English Curriculum

Phonics

The school follows the Sounds Write programme for the teaching of phonics. Children in Reception have a 30-minute discreet lesson each morning in school. In Year 1 and 2 children follow Sounds Write through the programme.

Writing

We teach a bespoke writing cycle from Year 1 to Year 6 for at least 45 minutes per day, the cycle consists of a “hook” to engage the children and introduce them to the writing genre, teaching of specific skills, text types and then a final independent writing task. Children will build up their skills during a block of work which could last 2/3 weeks; in some cases, as children move into Year 5 and Year 6, the block may last for 4 weeks to develop depth of learning.

Children in Reception have the chance to access a writing cycle as part of their continuous provision.

Class Text

Each class will study a book for a term or half a term - parents will be given advance notice of the book/s their children will be studying. We encourage parents to buy copies of the books for their children to read at home.

Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation

Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation is taught as discreet lessons weekly in Year 1 upwards and through the writing cycle. In Reception, spelling, punctuation, and grammar are taught as part of Sounds Write, Years 2 to 6 use “No Nonsense Spelling”.

Handwriting

From Reception upwards, we follow the continuous cursive scheme of handwriting, where children are expected to “start from the line every time”. They are expected to join as soon as they can form letters correctly. Please see sample on the website.

Reading

At SSSJ, reading is taught as a whole class. The texts we use come from a wide range of genres – and include, fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Whole class reading sessions happen at least three times per week for at least 30 minutes. School spends 2 weeks on the teaching and learning of the skills needed to be effective and efficient readers which are linked to 6 key aspects of reading: monitoring, questioning, summarising, connecting, predicting and visualising. The third week in the cycle is spent on applying these skills through the use of “Cracking Comprehension” scheme which allows pupils to apply and refine their comprehension skills.

All children have access to a range of high-quality books, including their own copy of the current class text. They also share in story time several times a week with their class.

It is also expected that all children will read at home at least 5 times per week, which should be recorded in their reading diary.

Staff are available to discuss reading at home and support parents, and there is information on the school website on the class pages.

Phonics
 

In EYFS and KS1, children at SSSJ follow the Sounds-Write programme for their Phonics learning. There is a 30-minute session of Phonics every day in EYFS, Year 1 and Year 2. Phonics drop-ins are held every half term for parents to attend and staff are available to discuss the programme with you further if you have any queries.