English

At Sawtry Infant School, we aim for children to:

• Develop a positive attitude and enthusiasm for English learning;
• Express themselves clearly and confidently;
• Become independent and fluent readers;
• To write for different purposes;
• To take pride in their work.

English learning is taught daily throughout the week. We provide:

• One daily lesson to explore key texts; children learn new vocabulary and apply this to their independent writing (see ‘English lessons & Writing’ below);
• A direct Phonics session, delivered using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised (see ‘Phonics & Reading Practice’ below);
• Reading Practice sessions three times a week, enhanced with using matched decodable texts;
• A daily story time using a recommended year group text;
• Handwriting twice a week.

If you wish to read further information and find support with Phonics and Early Reading, please visit our dedicated page here. 

English lessons & Writing

Our Writing lessons learning are delivered as units of work, involving ‘phases’, which build on children’s language and writing skills using a carefully chosen key text. The key text is the focus for the unit and children work together to act out or explore the story in Speaking and Listening activities. Then, the language and grammar in the focus book is explored and children practice using this in their own work. Finally, children will independently write, in different genres, using the learning they have learned from their experience of the key text. We deliver our English learning using the following structure:

Handwriting

Our handwriting lessons also follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. We spend two 30 minutes sessions a week in Key Stage 1 to focus on the correct formation and sizing of letters. This includes learning good posture for handwriting, where to start and end each letter and where they sit on the line correctly. We use the ‘formation phrases’ as provided by Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. Please see these below.

Assessing English learning

• Evidence of children's work (such as writing across the curriculum) and teacher's knowledge of the children, enable teachers to input termly assessments of children's Reading and Writing. 
• For Phonics, in each year group, there is a review session which recaps and revisits previously taught learning. There are also whole review weeks; these are pre-planned and bespoke review weeks to address gaps in children’s knowledge.
• Children who are identified as in danger of falling behind in Phonics are immediately identified and daily ‘keep up’ sessions are put in place – these sessions follow the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme.
• In Reception and Year 1, children are assessed at the end of every half term using the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised assessment tracker. This also gives teachers guidance on the appropriate book level to allocate to individual children.
• Year 1 children complete the statutory Phonics Screening Check in the Summer term. Year 2 children who did not meet the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check in Year will retake this in Year 2. The result of these scores are reported to parents in their child’s end of school year report.