of Year Six to be able to:
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read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding;
be able to orchestrate a full range of reading cues (phonic, graphic, syntactic, contextual) to
monitor their reading and correct their mistakes;
understand the sound and spelling system and use this to read and spell accurately;
have fluent and legible joined-up handwriting;
have an interest in words and their meaning and a growing vocabulary;
know, understand and be able to write in a range of genres in fiction and poetry, and
understand and be familiar with some of the ways in which narratives are structured
through basic literary ideas of setting, character and plot;
understand, use and be able to write a range of non-fiction texts;
plan, draft, revise and edit their own writing;
have a suitable technical vocabulary through which to understand and discuss their
reading and writing;
be interested in books, read with enjoyment and evaluate and justify their preferences;
through reading and writing, develop their powers of imagination, inventiveness and
critical awareness.
Structure
Foundation Stage
We believe that communication and language with opportunities to explore reading and writing
underpins children’s future learning. The practice in Foundation Stage will follow the Department
of Education’s 2014 ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage’ and will work
towards the Early Learning Goals (see appendix 1):
Communication and language:
ELG 01 Listening and attention
ELG 02 Understanding
ELG 03 Speaking
Literacy:
ELG 09 Reading
ELG 10 Writing
Reception planning must involve activities and experiences for children, as follows:
 Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to
experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in
expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.
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Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to
begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials
(books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
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In Reception the daily routine will include planned and spontaneous activities that include:
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a wealth of opportunities to develop and experience speaking and listening including
engaging role play;
experiences that develop gross and fine motor skills through play and hands-on activities;
sharing and enjoying a range of rhymes, songs, stories and books;
immersion in a print-rich environment with opportunities for oral language and written
communication;
focus activities that teach children early communication language and literacy skills;
big book activities each week.
At the beginning of each academic year, teacher assessments from the previous year will enable
the planned work to follow a smooth transition.
The teaching of literacy across the school will include:
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Explicitly taught and planned sessions following the guidance and objectives of the
National Curriculum (2014);
Speaking and listening activities, e.g. role play, pair talk, drama and hot seating in order to
improve comprehension and prepare pupils for the writing process;
Word level work with explicit teaching of phonics and spelling daily in differentiated
groups according to the Letters and Sounds in conjunction with the National Curriculum
for EYFS and KS1;
Word level work with explicit teaching of spelling strategies and rules in KS2 specific to
that year group in line with the National Curriculum;
Sentence level work led by quality texts to develop grammatical awareness and
punctuation skills, with daily activities covering the grammar skills specific to that year
group in line with the National Curriculum;
Text level work using a range of genres will develop comprehension and composition skills
and the understanding of print;
Correct letter formation and handwriting teaching daily according to the PenPals
programme;
Immersion in a print rich environment that promotes a reading culture and develops
children’s oral and written communication;
A range of text types, based upon cross-curricular writing where suitable, modelled to
promote sustained composition.
Genre/text-type overviews to identify the success criteria of each unit of work and weekly
plans tailored to the needs of our children.
Literacy Teaching Non-Negotiables
See appendix 2.
Teachers must plan the following elements into their literacy teaching:
Follow the National Curriculum (2014) and where possible link literacy to topics to enhance
cross-curricular links.
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Talking to others:
 Plan time for children to present information, opinions and experiences independently, in
pairs and small groups.
 Model how to use vocabulary, expression and non-verbal features effectively when talking
to others.
Talking with others:
 Train children how to use talk partners effectively to discuss open-ended questions.
 Facilitate and support children to work in pairs and groups on a shared goal, listening and
sharing appropriately.
Reading
 Read to the class daily from an on-going novel pitched a level above the majority (or book a
day in Rec and Y1).
 Daily guided reading.
 At least one shared reading per literacy unit.
 Vocabulary lists/cards to be generated and displayed in relation to current literacy unit
including connectives.
 Teach and model a range of decoding strategies.
 Explore characters and plot through drama activities.
 Each child to be given a bookmark reading target in child-friendly language (Clive
Davies/AFs).
 Salford reading tests Y1-Y6 twice a year.
Writing
 Plan each unit to include imitation, innovation and independent application.
 Facilitate extended writing at the end of each unit – 6 per year to be completed in
assessment books, levelled using Suffolk grids/FSP & DMS for EYFS.
 Plan appropriate grammar/VCOP games/activities daily.
 1 shared writing per unit, in the school font, and display on learning wall.
 Guided writing at least once per unit for each ability group.
 Teach phonics/spelling strategies daily with weekly testing;
 Teach handwriting daily following PenPals programme in EYFS to Year 4, and where
appropriate in Years 5 and 6.
 Vernon spelling test for Y1-Y6 twice a year.
Phonics
Phonics is taught explicitly in Foundation Stage and KS1 daily following the Letters and Sounds
programme. The daily phonics session includes revisiting, reviewing, teaching, practising and
applying, and is planned by the link teacher using the Warfield planning proforma (see appendix
3), with some LSAs leading groups. Through routine assessment every term, children are placed
in the phase that best suits their ability to enable progress, and tracked by the Literacy Coordinator. Our aim is for children to be in the following phases:
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Autumn 1
Autumn 2
Spring 1
Spring 2
Summer 1
Summer 2
Reception
Phase 1/2
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 3
Phase 3/4
Phase 3/4
Year 1
Phase 4/5
Phase 5
Phase 5
Phase 5
Phase 5
Phase 5
Year 2
Phase 6
Phase 6
Phase 6
Phase 6
Phase 6
Phase 6
We have amended the Letters and Sounds programme so that the elements are taught in the order
intended in the National Curriculum (2014). See appendix 4.
Spelling
Children’s phonological awareness and spelling strategies are assessed and informs teaching.
Dedicated time is allocated for teaching and investigating spelling, as well as word level work
linking to a related text in the main literacy session. Spelling lists are given to the children weekly
to learn and the children are tested each week: from Reception to Year 2 spellings are set for each
phase and include tricky words, top 100 high frequency words and decodable words containing
phonemes learnt during phonics sessions. From Year 3 to Year 6, teachers set spellings linked to
the spelling lists in the National Curriculum (2014). See appendix 5.
Sentence level work
This includes grammatical awareness, sentence construction, punctuation and the higher skills of
grammar. This is taught directly through quality texts, modelled examples and investigation, and
through games as part of daily brain warm-ups at the start of literacy lessons or in a stand-alone
session daily. Teachers must follow the expectations for grammar teaching outlined in the
National Curriculum (2014) also summarised in appendix 6. Oral VCOP (vocabulary, connectives,
openers and punctuation) games and activities are planned for and implemented daily to develop
word and sentence levels, and to allow for modelling, but the emphasis is primarily oracy, as
children must be able to verbalise a sentence before being able to write one.
Reading
We believe in developing a reading culture throughout the school by creating welcoming book
areas in classrooms, a school library which hosts a variety of books, and raising the profile of
reading through a print rich environment, attractive book displays and promoting the written
word at all times. High priority is given to reading throughout the school. Children read a wide
range of reading books. Children are taught a range of reading skills, which they practise at school
and home. Children are able to take home a school reading book to read to their parent/carer and
borrow books from the library. Parents are encouraged to make a comment in their child’s homeschool reading record on how their child reads.
Reading is taught through:
1. Whole class reading that develops listening skills, a love of story and reading for pleasure.
This is teacher-led reading activity that occurs daily - a book a day for Reception and Year 1, and
an on-going novel pitched a level above the majority of readers. Listening and responding to the
book is encouraged through questions, predictions and discussion appropriate to the level of the
children.
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2. Shared reading that immerses children in the pattern of story and features of text types.
This happens in literacy sessions when introducing text and prior to writing. The teacher models
as an expert reader and draws out the key elements of the content.
3. Guided reading that targets children’s reading skills.
Guided reading takes place in small groups at the same reading level with teacher input using a
levelled text above that of the group’s current reading level. This must be planned for using the
Warfield proforma (see appendix 7) and include sharing of objectives/next steps; introduction
and predictions; discussion and modelling of decoding strategies or investigation into word level
use; independent reading; returning to text with questioning.
4. Independent reading in school and at home.
Books at the appropriate level for each child are sent home with a reading record or log for
communication with parents; a book area or corner is provided in every classroom for children to
choose from a variety of books and enjoy them independently without direction and the right to
choose.
5 A rich reading environment in classrooms and throughout the school.
The print rich environment encourages children to interact with displays; to follow instructions
and signs; promotes functional language. Within the classroom, books are clearly accessible.
Themed displays are used to encourage children to browse books and respond to questions. A
sharing culture of favourite books and authors is adopted in every classroom along with
opportunities to create book reviews and enjoy literature in many forms. Books are displayed and
promoted around the classroom and the whole learning environment of the school.
6 The school library provides reference and reading materials for children and teachers for
children across school. Children can access the library at least once a week to exchange books and
explore the resources available. Slots are available in the library for groups to browse reference
books in relation to their topic or unit and learn how to find appropriate books for research
through guided sessions with an LSA or teacher. Books are either donated, or paid for through a
lending scheme of Schools Library Service.
Adults hearing children read
The teacher will hear each child read once a week during guided reading sessions. An adult in
school will also hear children read their reading book on a one-to-one on this basis:
Reception to Year 2: At least once a week.
Years 3 and 4: At least once a fortnight.
Reading Targets
Reading targets are communicated home from school through the use of reading target
bookmarks (see appendix 8). From Reception to Year 6, each child has a reading bookmark with
their reading target/s on for children to work on at home and then prove their progress to
teachers and LSAs in school to obtain certificates to praise and reward pupils.
Writing
We believe that writing should be a creative/developmental process both at a functional and an
imaginative level. All attempts at writing are valued and we know that all children have potential
to be successful writers. The compositional and transcriptional skills are taught alongside the
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creative aspects. Immersion in reading, talk and preparation for writing is essential to the writing
development process.
We believe that children need the following to progress in writing:
 motivation;
 increased reading in terms of amount and quality;
 learn and develop texts orally;
 imitation, innovation, invention and independent application;
 daily phonics/spelling/sentence games;
 shared/guided writing daily;
 formative assessment;
 a rich experiential and imaginative curriculum;
 clear audience and purpose.
(Pie Corbett 2012)
Writing is taught through:
1. Reading - a wide range of text types with differing styles and intended audiences.
We believe that children gain their understanding of writing through reading – it is through
reading and internalising texts that they gain an understanding of vocabulary, grammar and
spelling; punctuation and presentation; composition and flow of ideas.
2. Shared writing that is modelled by the teacher as the expert writer with contributions from the
children.
This is teacher-led writing with children watching and contributing ideas, or the teacher speaking
through the writing process with children listening and watching. Shared writing is not exclusive
to literacy sessions and can be taught within Foundation subjects. The emphasis may be on the
generation of ideas, grammatical awareness, spelling and phonics, compositional, transcriptional,
presentational and text level skills or other key strategies needed in writing. Not all of these can be
modelled in one session, but the teacher as the expert writer leads the cumulative writing process,
and pitches it a whole above the current writing levels of the class.
3. Guided writing that targets children at their point of writing.
Guided writing takes place in small, targeted groups with a teaching focus that aims to move
children on in an area that the children in the group particularly need support – therefore the
groups can be fluid and change according to the targets and needs within the class. The main part
of the session is focussed on the child writing with the adult prompting and questioning as
appropriate, and usually follows oral development and improvement before applying to the
writing.
4. Independent writing.
Throughout the school children need opportunities to develop their confidence and practice their
writing skills at length, and therefore at least once a week, longer focussed writing sessions are
provided to allow for extended writing (Year 2 to Year 6). All writing activities have a purpose
and quality should be promoted through assessment and feedback, and publication or
presentation to another audience where possible. Independent writing is supported through the
use of learning walls, plans or writing frames and an atmosphere conducive to writing.
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5. The writing environment and learning walls.
The school environment celebrates quality writing through displays of work in both handwritten
and typed form as well as signs and labels. All classrooms should have attractive and wellequipped resources for writing, and display key vocabulary (including time connectives), writing
frames/plans/boxing up and shared writing on literacy learning walls in every classroom.
Opportunities for developmental writing
In Foundation Stage children should experience writing in a range of settings and opportunities
for developmental writing which should be available through all areas of learning and throughout
the learning environment. Writing should be encouraged through use of engaging role play areas
and writing tables, as well as bringing writing materials into all other areas of the learning
environment (e.g. notepads on tool-belts in the construction area). Children’s own attempts at
early writing should be celebrated and promoted, alongside the direct teaching of the key skills
that will enable the children to progress through the stages of writing development. Children
should see adults using writing in the learning environment.
In Foundation stage and KS1, children’s writing that need mediation or interpretation must be
scribed by a teacher or adult working with the group, ideally during the literacy session.
Writing Targets
Children from Reception to Year 6 should have an awareness of their ‘next steps’ by teachers
sharing their writing targets with pupils, or pupils generating their own writing targets. They can
be shared using stickers or sheets in pupils’ literacy books or displayed in the classroom.
Handwriting
Handwriting and letter formation (Sassoon Joined) is explicitly taught daily from Reception to
Year 4, and then practised to ensure fluency and individual style in Years 5 and 6 for all writing.
Teachers follow the PenPals handwriting programme (see appendix 9) and model the correct way
of forming letters; children are given opportunities to practice formation using of methods
suitable to their motor skills level:
Reception:
Tracing, copying, writing and joining using a variety of writing materials;
development of fine motor skills through tasks and games; familiarisation with letter
formations and shapes by manipulating the letters in a variety of ways e.g. placing
sequins on the letters, searching for letters in the sand and squeezing gel-filled
letters. Every letter to be formed correctly and name written accurately by the end of
Reception.
Year 1 and 2: Tracing, copying and writing in lined handwriting books (lines the same distance
apart as in literacy books to encourage transference of skills); large formation in the
air with fingers.
Year 3 and 4: Copying into handwriting and/or literacy books; use of pens when ready.
Children need to have adult interventions when handwriting, to ensure incorrect formation is not
practised or poor pencil grip ignored. Good presentation is emphasised at all times and through
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all forms of writing. Support is given to those with poor pencil grip through triangular pencils
and pencil grips. Left-handed writers should be sat on the left hand side of the table.
Spoken Language
In line with the National Curriculum 2014, we believe that speaking and listening is fundamental
to children’s development and that confidence in this area is essential to be successful in all areas
of literacy.
Oral skills are directly taught, modelled and sensitively encouraged in whole class and small
group settings. Opportunities across the whole curriculum are planned for and developed.
Children play an active part in presentations, partner talk, topic talks, group discussions, debates
and drama activities per unit and topic. Digital cameras and microphones are used to record
children so that they can assess their own speech and language progression and improve on their
oral skills.
Planning
Weekly literacy planning (short-term) must be created in the Warfield Planning Proforma (see
appendix 10). Where possible, links should be made with the topic, particularly in non-fiction
genres, but only where it is logical. Next steps, based on assessment, must be outlined for each
group within the class and how they will be focussed to ensure progression in that unit. Learning
objectives must be clear and shared with the children, and success criteria differentiated three
ways are planned for the ability groups within the class. Daily planning should be changeable
based on the outcomes in lessons reflecting on the needs of the children, but must be noted on the
planning document.
Assessment
“Assessment for learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners
and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and
how best to get there.” (Assessment Reform Group, 2002).
Assessment for learning is essential to ensure that lessons are planned effectively to the needs of
the children, and that teachers and children are both aware of next steps to ensure progression.
Writing Assessment
At Warfield we use the ‘Revised Criteria to support statutory assessment’ Writing Grids (see
appendix 11) based on the previous National Curriculum’s level descriptors to level children’s
writing each half term. Children write a piece of writing independently every half term in their
Warfield Writing Book, and teachers assess the writing using the Writing Grids to level them.
Teachers moderate work in teaching teams and across the school every term. A range of writing
from lessons across the curriculum is used in conjunction with the levelled piece to gauge the
overall writing level of the pupils, not just the one assessed piece. Next steps and challenging
targets are set based on the Suffolk grids to realise the potential of each child.
Foundation Stage children are assessed in their writing books against the Foundation Stage Profile
and Developmental Matters Statements (see appendix 12) but any children demonstrating writing
at or above in the Summer Term must be assessed against Writing Grids to ensure smooth
transition into Year 1 and National Curriculum.
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Children’s spelling age is assessed formally twice a year using a standardised test.
Reading Assessment
Children’s reading skills are assessed against the Clive Davies statements and child-friendly
Assessment Foci (appendix 13) during: Guided Reading sessions; one-to-one reading with an
adult; class discussions around shared texts; comprehension questions or written responses; the
level of book band they are currently reading (see appendix 14).
Children’s decoding reading and comprehension age is tested and recorded formally twice a year
using standardised Salford test, which also gives a National Curriculum level.
Speaking and Listening
Children are assessed against the Speaking and Listening APP document; teachers use a range of
activities to gauge ability including: presentations to the class; talk partner discussion; group
work/collaboration; performances in productions and class assemblies; debates and discussions in
class.
Peer-Assessment and Self-Assessment
Teachers plan time in lessons for children to assess their own and each other’s reading, writing
and oracy skills against the success criteria or their personal targets, and are taught how to
routinely check their work to make improvements. Regular conversations take place before,
during and after their activity or task to reflect on their learning and how to learn from others. The
school marking policy is used by children to mark their own and their partner’s work, and make
their own recommendations to improve and meet targets.
Teacher Assessment
Teachers assess children’s reading, writing and oracy skills regularly to ensure that future lessons
are tailored to the needs of their children, and marking of books is done in accordance with the
school marking policy.
Inclusion
We aim to provide for all children so that they achieve as highly as they can in English according
to their individual abilities. We will identify which pupils or groups of pupils are under-achieving
and take steps to improve their attainment. Class teachers will identify gifted children and
provide suitable learning challenges.
Intervention Strategies
If a child is not achieving expected progress or is having notable difficulties, the SENCo will be
notified by the class teacher; they will recommend whether the school’s intervention strategies
would be suitable; help write IEPs where appropriate; complete CAF forms and apply for help
from outside agencies when required; support the teacher to plan for children with specific needs.
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Equal Opportunities
All children are provided with equal access to the English curriculum. We aim to provide suitable
learning opportunities regardless of gender, ethnicity or home background.
Role of the Subject Leader
The Subject Leader should be responsible for improving the standards of teaching and learning in
Literacy through:
Monitoring and evaluating Literacy: pupil progress;
 provision of Literacy (including Intervention and Support programmes);
 the quality of the Learning Environment;
 the deployment and provision of support staff.
Taking the lead in policy development;
Auditing and supporting colleagues in their CPD;
Purchasing and organising resources;
Keeping up to date with recent Literacy developments.
Parental Involvement
Parents can support children’s progress and enjoyment of literacy at home, particularly by
encouraging their child to engage in any literacy-specific tasks in the home learning documents,
reading to and with their child daily and engaging in conversation to enhance speaking and
listening skills. Parents should actively take an interest in the children’s reading target bookmarks
and encouraging their child to work towards their target at home. Parents should also ensure a
rich diet of literature at home by borrowing fiction and non-fiction books from the local library or
school library, and encouraging their child to interact with environmental print that can be found
at home and all around them. Parents should encourage writing in the home by involving
children from an early age in activities such as writing shopping lists, birthday cards and thank
you letters. Parents should wherever possible attend any literacy-related workshops in school that
will enable them to be up to date on current methods and expectations at Warfield to help their
child at home.
Other Policies
This policy also needs to be in line with other school polices and therefore should be read in
conjunction with the following school policies:
 Teaching and Learning Policy
 Assessment and Record Keeping
 Marking policy
 Special Educational Needs Policy
 ICT Policy
 Equal Opportunities Policy
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Early Learning Goals for Foundation Stage
Appendix 2: Teaching Non-Negotiables
Appendix 3: Warfield Phonics Planning Proforma
Appendix 4: Letters and Sounds Overview
Appendix 5: Spelling
Appendix 6: Grammar
Appendix 7: Warfield Guided Reading Planning Proforma
Appendix 8: Reading Target Bookmarks
Appendix 9: Penpals Handwriting Overview
Appendix 10: Warfield Literacy Planning Proforma
Appendix 11: Writing Assessment Grids
Appendix 12: Developmental Matters Statements for EYFS
Appendix 13: Band Clive Davies/AF Statements - Reading
Appendix 14: Levelled Book Bands
Page I
Page II
Pages III
Page IV - V
Page VI – VII
Page VIII - IX
Page X
Page XI
Page XII - XVI
Pages XV
Page XXVII - XIX
Page XX – XXI
Page XXII - XXIV
Page XXV
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Approvals:
Literacy Co-ordinator: __________________________
Chair of Children & Learning Committee: _________________________
Chair of Governors: ___________________________
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