At our school we are passionate about Reading and the pleasure it can bring. Every classroom has its own designated book area which is comfortable and inviting and includes a range of different books including fiction, non fiction and poetry. We ensure the children have visits from ‘real authors’ and take part in the Aspatria school’s book/ poetry quiz.

During English lessons we deliver a creative, enjoyable, engaging and interactive approach to learning. Children learn better when they are excited and engaged. We investigate our units which range from poetry, plays, non fiction and fiction and we follow the format of ‘engage, explore and create.’

We use the Accelerated Reader scheme, which is a project which motivates, monitors and manages a child’s independent reading. It enables pupils to take a quiz after reading a book, which checks their understanding.

Speaking and Listening is central to our curriculum and is developed from EYFS throughout our school, across the curriculum. We nurture children’s speaking and listening skills through a variety of approaches: exploratory play, story time, hot seating and collaborative learning within subjects. We develop these skills so our children are capable of expressing their own ideas clearly and confidently in a safe and supportive environment.

The school uses the ‘Read, Write, Inc’ scheme to support the teaching of phonics. Our aim is to develop the children’s phonological awareness, ability to segment and blend words and read tricky words on sight in order to become fluent readers. Daily phonic sessions are delivered in the Reception and Key Stage one class. Teachers use a range of both practical and online resources to promote pupil engagement.

We also have weekly spelling, punctuation and grammar sessions which will help improve our individual skills.

The school uses the scheme ‘Letter join’ to enable children to become confident when joining their handwriting. Lessons begin in the EYFS when children can form their letters correctly and continue through to Year 6.