Rights Link: Article 29 – Goals of Education
Our Vision for English
At Sydenham Primary School, staff ensure that all children develop a love of learning and that pupils at all levels achieve their full potential. In the EYFS, Communication and Language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. The adults in our EYFS work with the children in the provision to encourage, facilitate and model high quality talk. The development of vocabulary is a keen focus for us and staff highlight and model new vocabulary well. This is supported through a reading rich environment where children are read to frequently and children engage with stories, non-fiction, rhyme and poetry with enthusiasm. It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading and we have placed books at the core of our curriculum from Nursery to Year 6. Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. Reading is a key life skill.
It is our intention that by the end of their primary education, all pupils will be able to read fluently and confidently. We endeavour for our children to become independent readers and thinkers who can develop their own thoughts and opinions on a range of familiar authors. We pride ourselves on providing an environment and curriculum which fosters a genuine enthusiasm for books and reading. The high quality texts we have chosen offer a window to the world, and reflect the rich and diverse school community; which enables our pupils to develop an understanding and acceptance of the world around them. Our aim: Every child a reader!
Our writing curriculum is text-based so it goes hand in hand with our mission to foster a genuine enthusiasm for books. We intend our children to be able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and creatively through the written word. We aim to create confident and competent writers who have all the necessary skills and knowledge to write for a range of purposes and have the ability to draft, edit and improve their own work in order to create accurate, well considered pieces of writing. We set high expectations for all of our children to take pride in their work, have a fluent, joined handwriting style and consider the most effective way to present their final drafts.
We want all of our children to be capable readers, writers, spellers and speakers, who can transfer their English skills to other curriculum areas and who are prepared for the next phases in their education.
What is Every Child a Reader? (ECaR)
Every Child A Reader (ECaR) includes a range of reading support programmes designed to boost the skills of the least confident readers. They are: Reading Recovery, Fischer Family Trust Wave 3, Boosting Reading @ Primary and Talking Partners @ Primary.
What is Reading Recovery?
Reading Recovery is a national one-to-one programme led by a specialist teacher for up to 20 weeks of daily half-hour lessons, for children who are struggling to get started with reading when they enter year 1. Our ECaR teacher is Mrs Di Napier, and she teaches the Reading Recovery programme in our Rocket Room.
Every 30 minute Reading Recovery lesson, planned individually for each child, includes:
Re-reading familiar books to build confidence and fluency;
Reading a book that was new the day before, and working on issues that arise;
Working on phonics (letters and sounds) and words;
Writing and reading our own sentences;
Meeting a new book, getting to know what it is about and how to read new words.
The aim is for the children to be able to read as well as an average child of their age by the end of the programme.
Links with home are very important, and parents/carers are encouraged to come in to observe their child having a lesson. So far, all parents have taken up this offer, and have said they find it very helpful. Every day, the children take home a familiar book to re-read, and a ‘cut-up sentence’ for them to put back together.
What is Fischer Family Trust Wave 3?
Fischer Family Trust Wave 3 is a one-to-one programme led by a specially qualified Teaching Assistant, daily for 15-20 minutes, for 10-20 weeks. Alternate days are spent on reading and writing.
What is Boosting Reading @ Primary?
Boosting Reading @ Primary is a one-to-one programme led by a specially qualified Teaching Assistant. It is for children in year 2 to year 6 who need a short intensive boost. It lasts for ten weeks, with three sessions each week.
What is Talking Partners @ Primary?
Talking Partners @ Primary is a small group programme led by a specially qualified Teaching Assistant. It is for children who lack skills and confidence as speakers and listeners, and is a ten week programme, with three sessions each week. Some children may benefit from this programme before one of the reading support programmes.
"My daughter started with the Every Child a Reader scheme in year 1 when she had not really grasped the basics of reading.
The sessions were enjoyable for my daughter, and from the very beginning this new approach to learning to read had a positive effect. Reading became a fun and interesting challenge and the home learning exercises were interesting and gave an opportunity for me to be involved. I also found going to observe some sessions extremely beneficial. My daughter is now in year 5 and her reading age is now age appropriate and she enjoys reading for pleasure at home and at school. I whole heartedly believe that the skills my daughter learned with the reading scheme have given her the ability and confidence to be the competent reader she is today".
Emma Teers
Please follow the link below for the DfE's report on Every Child a Reader's (ECaR) programme.
DfE-Evaluation-of-Every-Child-a-Reader