At Coppice Primary School, we recognise the importance of developing reading and writing skills in Standard English, as well as fostering proficient language development, as it serves as the foundation for success across all academic subjects. To ensure this, our teachers plan their instruction based on the guidelines provided by the National Curriculum, with a focus on promoting a love for reading and delivering high-quality English input.

Phonics: We implement a daily whole-class phonics program called Little Wandle Letters and Sounds (Revised) in Foundation Key Stage and Key Stage 1. During phonics lessons, students are introduced to a progressive set of phonemes (sounds) and their corresponding graphemes (letters). We use mantras and rhymes to support their retention of letter-sound associations, and students practice both the sounds and mantras throughout the lessons. Through this daily teaching, students cover the following areas:

· Mastery of all English phonemes

· Accurate pronunciation of phonemes

· Familiarity with common grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs)

· Proper formation of all graphemes

· Blending sounds for reading

· Segmenting sounds for writing

· Sequential learning of tricky words

In line with current government assessment practices, students participate in a phonics screening assessment towards the end of Year 1.

For additional information and resources to support your child in their phonics learning and letter formation, please follow the provided link below. You will also find useful videos that demonstrate how phonics sounds are taught at school, helping you feel confident in supporting your child's reading progress at home.

Little Wandle provides a sound start for your child in helping them learn to read and develop a love of reading. Phonics is taught in Reception, Year 1 and into Year 2, but Little Wandle also provides a support framework for those that need it from Reception to Key Stage 2.

Here is a link to the parent section of the Little Wandle website. It has 'how to' videos and useful guides to help you feel confident in helping your child on their reading journey:

https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/#tabnametabSupportForPhonics

Reading: Reading is an integral part of our daily routine at Coppice Primary School. We provide students with various opportunities to engage with books, including Reading Practice sessions in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1, Group Reading in Key Stage 2, whole-class reading lessons, and shared reading across all curriculum areas. Our students also have access to the school library, and daily story-time sessions are scheduled for all classes with diverse spine of books curated for each year group.

Reading Instruction: Our approach to reading instruction varies across the school. In Foundation Key Stage and Key Stage 1, students participate in a minimum of three 'Reading Practice' sessions per week, in addition to their daily phonics lessons. During these sessions, we explicitly link the development of students' phonics knowledge with their decoding skills in reading. Students read phonetically decodable books that align with their phonics knowledge. In Year 2, students also engage in whole-class reading as a collaborative approach to analysing texts. They are familiar with the five question types and are taught strategies to delve deeper into the text, demonstrating a more profound understanding in their responses.

Reading Practice: In Foundation Key Stage and Key Stage 1, 'Reading Practice' takes place at least three times a week, following a structured plan for each week's teaching. The week begins with the introduction of a new book, where students make connections between their phonics knowledge and reading as they decode the text. As the week progresses, the focus shifts from decoding to developing fluency and prosody, which encompasses the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech. Teachers model expressive reading, using appropriate expression and intonation, and also listen to individual readers to ensure they are reading with fluency and prosody. Once students are confident with the text, the teaching focus transitions to comprehension, where their understanding of the text is deepened. At this stage, students are increasingly exposed to a wide range of text types and genres.

In Foundation Key Stage and Key Stage 1, pupils are provided with a consistent reading book each week. They take this book home for additional reading to build confidence and accuracy in reading both the sounds and the text as a whole. The reading book is carefully matched to the child's phonics knowledge to ensure success in their reading.

KS2 Reading: In Key Stage 2, pupils engage in three reading sessions a week, along with independent reading. The sessions focus on longer extracts and whole texts that are appropriate and accessible in For independent reading, pupils have access to a variety of appropriate and accessible texts with books selected from their year group's collection. These books are book banded, indicating their level of difficulty based on content and accessibility. Pupils may be asked to read their chosen book independently between reading lessons and may also take this book home.

Pupils who require additional support in reading are provided with books tailored to their phonetic knowledge, which may come from resources such as Little Wandle Letters and Sounds (Revised) or Project X books. As pupils progress through Key Stage 2, they are encouraged to choose books of their own preference for pleasure reading, guided by teaching staff. Pupils receive support in broadening their reading experiences through discussions on genres and authors, exposure to different books, whole-class texts, and book talks throughout the school week.

Reading for Pleasure: At Coppice Primary School, we place great value on promoting a love for reading and cultivating a culture of reading for enjoyment. We have implemented various strategies to expand pupils' exposure to high-quality texts and provide opportunities for them to enjoy books.

Book Spines: We have a curated reading spine at Coppice that highlights high-quality, diverse texts to be read aloud in class by the teacher. This collection includes books from classic and award-winning authors and is regularly reviewed and updated.

Reading Newsletter: A monthly reading newsletter is published to keep parents informed about updates, initiatives, and celebrations related to reading. Each issue features a staff member sharing their favourite books and making recommendations. The newsletter also highlights book corners in classrooms, celebrations of World Book Day, and provides guidance for reading at home with children.

Writing: In our writing instruction, we aim to develop independent writers who understand the connection between reading and writing. We encourage students to apply language, structures, and styles they encounter in high-quality texts to their own writing. This helps them develop their writing skills and become proficient writers. At Coppice Primary, we have a comprehensive approach to teaching writing, using high-quality texts as models for written outcomes. Our students are encouraged to read as writers and write as readers through the analysis of texts, identification of authorial tools, and evaluation of the impact of written work. Through structured delivery, our students develop a strong understanding of text structures, enabling them to create well-structured and engaging pieces of writing with the reader in mind.

As a result of our writing instruction, our students demonstrate various skills and attributes, including:

· An understanding of how authors use language to create mood

· Effective communication through a range of genres and for different audiences

· Accurate use of phonic principles and spelling patterns

· Neat and efficient handwriting that is appropriate for the purpose

· Understanding of grammatical terms and correct grammar in both spoken and written forms

· Enjoyment of writing as a form of communication

Handwriting: We teach handwriting to all students at Coppice using the 'Letterjoin' handwriting scheme. This scheme enables children to learn how to form letters using four main joins:

1. Joins to letters without ascenders (e.g., um, ig)

2. Joins to letters with ascenders (e.g., ch, ol)

3. Horizontal joins (e.g., od, ve)

4. Horizontal joins to letters with ascenders (e.g., wl, of)

Currently, all children have a weekly handwriting session to support their learning of letter formations. During this session, they have focused practice in handwriting. Children in Nursery to Year 4 use pencils for writing, while children in Years 5 to 6 transition to using handwriting pens once they have demonstrated proficiency in writing in a neat script.

Throughout our writing and handwriting instruction, children understand that writing evolves and goes through the editing process before producing a polished piece of work.

SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar): At Coppice Primary, we teach SPAG both within and in addition to our daily English lessons. We often use SPAG starters to reinforce prior learning or introduce new concepts before focused lessons. Our SPAG instruction takes various forms, including quizzes, activities, and videos. We follow the No Nonsense Spelling scheme to deliver our SPAG curriculum, and weekly spelling words are set as part of this program. Each word set is accompanied by a definition to support students' understanding and vocabulary development.