English
At Holy Spirit Primary School, we believe that English is a key life skill.
English is central to all children’s emotional, intellectual and social development. It has a pivotal role across the breadth of the curriculum and helps pupils’ learning to be both coherent and progressive.
Through the English curriculum, we strive to support our children to develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively through spoken and written language. We hope that through a broad and rich English curriculum we will equip them with the skills to become lifelong learners.
English is at the heart of all learning. It enables children both to communicate with others effectively and to examine their own and others’ experiences, feelings and ideas, giving order and meaning in everyday life.
We believe that Reading is a life skill that every child should be entitled to. When children have the ability to read and decode text, so much of the world is opened up. We want not only to inspire our children through books but also to promote a love of reading that empowers children to become life- long readers. We want children at Holy Spirit to see reading as the gateway to exciting other worlds, the opening of our imaginations and the key to our knowledge.
I have lived a thousand lives and I’ve loved a thousand loves. I’ve walked on different worlds and seen the end of time. Because I read.George R. R. Martin
We firmly believe that the teaching of the English curriculum should be inclusive to all children and we endeavour to inspire all through outstanding learning experiences. We hope to enable children to make excellent progress and to continue on from Holy Spirit Primary School as responsible, happy individuals with deep rooted love of Reading and Writing.
Phonics
At Holy Spirit, We use the Read Write Inc Phonics Programme to get children in EYFS and Key stage One, off to a flying start with their language, reading and writing skills. RWI Phonics is a method of learning centred around letter sounds and phonics , and we use it to aid children in their reading and writing. Each member of staff has received extensive Ruth Miskin Training, rated outstanding by Ofsted, to ensure consistent practice across the whole school.
How does RWI help children read?
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Children learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letter groups using simple picture prompts and catchy phrases.
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Learn to read using Fred Talk.
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Read lively stories featuring words they have learned to sound out.
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Show that they comprehend stories by answering questions.
How does RWI Phonics help children write?
- Learn to write the letters/letter groups which represent 44 sounds
- Learn to write words by saying the sounds in Fred Talk
- Write simple sentences
Resources
Visit the Ruth Miskin website to support the teaching and learning of Read Write Inc phonics
https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/
Visit the parent pages on the Ruth Miskin Training website
https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/
Find out how to support your child at home
https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/
If you require any further information please contact our English Lead, Mrs Trentham, via the school office.
Read Write Inc Spelling
The Read Write Inc (RWI) Spelling Programme follows on from the RWI Phonics Programme with the aim of getting every child to spell effortlessly. It is a stand-alone programme for children in Year 2 to Year 6 and has been specially created to meet the demands of the National Curriculum. Each member of staff has received extensive Ruth Miskin Training, rated outstanding by Ofsted, to ensure consistent practice across the whole school.
What is RWI Spelling
RWI Spelling embeds impressive skills quickly and effectively filling the gaps in children’s knowledge. To keep children engaged, aliens introduce spelling rules on an exciting online spelling planet and children complete quick-fire activities in their spelling logs. Progress is accurately recorded using practice tests and teachers learn how to move children on quickly.
How does RWI Spelling work?
RWI Spelling is a daily 15 minute interactive programme which uses a variety of resources and activities to engage and to enthuse the children in their learning. It helps children to learn spellings with common patterns and uses rules in order to help them recall spellings as well as teaching exceptions to these rules. Individual workbooks allow children to practise their spellings and the teaching naturally follows on from the Spell Review part of the RWI Phonics Programme. Log books give children ownership of their spellings and allow for further consolidation.
Session 1 introduces the children to the new spelling pattern for the week using a video which takes the children to the ‘Spelling Zone’.
Session 2 engages the children in a quick recap of the previous learning and then the children complete in a word changing activity.
Session 3 focuses the children on identifying words they need to learn and writing them in their log books in order for them to practise throughout the week.
Session 4 encourages the children to work in pairs to peer assess each other's work, focusing on choosing a correct word from a given set in order to complete a sentence.
Session 5 allows the children time to unpick a choice of difficult words and an opportunity to spell them correctly.
How can you support your child with RWI Spelling at home?
We have included some support materials, to help you help your child at home. Please click on the links below or if you have any problems downloading these files or would like a paper copy, please do not hesitate to contact our English Lead, Mrs Trentham, via the school office.
Holy_Spirit_Primary_School_phonics_information_for_parents.pdf