English - Reading and Writing

READING 

INTENT, IMPLICATION AND IMPACT STATEMENT 

“The more that you read, the more things that you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go”.   Dr Seuss 

Intent 

Reading is at the very heart of our curriculum. We are committed to promoting a love for reading and not only giving children opportunities to read in English lessons, but in the wider curriculum too. 

Learning to read is one of the most important things a child will ever learn. It underpins everything else, so here at the British Section we believe in putting as much energy as we possibly can into making sure that every single child learns to read as quickly as possible. We also want our children to develop a real love of reading and to want to read for themselves. This is why we work hard to make sure children develop a love of books as well as simply learning to read. We are committed to sharing high quality and vocabulary rich texts across the curriculum. We encourage our pupils to discover new information and develop their comprehension skills by reading widely using both fiction and non-fiction texts which (where possible) are linked to their topics across the curriculum. We know that reading for pleasure is beneficial not only for not only reading outcomes, but for wider learning enjoyment and mental wellbeing. Thus, we work hard to foster a love of independent reading and build communities of engaged readers. We understand the significance of parents and carers in supporting their children to develop both word reading and comprehension skills, so we endeavour to build a home-school partnership which enables parents and carers to have the confidence to support their children with reading at home.  

The aims of teaching reading in our school are: 

• To ensure all children leave the British Section as readers – pupils who read for pleasure, read with purpose and read lots. 
• To be able to read easily, fluently and with good understanding. 
• To develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. 
• To acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic  

conventions for reading. 

• To appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage. 

Implementation 

At SHAPE International School British Section, we ensure high standards of teaching and learning in reading through implementation of a progressive curriculum.  Through the delivery of our reading curriculum, we ensure a consistent and robust teaching and learning of early reading and phonics in FS and KS1, so that pupils can read with increased speed and fluency and access the wider curriculum. Reading is taught daily, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills taught in each Key Stage. Children are provided with books that match and support their phonics development and ability.  All pupils have opportunities to develop their reading skills daily and are encouraged to read at home with an adult. Children in danger of falling behind, or who are working under expected levels (lower 20%), are swiftly identified and enough additional support is provided to enable them to keep up. We give catch up support by providing group interventions. The content of these sessions is determined by on-going gap analyses and our in-depth knowledge of each child. Teachers plan lessons for their class using the reading targets, taken from the National Curriculum for their year group, to ensure the teaching is progressive from year group to year group. When teaching reading, teachers follow the children’s interests to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced as well as introducing them to new authors, books, and genres. A variety of teaching approaches are used based on the teacher’s judgement. We provide a variety of opportunities for reading learning both inside and outside the classroom. We have a well-resourced library which is shared with the Canadian Section and all classrooms have engaging book corners where we encourage reading for pleasure through children having a choice of challenging and enriching texts, as well as building in time for children to read independently and as part of a whole class. All children have daily opportunities to read a variety of material in school, including regularly with an adult. Alongside our curriculum provision, we also provide all pupils with the opportunity to participate in whole school events celebrating reading eg World Book Day and our oldest children share books with the youngest children in school. We also welcome visiting authors to school. 

Impact 

Within reading, we strive to create a supportive and collaborative ethos for learning by providing investigative and enquiry-based learning opportunities. Through the teaching of systematic phonics, our aim is for children to become fluent readers by the end of Key Stage 1. With decoding taught as the prime approach to reading, pupils will become familiar with this strategy and have the confidence to work out unfamiliar words in any new texts they encounter even when they have come to the end of the phonics programme. Pupils will have the opportunity to develop their fluency and comprehension as they move through the school; accessing a range of texts independently. Our reading curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also form part of the curriculum. We measure the impact of our reading curriculum through the following methods: 

• Use of reading targets 
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning. 
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a discussion between teachers to understand their class’s work.  
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum. 

WRITING 

INTENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT STATEMENT 

Intent 

Writing is an essential part of daily life, from sending an email to a colleague to drafting a report for work to jotting down a shopping list; writing is a crucial skill that allows us to communicate our thoughts, ideas, and feelings with others. But writing is more than just a practical tool, it’s also a creative outlet that allows us to express ourselves and share our unique perspectives with the world. Here at the British Section, we strive to encourage our children to develop into articulate and imaginative communicators, who are well-equipped with the basic skills they need to become life-long learners; writing is key in this. We use the principles of Writing for a Purpose, where children are taught to write through high quality texts which develop high level vocabulary, a solid understanding and effective use of grammar and application of learnt spelling patterns.  

The aims of teaching writing in our school are: 

• To ensure all children know themselves to be writers – writers who enjoy the process of writing and have the resilience to thrive on the challenges being a writer brings. 
• To write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. 
• To provide exciting writing opportunities and experiences that engage and enhance all pupils. 
• To plan a progressive curriculum to build upon previous teaching, with regular assessment to ensure each child’s needs are met to reach their full potential. 

Implementation 

At SHAPE International School British Section, we ensure high standards of teaching and learning in writing through implementation of a progressive curriculum. Writing is taught daily, as well as cross-curricular. We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. Teachers plan lessons for their class using a 2-week unit following Writing for a Purpose, which ensures a range of genres are taught and built upon in each year group. We aim to develop children’s ability to produce well-structured, detailed writing in which the meaning is made clear and which engages the interest of the audience / reader. Particular attention is paid throughout the school to the formal structures of English: grammatical detail, punctuation and spelling. Teachers clearly model writing skills and document the learning journey through consistent working walls; guided writing sessions are used to target specific needs of both groups and individuals. When teaching writing, teachers use high-quality books as well as following the children’s interests, to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced. A variety of teaching approaches are used based on the teacher’s judgement but all teaching sequences end with an independent extended write, where children can showcase new skills and knowledge learnt.   We provide a variety of opportunities for writing learning both inside and outside the classroom. Educational visits are a further opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional learning outside the classroom, and inviting visitors into school to share learning from experts.  

Impact 

Within writing, we strive to create a supportive and collaborative ethos for learning by providing investigative and enquiry-based learning opportunities. The impact on our children is that they have the knowledge and skills to be able to write successfully for a purpose and audience. With the implementation of the writing sequence being established and taught in both key stages, children are becoming more confident writers and have the ability to plan, draft and edit their own work. By the end of key stage 2, children have developed a writer’s craft, they enjoy sustained writing and can manipulate language, grammar and punctuation to create effect. As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in the English lesson are transferred into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific language, grammar and punctuation. Our writing curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also form part of the curriculum. We measure the impact of our writing curriculum through the following methods:  

• Use of writing targets  
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning.  
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a discussion between teachers to understand their class’s work.   
• Opportunities to celebrate writing and showcase projects across the school.  
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.