English
The development of Literacy skills is a high priority at Marlcliffe. We aim:
- To provide a language rich environment that promotes a culture of communication, reading and writing;
- To develop in pupils an interest in and a love of books and literature that will not only support their learning across the curriculum but also enrich their lives;
- To value and use books as a basis for learning, pleasure, talk and play;
- To teach children the craft of writing, including handwriting, in order to develop in children the confidence and skills to write well for a range of purposes and audience;
- To teach the basics – spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting, – to ensure accuracy within creativity;
- To foster in pupils the confidence, desire and ability to express their views and opinions both orally and in writing;
- To raise the standards of communication, reading and writing so that every child makes best progress;
- To value and celebrate diversity in culture and language.Literacy policy which describes how we teach English in more detail.
Learning & Teaching
At Marlcliffe Primary we use the National Curriculum as a basis for our planning within the subject and expect all teachers to follow this principle. Literacy is taught on a daily basis from Reception to Y6 for approximately 1 hour and supported and enhanced through other curriculum areas. Guided reading is additional to this.
In Foundation stage, Literacy forms the basis of one of the areas of learning – communication and language. Emphasis is on teaching Literacy through stories and books; through topic links; child initiated learning through play, plus adult intervention; and demonstration and use of language. Letters and sound is used to teach phonics daily so that children learn to recognise letters and the sounds associated with them.
In Y1 – 5 teaching and learning usually takes place within a whole class. In Y6 children are currently grouped by ability. These groups are fluid and through continuous assessment for learning, children are allocated to different groups depending on their needs. Within all year groups children’s learning is mainly in ability groups in their class, with differentiated tasks and support, but will also include independent and partner work. Good practice in reading and writing is shared and modelled in whole class teaching.
Teachers use a variety of interactive teaching methods to deliver the curriculum and achieve set learning objectives.