English

Reading

Reading Intent

Reading is at the heart of all our learning and we view reading as an entitlement for all and know that reading is the key to academic success. By centering reading at the core of our curriculum we are instilling in all children an understanding that reading is a transferable skill that will benefit them in all subjects and later on in life. We ensure that the children read both in and out of reading lessons for a range of different purposes.

We aim to:

• Foster a love of reading by listening to, interacting and reading with a variety of narratives, non fiction and poetry texts incorporating cultural capital and diversity.
• Provide children with the necessary life-long skills they need in reading to ensure that they can read confidently, fluently and with secure understanding.
• Build a community of engaged readers who turn to reading for meaning and pleasure by engaging with parents and incorporating visits to our school and other libraries and local bookshops.
• Provide plenty of opportunities for reading for pleasure throughout the school day and week.
• Ensure reading is a transferable skill and that all children are reading across the wider curriculum.
• Maintain a consistent approach to teaching reading in order to close any gaps and to ensure the highest number of children leave Cranfield Academy reading at the expected standard fluently, with confidence and passion, in any subject by establishing an environment where reading for pleasure is at the forefront and for pupils to be able to access and acquire knowledge across the curriculum using their comprehension skills.

This will enable pupils to move readily into their next steps in their education journey.
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Our reading curriculum ensures that children have the opportunities for reading for practice, reading for meaning and reading for pleasure. Click the buttons below to find out more about our approach to phonics and reading across the school.

Phonics Intent 

Reading Intent 

Early Years Reading Progression 

Year 1 Reading Progression 

Year 2 Reading Progression 

Year 3 Reading Progression 

Year 4 Reading Progression 

How can I support my child's reading?

The below resources will be of use in supporting your child's reading development at home.

• Click here to view the Early Years and Key Stage One list of words to learn to read and spell.
• Click here to download look, say, cover, write check sheets for the Early Years and Key Stage One list of words to learn to read and spell.
• Click here to download look, say, cover, write check sheets for the Key Stage Two list of words to learn to read and spell.
• Click here to view the Year Three and Four list of words to learn to read and spell.
• General questions to Support Reading at Home
• Explore the Parenting Smart website for articles and videos of guidance.

Allow your child to access Phonics Play:

Username: Jan21
Password: hope

Writing

What is the intent of writing?

Here at Cranfield Church of England Academy, we believe that writing is a vital life skill that enables children to communicate effectively, express themselves creatively and develop their individual voice. Our approach to writing aims to:

• foster a love or writing from the earliest years
• develop confident writers who can write clearly and creatively for a range of purposes and audiences
• teach grammar, punctuation and sentence structure explicitly and progressively
• enrich pupils’ vocabulary and encourage ambitious language choices
• teach children the process of becoming effective writers

Our writing curriculum is carefully sequenced, beginning in reception with Drawing Club, and progressing through years 1-6 using the Grammarsaurus approach to writing.

In reception, Drawing Club provides a strong foundation for writing by developing children’s imagination, vocabulary and oral storytelling. Through drawing, discussion and mark-making, children learn to create meaning, talk about their ideas and begin to record them in writing. This approach nurtures a love of stories and builds children’s oral composition skills alongside the necessary transcription skills that are essential for writing success.

As children move into year 1 and beyond, the Grammarsaurus approach builds upon these early foundations. Each year begins with children engaging in the ‘Place Value of Grammar and Punctuation’ – an approach that focuses on the foundations of writing: grammar and punctuation. As the children move through their writing units, they are immersed in high-quality model texts in a range of genres. Grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly, progressively and in context which supports the children’s understanding of how to apply their knowledge. Children learn about how their language choices impact the reader and how grammar can be used to enhance meaning.

Transcription skills are explicitly taught, beginning in reception and continuing into Key Stage 2 with discreet handwriting lessons using the PenPals Handwriting scheme.

Spelling is a priority at Cranfield and this begins with the teaching of phonics in reception and year 1 through the Floppy Phonics programme. From year 2, we teach spellings with a focus on morphology and etymology using the Grammarsaurus spelling scheme, which complements our approach to writing through the explicit teaching of spellings that are then put them in context to secure the children’s knowledge and understanding.

Through our ambitious curriculum, we ensure clear progression in the necessary knowledge and skills for writing so that when our children leave us, they are equipped with the creativity, spelling, grammatical understanding, confidence and love of writing to enable them to be successful in their future learning and beyond.