Literacy
Llythrennedd
Reading
Teach a child to read, and keep that child reading and talking, and we will change everything. I mean everything.” Jeanette Winterson.
Reading is a priority across our School and one of the most important skills that your child will learn. Teaching reading equips children to learn vocabulary, read for meaning, skim and scan, paraphrase, summarise, predict, infer, compare, generalise and navigate a text. These skills will prepare children for the future and provide them with the tools to enable them to read successfully. Our Curriculum will support pupils to be able to read fluently and develop their comprehension of a text. Pupils will have a good knowledge of phonics through a systematic approach and apply this within their reading skills through our Read Write Inc provision, and will be able to access a range of reading materials, including RWInc texts, appropriate to their ability.
Pupils will engage in guided reading, group reading and individual reading sessions as appropriate. Home reading is encouraged, together with a close link with parents. Carefully selected texts lead to creative learning and should teach children morals, empathy, diversity, Welsh culture and a heartfelt compassion.
At Trellech, we believe that reading teachers = reading pupils, so there is a great emphasis on reading aloud to children to model the reading process and encourage a genuine love of reading.
Speaking and Listening/ Drama
Pupils are encouraged to gain a coherent knowledge of spoken language, listening, communication and performance skills. Our curriculum allows children the opportunity to explore feelings, emotions, knowledge and understanding which leads to a deeper understanding of different texts. Using the Power of Reading, high quality and inspiring texts should lead to boundlessly creative performances and interpretations where children are not afraid to express themselves and share their ideas. Speaking, listening and drama equips our children to be confident to perform a range of styles in front of their peers and adults, with clear pronunciation and appropriate expression. All pupils should be given opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for a range of audiences in a variety of settings. Teachers give children the chance to rehearse, refine and respond to various drama and theatre performances. Teachers should therefore ensure the continual development of pupils’ confidence and competence in spoken language and listening skills. The Curriculum allows children to approach drama tasks with courageous optimism, which along with spoken language, are vital skills that they will need to master in order to be successful in life.
Writing
RWInc is the synthetic approach to reading and writing that we use in our school. Pupils are taught in small groups so that they quickly develop their use of phonic knowledge to read, write, spell and use grammar correctly, together with a clear understanding of writing for a range of purposes. All teaching staff support children to form letters correctly, so that pupils are encouraged to take pride in their presentation Pupils are assessed every half term to monitor progress and ensure children are reaching their potential. When children can successfully blend and write a simple sentence, they are taught Literacy skills through Clever Writer. This is based on a progression of knowledge across year groups that results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Wherever possible teachers create authentic learning experiences together with outdoor learning opportunities. In our school we use an interesting word of the week to promote and develop a love of language and encourage creative writers.