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St Mary’s Catholic Primary School

English Policy

Reviewed June 2016

Colm McCavera

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is the trading name of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Academy Trust), Swindon, registered in England and Wales under 07697658, registered office Bessemer Road East, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1PE

Introduction

Language is the creation, communication, interpretation and understanding of meaning. It gives us the ability to listen, speak, read and write effectively.At St Mary’s we believe that literacy and communication are key life skills and that through the English curriculum we should help children develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively with the world at large, through spoken and written language. We also intend to help children to enjoy and appreciate literature and its rich variety.

Aims

As a school we aim: i. To provide a rich and stimulating language environment, where

speaking and listening, reading and writing are integrated. ii. To provide an environment where pupils are encouraged to

construct and convey meaning, both in speech and writing, of factual, imaginary and personal experiences.

iii. To provide opportunities for pupils to become confident, competent and expressive users of the language with a developing knowledge of how it works.

iv. To provide opportunities for pupils to be reflective users of language, able to analyse and evaluate its main features.

v. To foster an enthusiasm for and love of reading for life. vi. To encourage pupils to have fluent and legible handwriting; vii. To provide opportunities for pupils to communicate ideas through

the use of ICT viii. To provide opportunities for role play and drama.

We expect that pupils will: i. Be able to participate in a conversation, listening to others,

responding appropriately and taking turns to speakii. Develop the confidence and ability to speak appropriately and

perform in front of varying sizes of audience


iii. Be able to sustain concentration in a range of listening situations iv. 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

v. Know, understand and be able to write in a range of non- fiction genres and structure text in a style suited to its purpose

vi. Use grammar and punctuation accurately vii. Have an interest in words and their meanings and a growing

vocabulary viii. Plan, draft, revise and edit their own writing ix. Understand the phonic system and spelling conventions and use

them to read and spell accuratelyx. Be able to orchestrate a full range of reading cues (phonic, graphic,

syntactic, contextual) to monitor their reading and correct their own mistakes

xi. Have a suitable technical vocabulary through which to understand and discuss their reading and writing

xii. Express opinions, articulate feelings and formulate responses to a range of texts

xiii. Be interested in books, read for enjoyment and evaluate and justify their preferences

xiv. Be able to work confidently and increasingly independently in all areas.

Teaching and Learning Styles

At St Mary’s we use a variety of teaching and learning styles in English lessons. Our principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding in English. We do this through a daily lesson that has a high proportion of whole-class and group teaching. During these lessons children usually experience a whole-class shared reading or writing activity, a whole-class focused grammar or sentence activity, a guided group or independent activity and a whole-class session to review progress and learning. They have the opportunity to experience a wide range of texts and use a range of resources such as dictionaries, thesauruses and phonic strategies to support their work. In every classroom, there are wall displays which support and scaffold the children in their development of their writing, grammar, punctuation and spelling skills (SHREC). Teachers also display an example of writing that demonstrates all the features of the genre being taught so that the children can understand what they need to include in their own writing. In addition,


grammar, punctuation and spelling skills are revisited and applied in the context of cross curricular writing and editing and review of work.Children use ICT in English lessons where it enhances their learning, as in drafting their work and using multimedia to study how words and images are combined to convey meaning and to mix images, video and the spoken word as a way of presenting information in different ways to meet the demands of a target audience. Wherever possible we encourage children to use and apply their learning in other areas of the curriculum.There are children of differing ability in all classes at St Mary’s. We recognise this fact and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies. In some lessons we do it through differentiated group work, while in other lessons we ask children to work from the same starting point before moving on to develop their own ideas. We use classroom assistants to support some children and to enable work to be matched to the needs of individuals.

Literacy in the Foundation Stage

The Reception children will experience focused activities based on Communication, Language and Literacy prime area part of development as laid out in the DfE ‘The Early Years Foundation StageCurriculum2012’. We relate the English aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Development Matters and Early Learning Goals.

Speaking and listening skills are vitally important as they underpin all learning at this early stage, and this will build upon the language skills that the children bring from home. Development of these skills is encouraged through activities such as listening to stories and poems, joining in rhymes and songs, participating in drama and imaginative play, responding to simple instructions, talking to accompany play etc.

Synthetic phonics is taught daily following the DfE ‘Letters and Sounds’ with a particular focus on using “Jolly Phonics” as a starting point. The knowledge of phonics is used to develop their reading and writing skills.

The children will develop their reading skills through reading books, re-telling stories and listening to stories etc. For the more formal reading activities the children will follow the school’s coloured banded books and take part in early guided reading to develop peer support and modelling of decoding.

The children will develop their emergent writing through role play and play activities. The children will also attempt to write for different purposes and understand that this is a means of recording and which is intended to be read by an audience.

Speaking and ListeningSt Mary’s Catholic Primary School is the trading name of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Academy Trust), Swindon, registered in England and Wales under 07697658, registered office Bessemer Road East, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1PE

We aim that children will:

i. Think critically and logicallyii. Order their thoughts and express them clearlyiii. Develop speaking and listening skills giving the children

confidence and understanding, equipping them for work and leisure

iv. Express and justify their feelings and opinions with increasing clarity and effectiveness and respect the opinion of others

v. Communicate with ease in many varied circumstances for different audiences and purposes

Pupils are given opportunities to speak with partners, in small groups and to larger groups such as class and school assemblies. They share their news, feed back information from reading and research, and give opinions in circle time, at class and school councils and across the curriculum. Through the same range of activities, children are encouraged to listen to others, respect turn taking within conversations and ask appropriate questions. Story making, role play and drama activities may be used in literacy to encourage imagination and plot development. Pupils will be encouraged to use a range of dramatic forms to express feelings and ideas both verbally and non-verbally. Pupils will be encouraged to appreciate drama, both as participants and observers. Pupils may be involved in larger presentations and performances throughout the year.

Reading

At St Mary’s we recognise that reading is much more than the decoding of black marks on a page; it is the quest for meaning and one which requires the reader to be an active participant. It is a pre-requisite of successful teaching of reading, especially in the early stages, that whatever techniques are taught, or books are chosen for children’s use, meaning should always be in the foreground. We aim to help children achieve their full potential as readers. We encourage a ‘love of books’ that will continue into adult life.


i. Read with confidence, fluency and understandingSt Mary’s Catholic Primary School is the trading name of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Academy Trust), Swindon, registered in England and Wales under 07697658, registered office Bessemer Road East, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1PE

ii. Be able to use a full range of reading strategies e.g. phonics, word recognition, graphic knowledge, picture and context clues

iii. Have an interest in books and read for enjoyment and provide them with a wealth of texts and story patterns for their own writing

iv. Develop the skill of silent readingv. Develop imagination and critical awareness through reading

experiences of the best examples of traditional, multicultural and modern literature

vi. Have experience of group, shared and individual reading.

At St Mary’s pupils at Foundation Stage are introduced to phonics through the Letters and Sounds scheme. They are encouraged to recognise key words and word patterns. Emergent readers each follow an individual independent reading programme organised into colour groups, which have been taken from ‘Book Bands for Reading’. Fluent readers are encouraged to make free choices of books based on their own interests from the class library or home. In guided reading, pupils of similar ability are encouraged to interpret and discuss texts in more depth. This usually happens outside the main literacy lesson. Reading skills are further developed across the curriculum. Pupils are expected to do regular home reading.

Writing


i. Have an interest in words, their meanings; developing a growing vocabulary in spoken and written forms

ii. Understand a range of text types and genres - be able to write in a variety of styles and forms appropriate to the situation

iii. Be developing the powers of imagination, inventiveness and critical awareness.

iv. Have a suitable technical vocabulary to articulate their responses

v. Produce independent pieces of writing using correct punctuation and sentence construction

vi. Regularly write extended pieces of text. vi.1.1. Have knowledge of the work of a range of authors, poets and

playwrights.St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is the trading name of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Academy Trust), Swindon, registered in England and Wales under 07697658, registered office Bessemer Road East, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1PE

vi.1.2. Have opportunities to reflect on the quality of their own work and use peer assessment to improve their writing.

vi.1.3. Develop an attention to detail and awareness of spelling and grammar to edit and improve their own writing.

At St Mary’s, teachers’ demonstrate writing of all genres through shared and modelled writing activities. Writing skills are further developed in group guided writing sessions. Pupils practise writing through independent writing tasks and are given opportunities to plan, draft, revise and edit their own writing. Pupils use their writing skills to communicate across the curriculum. Children are given the opportunity to practise and develop their GPS skills in the context of cross curricular writing.See Grammar appendix

Spelling

Spelling skills are introduced through direct teaching, investigations, studies of spelling patterns and conventions and homework. Foundation/ Key Stage 1 pupils are introduced to phonics Letters and Sounds and work through a progressive set of high frequency words. In the Middle Phase, the children are grouped according to the strengths/weaknesses in their phonetic understanding and gaps are narrowed by having focused teaching on the areas identified. Older pupils learn about spelling patterns and are expected to collect lists of words in wordbooks. All pupils are encouraged to:

i. develop dictionary skills to support their spelling. ii. attempt words for themselves using a range of strategies. iii. write an increasingly wide range of words from memory. Focus is on

those words identified in Letters and Sounds (KS1) and Spelling Bank (KS2).

iv. use a variety of resources to help with spelling e.g. dictionaries, word banks, classroom environment, computer spell-check etc.

The spelling of necessary technical vocabulary is introduced throughout the curriculum.

See spelling appendix 2.

Handwriting and Presentation


Handwriting is a skill to be taught in a progressive manner using the New Nelson Handwriting Scheme. Pupils are taught and encouraged to form lower and upper case letters correctly from their first days in school and as they develop, to write in a joined style. They are taught to use a comfortable and correct pencil/pen grip and to use a handwriting pen/fountain pen in KS2.It is a requirement that Years One, Two and Three pupils each year receive intensive instruction in the development of the cursive style.By Year Six, pupils will be competent in the formation of and joining of letters, leading to a neat and pleasing cursive style. Pupils are also given opportunities to present their work on word processors. Good presentation of written pieces is expected across the curriculum.See handwriting appendix.

Planning

Teachers use the 2014 NC as basis for literacy teaching objectives and adapt and develop the cross curricular units from “Cornerstones” into teaching sequences suitable for whole Key Stage classes enabling children to study a text type and then use this as a model for their own writing. Throughout the school speaking and listening skills, “Talk for Writing” and the Story telling project are seen as critical in developing children’s awareness of and ability to structure quality sentence and text structures.Clear objectives are set for the lesson and shared with the pupils. Teachers differentiate according to the needs of the children and set targets for pupils to work to on a regular basis. ICT is used where it enhances, extends and complements literacy teaching and learning. Additional adults are used to support the teaching of Literacy. They work under the guidance of the teacher with small groups of children or individuals.

Assessment, Recording and Reporting

Marking is in line with the school’s policy. Assessments are made in line with school assessment policy. Children are assessed during their reception year using the Foundation Stage Profile and are formally assessed at the end of each Key Stage.


In KS1 and KS2 Reading, GPS, Writing assessment results are collected and reported on tracking sheets in December, February and May.Assessment of reading is on-going through teacher assessment and monitoring during individual or guided reading sessions and through regular reading comprehensions, with reading comprehension test assessment results being collected and reported on tracking sheets in December, February and MayAssessment of writing is on-going and mainly takes place in extended writing books for KS1 and KS2 pupils, while other sources of children’s written work, from rough literacy and GPS books, topic work, science and RE can also be used as evidence of children’s progression. In the EYFS assessment of writing is on-going and recorded in children’s learning journals.Marking and self-editing system for KS2 is explained in table below:

Extended Writing Book Editing and Marking Record

Type of writing Pen Colour Purpose

Children’s writing Blue fountain pen Children’s composition

Children’s editing Black biro To show children editing own work

Teacher marking Red pen To highlight errors and good examples of writing

Children Green Pen Green Pen Polishing pen where children correct errors highlighted by adult

Marking and self-editing system for KS1 is explained in table below:

Extended Writing Book Editing and Marking Record

Type of writing Colour Purpose

Children’s writing Pencil Children’s composition

Children’s editing Pencil To show children


editing own work

Teacher marking Red pen To highlight errors and good examples of writing

Teachers use assessment to ensure planning is based on prior attainment and that pupils know what they are to do to achieve the next step Parents are invited to meetings twice a year and are sent an annual end of year report.

ExpectationsIt is expected that most pupils will achieve the expected level of development in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation by the end of Key Stage 1.It is expected that most pupils will achieve the expected level of development in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation at the end of Key Stage 2.

InclusionAll children receive quality literacy teaching on a daily basis and activities are differentiated accordingly. Where identified, pupils are considered to require targeted support, to enable them to work to age appropriate objectives, a variety of interventions are available. These include the use of IEPs, Teaching Assistant support, and support programmes.More able pupils are planned for by the class teacher.

Equal Opportunities

It will be ensured that equal opportunities in English are addressed as follows:i. Pupils with special needs have equal access to the English curriculum

through the use of differentiated learning strategies and tasks. These are based on individual needs.

ii. Specific teaching strategies are used to maximize access to the curriculum for pupils learning EAL.

iii. Respect for cultural and linguistic diversity is promoted through the use of resources on multi-cultural themes.An awareness of other dialects and Standard English encouraged through a range of texts.

iv. Gender equality is promoted by ensuring that both boys and girls have access to all aspects of the English curriculum.

v. Opportunities to address issues of gender, race etc. are provided through discussion, texts and resources.


Parental Involvement

We value parent involvement in children’s development of literacy and promote a home school partnership in the following ways:

i. Sharing information – newsletters, parents’ leaflets, reading diaries.

ii. Curriculum events which share and involve parents in what and how their children are developing their literacy skills.

iii. Homework – in line with our homework policy and home/school agreement

iv. We ask parents to encourage and monitor home reading and discuss books and preferences with their children.

v. Parents and CRB checked community volunteers are welcomed into the school to support children in literacy.

Professional Development

Training needs are identified as a result of whole school monitoring and evaluation, performance management and needs of children. These will be reflected in the School Development Plan which includes the Literacy Action Plan. The Literacy co-ordinator will arrange for relevant advice and information, such as feedback from courses and newsletters, to be disseminated. Where necessary the literacy coordinator organises or leads school based training. Teaching Assistants who are involved with intervention programmes will receive appropriate training which may be part of LEA central or school based training.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Literacy is monitored by the head teacher, the literacy co-ordinator and literacy governor. Having identified priorities, the literacy co-ordinator constructs an action plan which forms part of the School Development Plan. This will form the basis for monitoring and will identify how this is to be implemented.


Grammar and Punctuation Appendix 1

There are four main Aims to this policy:

· To establish an entitlement for all pupils;· To establish expectations for teachers of this subject;· To promote continuity and coherence across the school;· To state the school’s approaches to this subject in order to promote public, and particularly parents’ and carers’, understanding of the curriculum.

Introduction

The importance of grammar and punctuation to the curriculum

At St Mary’s we recognise the importance of teaching grammar and punctuation. Grammar is concerned with the way in which sentences are used in spoken language, in reading and in writing. Sentences are the construct which help give words their sense. The purpose of grammar teaching is to enable pupils to become conscious of patterns of language which they can apply in their own work to enhance meaning.

The purpose of punctuation is to clarify the meaning of texts. Readers use punctuation to help make sense of written texts while writers use punctuation to help communicate intended meaning to the reader.

Strategy for implementation

Entitlement and curriculum provision

The National Curriculum gives a clear developmental programme for the introduction and acquisition of knowledge about grammar and punctuation. The form of the Literacy Hour is well suited to the practical development of this knowledge through the sentence level work provided in the National Literacy Strategy Framework.

Teaching and Learning

To teach pupils about grammar and punctuation, the emphasis is on the close consideration of examples of language in use, including pupils’ own writing


and on the exploration of language as a system. The aim is to develop pupils’ curiosity about language and their capacity to observe and reflect, which will in turn enable them to develop more control and choice in their use of language.

The role of the teacher:

Through the use of Non Nonsense Grammar scheme and diagnostic tests and application of grammar knowledge and skills in day to day reading, teachers will be able,

· to provide direct teaching and accurate modelling;· to provide resources and an environment which promotes a developing understanding of grammar and punctuation;· to observe pupils, monitor progress and determine targets for development.

Grammar is not about learning terminology. The use of terms to discuss language is helpful but is not an end in itself. Many pupils become adept at repeating terms they have heard, but remain unable to transfer grammatical knowledge into independent reading and writing.

Within the National Literacy Strategy, the objectives relating to grammar are located within sentence level work. Shared reading and writing provides a helpful context for the discussion and demonstration of grammatical features at word level (morphology), sentence level (syntax) and text level (conventions of style and organisation). At St Mary’s guided writing gives opportunities for the pupils to focus on specific aspects of grammar and punctuation, while the group/independent sessions provide helpful contexts for investigations and application of grammatical knowledge in pupils’ own writing.

There will be some specific focused sessions teaching grammar and punctuation and there will be some use of exercises to provide opportunities for consolidation. However, at St Mary’s we recognise the use of decontextualised exercises do not help the pupils to make progress in the use of grammar and punctuation in their own writing so the grammar and punctuation skills will be practised and revisited mostly in the context of cross curricular writing opportunities.

The National Literacy Strategy Framework offers many opportunities to revisit and consolidate particular aspects of work at sentence level. Teachers distinguish between the teaching objectives listed for a particular term and the learning objectives for individual pupils or groups of pupils.


Continuity and Progression

Foundation Stage

Pupils expect written text to make sense and they recognise sentences in their shared reading of texts and in their own play and experimental writing. They write simple sentences based on speech and begin to use significant punctuation, for example capital letters for their own name and at the beginning of a sentence.

Key Stage 1

At Key Stage 1 the emphasis is on developing pupils’ general awareness of language, both written and spoken. Pupils are encouraged to attempt more complex spoken language and to observe the use of punctuation in written texts as a pointer for pausing, intonation and as an aid to meaning. They recognise sentences, expect them to make sense and use basic sentence structures in their own writing. Some punctuation marks are used in context. More complex sentences are developed through the use of an increasing range of connectives.

Key Stage 2In Years 3 and 4 pupils are introduced to the grammatical functions of different types of word and they begin to explore how sentences are constructed. The emphasis here is not about grammatical labelling (the naming of parts of speech) but on discovering their function, i.e. what words can be made to do. Explicit teaching of a wider range of punctuation marks occurs and this is reflected by their use in pupils’ writing. However, care should be taken that punctuation is taught within the context of what is being read and what the pupils need to use in their own writing.

In Years 5 and 6 this basic knowledge is extended through the close reading and discussion of carefully chosen examples from a range of text-types. In their writing pupils are encouraged to draw on this understanding to develop a sense of style, to experiment with the construction of complex sentences and to restructure sentences for clarity and effect. This will necessitate the use of a wider range of punctuation marks, including punctuation within a sentence.

The learning environment

Classrooms use wall charts encouraging SHREC, grammatical word hoards and examples of pupils’ investigations to stimulate and provide information. Pupils have good access to a range of appropriate dictionaries and thesauruses.


The role of parents and carers

As with spelling, it is important that parents do not become over-concerned about inaccurate use of punctuation in their child’s writing. The school’s approach is outlined in the marking policy, a digest of which is included for parents in the school handbook.

Assessment and recording

Assessment of grammar and punctuation is mainly undertaken using conferencing and marking strategies. Work in the Literacy lessons will focus on key learning objectives about grammar and punctuation and occasionally on pupils’ errors as they arise.

Children from Year 1 onwards will sit grammar and punctuation assessment tests three times a year. These tests come from NC linked tests from leading publishers.

Spelling Appendix 2

Introduction At St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School we firmly believe that good spelling is an essential skill which allows the children to communicate their understanding in all curriculum subjects. In order for pupils to develop into effective and confident writers they need to develop and use a range of effective spelling strategies. By providing the children with a range of strategies we equip them with the independence to attempt spellings before asking for adult help. Core to a whole school approach is the Babcock scheme, No Nonsense Spelling. This is adapted and added to by class teachers to meet their class needs and to ensure coverage.

Aim(s):

• Develop and teach the children to use a range of effective spellingstrategies

• Encourage creativity and the use of more ambitious vocabulary in their writing

• Enable children to write independently • Enhance proof reading and editing skills • Encourage children to identify patterns in words and spellings. • Promote a positive and confident attitude towards spelling • Help children to use a range of dictionaries and spell checks

effectively. St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is the trading name of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Academy Trust), Swindon, registered in England and Wales under 07697658, registered office Bessemer Road East, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1PE

• Provide equal opportunities for all pupils to achieve success in spelling

• To guide each child towards becoming an effective speller

This policy supports our school aim of raising standards across the school in English.

Teaching and Learning Spelling is taught as part of a planned programme, following the requirements of the new National Curriculum. In addition, handwriting lessons and shared and guided reading and writing sessions afford many opportunities for talking about spelling and revisiting and practising strategies.

Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 Use of high quality phonic programme High quality phonic work is taught systematically from Reception to Year2. Letters and Sounds will be used together with Jolly Phonics resources. A discrete period of 20mins will take place daily within Key stage 1. Children will be taught: ·∙ the grapheme-‐ phoneme correspondence in a clearly defined sequence·∙ the skill of segmenting words into their constituent phonemes to spell. ·∙ that blending and segmenting are reversible processes. This is all supported by a Home/ school spelling book that develops children’s handwriting skills, awareness of spellings and strategies for learning new spellings.

High Frequency Words or common exception words Throughout each phase the tricky high frequency words will be taught. Children will use a variety of ways to learn spellings including the Look Say Cover Write Check system for learning a new spelling. Children have a home / school spelling book to experiment with these strategies and in addition uses SHREC to support accurate spelling and editing in writing. Each teacher uses a variety of methods to ensure the correct spelling of the high frequency words appropriate to each phase plus topic specific vocabulary. Teachers should recognise worthy attempts made by children to spell words but should also correct them selectively and sensitively and this is done through the marking and editing system specific to each key Stage described below.

Key Stage 2 An investigative approach is taken to the teaching of spelling in Key Stage 2, in line with the spelling objectives in the 2014 English curriculum. Where appropriate these are supported by No Nonsense Spelling (Babcock). Spelling sessions take place two to three times a week to ensure children have the opportunity to practise and embed new spellings. This will include the learning of the statutory word lists in the 2014 English curriculum. In


addition to this,spelling homework is given each week. Where necessary, some pupils will consolidate the phonic knowledge and skills from Key Stage 1.

Planning Teachers in KS1 are to use the ‘Letters and Sounds’ planning available through the website www.phonicsplay.co.uk. Resources are also available. KS2 staff are to use Babcock’s ‘No Nonsense Spelling’ that has daily lesson plans available and resources. Planning across the whole school is to follow the sequence of ‘Revise, Teach, Practise and Apply/Asses’. Where pupils have made limited progress, individual programmes for teaching and support are drawn up as appropriate by the teacher in consultation with the SEND coordinator and parents.

Homework Children are to receive weekly spellings on a Monday to be tested on a Friday. Spellings are to be differentiated and are to include words from each year’s statutory spelling list. KS1 spellings are to be based upon the sounds the children have learned from the previous week. This is to consolidate the learning from the previous phonic lessons and to check they are applying their phonic knowledge. KS2 spellings are to include words from the statutory spelling lists and spelling patterns set out in the National Curriculum.

Resources To enable all children to develop the range of strategies taught classrooms will be well equipped to support the different activities and learning styles. Resources may include: whiteboard and pens, ICT spelling games, magnetic letters, word banks (including cross curricular words as well as high frequency words), word cards, thesaurus, dictionaries, picture dictionaries, wall charts, Letters and Sounds framework.

Assessment Children are assessed at the end of each phase during the Letters and Sounds programme before moving onto the next phase. Spelling tests are used throughout the school. Marking provides the opportunity to see how well individual children understand and apply what has been taught and should always relate to the specific focus for teaching. When marking, teachers do not correct beyond what has been taught about spelling. Once a child is secure in their spelling of a word, it will not be accepted spelt incorrectly. Spellings which have been in marking in Key Stage 2 should be rewritten by children using the Look-‐Say-‐Cover-‐Write-Check method. Spelling assessments are administered across school on a half termly basis in addition to regular spelling tests. As part of the end of Key Stage 2 testing, the children in Year 6 will undertake the Spelling and Punctuation and Grammar test.


Monitoring and evaluationTeaching staff monitor their pupils through observation, teacher assessment, marking work and testing. The subject leader will regularly review the spelling action plan and will work with the SLT to evaluate any relevant areas of the School development plan when appropriate.

Inclusion We teach spelling to all children, whatever their ability. It is part of the school curriculum policy to provide a broad and balanced education to all children.

Equality of opportunities is always observed with positive attitudes to spelling development being irrespective of disability, gender, race, ethnic origin, culture, language or religion.

Governing Body The spelling co-ordinator will encourage positive links with Communication and Language governor to keep the governing body informed of all major issues related to spelling in the school. Co-ordinators will deliver information to governors when necessary to inform them of developments and progress within spelling at St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School.

Handwriting Appendix 3 St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Handwriting Policy

AimAt St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, joined up handwriting is taught with a sequential and progressive approach. Children are introduced to this style from Year 1 as it is considered to be the most natural development of children’s earliest attempts at writing. Teachers and T/As are expected to model the handwriting style. Handwriting is a taught skill and it is important that teachers are seen to put a high value on teaching and sustaining good handwriting. We believe that children’s self-esteem and pride in their work can be raised by good quality presentation. Our aim in this policy is to teach children correct letter formation, joining and good handwriting habits, so that they can write fluently and legibly and by the end of KS2 to begin to develop a distinctivestyle.Each aim is considered equally important:

To teach children to write with a flowing hand which is legible, swift and pleasant to look at.

To enable children to develop their own style of handwriting as they progress through Key Stage 2.


To support the development of correct spelling and to aid in the elimination of letter reversals by the learning of word patterns and the correct joining of letters.

To ensure that children of differing abilities are provided with appropriate and achievable goals.

To assist children in taking pride with the presentation of their work. To teach correct letter formation. To appreciate handwriting as an art form. To display excellent examples of handwriting in every classroom and

around the school.

Teaching and OrganisationWe seek to fulfil the requirements of the Primary Curriculum and EYFS Curriculum. Planning is based on objectives taken from these frameworks, which ensures a progressive structure. In their short term planning teachers outline specific objectives for groups of children and individuals in order to ensure progress.We use NelsonThornes Handwriting scheme throughout school, and the interactive resources thus ensuring there is a continuity and progression across classes. Handwriting is taught regularly and at least weekly, as a class and / or group lesson in all year groups. Teachers use Nelson resources which include photocopied sheets and interactive whiteboard resources in KS1 and KS2. In addition spelling books in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 include a weekly handwriting focus to be done at school and home.During lessons we ensure that children sit, position their paper / book and hold their pen/pencil correctly using their other hand to hold their work firmly. Chair height is checked to ensure it is correct.

It is important that in the Early Years and at key stage 1 children are observed closely during the lesson to ensure that letter formation is correct. In addition to specific handwriting lessons children are expected to apply their learning in their books, especially extended writing and RE books and to show care for the presentation of their work. Regular opportunities for children to produce presentation work are also planned, for example in topic books or for display.

It is important for teachers to set a good example to children by modelling good handwriting when writing on the board, IWB or when marking children’s books. Teachers strive to model the Nelson style and use the appropriate joins, demonstrating the fluency and legibility of the style. Children are expected to show care for their work-books, present their work with care, date work, underline where necessary and not make any marks on the covers

CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS

National Curriculum for KS 1 & 2, July 2013


There are a number of changes to the curriculum. Below are the requirements for handwriting teaching in Y1-6 in England quoted directly from the final draft published in July. It is expected that this will be implemented from September 2014 Quotes concerning handwriting taken from the text: Pupils who do not learn to read and write fluently and confidently are, in every sense, disenfranchised (‘Purpose of Study’ p13) Pupils should develop the stamina and skills to write at length, with accurate spelling and punctuation. (6.3 Language and literacy - Reading and Writing) Writing also depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting. (Programmes of study and attainment targets - Aims of English p15) Detailed requirements for Years 1-6: Programme of study (statutory requirementsKey stage 1

Programme of Study Requirements

Notes and guidance (non-statutory)

Year 1 Pupils’ writing during year 1 will generally develop at a slower pace than their reading. This is because they need to encode the sounds they hear in words (spelling skills), develop the physical skill needed for handwriting, and learn how to organise their ideas in writing.

Pupils should be taught to: • sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly • begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place • form capital letters • form digits 0-9 • understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (i.e. letters that are formed in similar ways) and to practise these.

Handwriting requires frequent and discrete, direct teaching. Pupils should be able to form letters correctly and confidently. The size of the writing implement (pencil, pen) should not be too large for a young pupil’s hand. Whatever is being used should allow the pupil to hold it easily and correctly so that bad habits are avoided. Left-handed pupils should receive specific teaching to meet their needs

Year 2 In writing, pupils at the beginning of year 2 … should be able to form individual letters correctly, so establishing good handwriting habits from the beginningPupils should be taught to: • form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another • start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are

Pupils should revise and practise correct letter formation frequently. They should be taught to write with a joined style as soon as they can form letters securely with the correct orientation.


best left unjoined • write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower case letters • use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters.Lower key stage 2 Years 3-4 Joined handwriting should be the norm; pupils should be able to use it fast enough to keep pace with what they want to say.Pupils should be taught to: • use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined • increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting, e.g. by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters

Pupils should be using joined handwriting throughout their independent writing. Handwriting should continue to be taught, with the aim of increasing the fluency with which pupils are able to write down what they want to say. This, in turn, will support their composition and spelling.

Upper key stage 2 – Years 5-6Pupils should be taught to: • write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by: o choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding, as part of their personal style, whether or not to join specific letters o choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task (e.g. quick notes, letters). ).

Pupils should continue to practise handwriting and be encouraged to increase the speed of it, so that problems with forming letters do not get in the way of their writing down what they want to say. They should be clear about what standard of handwriting is appropriate for a particular task (e.g. quick notes or a final handwritten version). They should also be taught to use an unjoined style (e.g. for labelling a diagram or data, writing an email address, or for algebra) and capital letters (e.g. for filling in a form

SCHEME OF WORKThe scheme of work is based on the Nelson Thorne Scheme. This sets out a programme of work for the whole school. Teachers encourage individual children to move to the next stage when they are ready. Those children who are forming letters clearly with the correct flicks willbegin to learn how to join their letters as soon as possible. Joining patterns begin in Reception as a preparation for the flow of joining letters in words.


Early Years Foundation StageDuring their Nursery and Reception years the children are given a wide range of opportunities to develop an understanding that writing conveys meaning, e.g. books, story telling, signs, labels etc.

Children experience a wide range of handwriting-related skills, e.g. letter and number formation in sand trays, through tracing, use of ribbons, with chalk, felt tips, pencils, crayons, writing over and under teacher models in various forms, word building with magnetic letters and pattern making in various media. For those children that are ready for handwriting practice, large pencils can be used in conjunction with lined/unlined paper. Pencil grips for correction of pencil hold are also used where appropriate. As an introduction to the Pen Pals style of handwriting patterns are practised with wide-lined paper and thinner pencils being introduced where appropriate. Teachers model correct letter formation and children practise this alongside their Jolly Phonics programme. Correction of letter formation takes place on an individual basis. Children practise name writing in non-joined style. In addition they have home/ school spelling books in which handwriting formation and spelling are practised.

Year 1/Key Stage 1Children work on handwriting skills daily and in a variety of activities, e.g. writing in books, multi sensory approaches, through phonic work and writing in their learning journals and duplicated practice worksheets. Wide-lined exercise books, handwriting paper and standard-size pencils are used. Handwriting practise takes place on a weekly basis. In addition they have home/ school spelling books in which handwriting formation and spelling are practised

Year 2/KeyStage 1Children are encouraged to use joined-up handwriting in their daily work. Handwriting practise takes place weekly and the correction of mistakes is dealt with on an individual basis. Children are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work. In addition, handwriting is often practised through the teaching and learning of phonics and the Jolly Phonics programme. In addition they have home/ school spelling books in which handwriting formation and spelling are practised

Year 3/Key Stage2At this stage when teachers consider it appropriate, according to the stage of each child’s development, children will be allowed to work in blue Berol Handwriting pens; biros and gel pens are not permitted.


Handwriting practise takes place weekly and the correction of mistakes is dealt with on an individual basis. Children are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work.

Pencils should continue to be used throughout the school for notes, drafting, all maths work, diagrams, charts and maps. Children should be encouraged to always write with a sharp pencil and to use rubbers to correct mistakes, or cross through with a single line. In addition they have home/ school spelling books in which handwriting formation and spelling are practised

Across Key Stage 2Children use Fountain Blue ink Handwriting pens which must be kept in good working order. Only blue ink is acceptable.Handwriting practise takes place weekly and the correction of mistakes is dealt with on an individual basis. Children are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work.

Presentation in BooksChildren must ensure that all work is presented neatly. The full date and title of all work must appear at the top of the page and must be neatly underlined. Any mistakes must be neatly crossed out using a ruler.In numeracy the short date may be used.Any drawings in books must be done in pencil and drawn inside a box.

Resources

Foundation StageThick, stubby paintbrushes, fine paintbrushes, thick and fine felt pens, jumbo pencils, stubby crayons, chalk, sand trays, templates, shaving foam, pencils.

KS1Variety of paintbrushes, thick and fine felt pens, jumbo pencils, stubby crayons, chalk, sand trays, letter and number templates, shaving foam, pencils, coloured pencils, pencil grips, tracing cards, sewing cards, sandpaper letters, oil pastels, ribbons, magnetic letters, Nelson Handwriting books.

KS2Pencil grips, HB pencils, fountain handwriting pens, handwriting paper, Nelson Handwriting sheets and handwriting sheets in spelling books..

Continuity and Progression

Across the Early Years Foundation StageChildren will have:


Opportunities to watch adults writing and for children to write for themselves.

Attempt writing for various purposes using features of different forms such as lists, stories and instructions.

Write their own names and other writing forms such as labels and captions and begin to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation.

Use their phonic knowledge to write simple regular words and make phonetically plausible attempts at more complex words.

Use a pencil and hold it effectively to form recognisable letters and numbers, most of which are correctly formed.

By the end of Foundation Stage/Reception

By the end of Reception year children will have been introduced to:

a comfortable and efficient pencil grip producing a controlled line which supports letter formation writing letters using the correct sequence of movements pattern-making and letter/number formation in various media

YEAR 1

Term 1: Develop a comfortable and efficient pencil grip.To form lower case letters correctly.

Term 2: To practise handwriting in conjunction with spelling and independent writing, ensuring correct letter orientation, formation and proportion.

Term 3: To practise handwriting in conjunction with spelling and independent writing, ensuring correct letter orientation, formation and proportion.

YEAR 2Term 1: To practise handwriting patterns from Year 1.To begin using and practising the four basic handwriting joins:

diagonal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ai, ar, un horizontal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ou, vi, wi diagonal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ab, ul, it horizontal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ol, wh, ot

Term 2: To practise handwriting patterns from Year 1.To practise handwriting in conjunction with the phonic and spelling patterns.To use and practise the four basic handwriting joins: diagonal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ai, ar, un horizontal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ou, vi, wi diagonal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ab, ul, it


horizontal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ol, wh, ot

Term 3: To use the four basic handwriting joins with confidence and use these in independent writing: diagonal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ai, ar, un horizontal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ou, vi, wi diagonal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ab, ul, it horizontal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ol, wh, ot

YEAR 3Term 1: To practise correct formation of basic joins from Year 2:

diagonal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ai, ar, un horizontal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ou, vi, wi diagonal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ab, ul, it horizontal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ol, wh, otTo ensure consistency in size and proportions of letters and the spacing between letters and words.

Term 2: To practise correct formation of basic joins from the use of the four basic handwriting joins from Year 2: diagonal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ai, ar, un horizontal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ou, vi, wi diagonal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ab, ul, it horizontal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ol, wh, otTo ensure consistency in size and proportions of letters andthe spacing between letters and words.To build up handwriting speed, fluency and legibility through practice.

Term 3: To practise correct formation of basic joins from the use of the four basic handwriting joins from Year 2 and use these in independent writing: diagonal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ai, ar, un horizontal joins to letters without ascenders, e.g. ou, vi, wi diagonal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ab, ul, it horizontal joins to letters with ascenders, e.g. ol, wh, otTo ensure consistency in size and proportions of letters andthe spacing between letters and words.To build up handwriting speed, fluency and legibility through practice.

YEAR 4


Term 1: To use joined handwriting for all writing except where other special forms are required.

To know when to use: a clear neat hand for finished, presented work; informal writing for rough drafting etc.To ensure consistency in size and proportions of letters and spacing between letters and words.

Term 2: To use joined handwriting for all writing except where other special forms are required.

To build up speed, particularly for notes, drafts, lists etc.To know when to use:

a clear neat hand for finished, presented work; informal writing for rough drafting etc.To ensure consistency in size and proportions of letters and spacing between letters and words.

Term 3: To build up speed and ensure consistency in size and proportions of letters and spacing between letters and words.To use a range of presentational skills, e.g.:

print script for captions, sub-headings and labels; capital letters for posters, title plates, headings; a range of computer-generated fonts and point sizes.

YEAR 5TO USE FLUENT JOINED UP HANDWRITING FOR ALL WRITING EXCEPT WHERE OTHER SPECIAL FORMS ARE REQUIRED

YEAR 6TO USE FLUENT JOINED UP HANDWRITING FOR ALL WRITING EXCEPT WHERE OTHER SPECIAL FORMS ARE REQUIRED

Equal Opportunities:

Equality of opportunity is a high priority and reference to the School’s Equal Opportunity and Racial Equality Policies will provide examples of how this is achieved.

Inclusion:

More able children and children with Special Educational Needs are supported in their Handwriting work, with reference to I.E.Ps. Teachers will put in place suitable interventions for children who are underachieving or require further challenge.


Monitoring and EvaluationIt is the role of the English subject leader to monitor the teaching and learning of handwriting throughout the school. This is done through regular work sampling, analysis of assessment pieces and lesson observations. Feedback from this monitoring is used to inform staff of necessary developments in order to raise standards. Monitoring is supported by the Head-teacher and SLT.


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