How we teach English at Beaconside

Phonics and Early Reading at Beaconside

Phonics:

At Beaconside, the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme is used; this is a synthetic phonics programme which is structured to enable children to learn to read and write.  

Phonics teaching starts in the Early Years with daily phonics sessions. These sessions include a speed sound session. Later on in the programme, storybook sessions are introduced. 

• Children will learn the alphabetic code, initially learning one way of reading each of the 40+ sounds.
• Segmenting and blending are taught through 'special friends, Fred talk, read the word'. 
• Further in the programme, children will learn alternative graphemes for the sounds they have learnt.
• Phonics books are closely matched to sound knowledge. Books are focused on during phonics lessons and are then sent home to support decoding and fluency.
• Read Write Inc. focusses on the phrase 'keep up, not catch up'. One-to-one or small group sessions are used to support phonics teaching by focusing on any sound gaps. 

Read Write Inc. supporting documents for parents and carers

Reading at Beaconside

Whole Class Reading:

Reading from year 2 to year 6 is taught using a whole class approach. Teachers use a combination of key high-quality texts from our school reading spine and a selection of extracts. These include fiction, non-fiction, poetry and song lyrics. Children will be taught progressive reading skills which enable them to have full comprehension of a text. 

Independent Reading:

All children will be listened to by adults in school. They will have their reading recorded by the adult in a reading folder consistent to each class. Reception and year 1 children will be given books linking to the Phonics set they are working on from the Read Write Inc Phonics scheme. This is an opportunity for children to practise blending of sounds they have been learning and also familiar sounds from previous learning. These books are carefully matched and children will be assessed every half term to ensure book levels are accurate in terms of both decoding and comprehension. 

From year 2 onwards, children will be assessed for accuracy using the school’s chosen running record (Assertive Mentoring). This should happen once every half term to ensure that children are on the correct book banding. Books for reading at home are matched to instructional level (90-95% accuracy). When children have completed the scheme book bandings they become ‘free readers’. They can then select their own reading book either from the library, the class reading area or from home. Book banding is determined according to fluency and comprehension of the text. 

Frequent readers: These children will be identified by English leaders and communicated to class teachers. These children will be listened to reading their reading book on a daily basis.

Writing at Beaconside

Writing at Beaconside

At Beaconside, we believe that writing should be meaningful, engaging and creative. We place a strong emphasis on developing essential writing skills while providing children with opportunities to write for a range of purposes and audiences across the curriculum.

Through high-quality literature, inspiring experiences and purposeful writing opportunities, we aim to develop confident, enthusiastic and independent writers who take pride in their work.

Our Writing Curriculum – Ready Steady Write

At Beaconside, we follow Ready Steady Write by Literacy Counts, an evidence-based writing scheme that provides a structured and progressive approach to teaching writing from Early Years through to Year 6.

Built around high-quality, language-rich texts, Ready Steady Write inspires creativity while developing children's vocabulary, sentence construction and composition skills. Carefully sequenced lessons, teacher modelling and opportunities for independent writing enable children to develop their skills and confidence as writers.

Our writing curriculum is closely aligned with the National Curriculum, ensuring clear progression across year groups. Through adaptive teaching and appropriate support, we aim to ensure that every child can experience success and achieve their potential.

Grammar and Punctuation

Grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly and meaningfully within our writing lessons. Through regular sentence accuracy activities, children develop the skills to construct, improve and refine their sentences, applying their knowledge confidently in independent writing.

Spelling

From Year 2 to Year 6, children follow a structured approach to spelling once they have completed the Read Write Inc. Phonics programme. Regular spelling sessions teach key rules, patterns and strategies, following National Curriculum expectations.

Weekly spelling activities are shared through Purple Mash, providing opportunities for children to practise and consolidate their learning at home.

Celebrating Writing

We encourage children to take pride in their writing and recognise the importance of writing for a purpose and audience. Across school, children's work is celebrated through classroom displays and opportunities to share their achievements, recognising creativity, effort and progress.