Reading and Phonics

The Mallard Academy is committed to providing our pupils with a high-quality education that prepares them for success. At the heart of this is our focus on developing strong reading skills, which are essential for unlocking a world of learning and opportunity.

Developing Fluent Readers

We believe that teaching pupils to read through the use of quality texts is fundamental to their academic and personal growth. Starting from Nursery, we implement the Read Write Inc. (RWI) phonics programme, which gives our young learners a solid foundation in the building blocks of reading.

As pupils progress through the school, we continue to prioritise the development of reading fluency. Through engaging, age-appropriate literature, our teachers guide pupils to read with increasing confidence, expression, and comprehension. By the time they reach the end of Key Stage 2, our pupils are well-equipped to tackle more complex texts and extract meaning from a variety of sources.

Phonics

At Mallard, we are determined that every pupil will learn to read, regardless of their background, needs or abilities. We aim to ensure that all pupils, including the weakest readers, make sufficient progress to meet or exceed age-related expectations.

The Mallard Academy follows the Read Write Inc. scheme. This programme matches the expectations of the National Curriculum. Teaching follows termly expectations for the teaching of GPC and word reading. 

Leaders prioritise time to ensure that phonics teaching shows fidelity to the scheme and there is consistency across school. This is achieved through show-casing best practice sessions, regular professional development and opportunities for the reading lead to coach and team-teach alongside colleagues in school. Standards are carefully monitored.

Read Write Inc. Phonics - Learning to read at home

https://www.ruthmiskin.com/parentsandcarers/ 

Writing

Writing and reading are closely linked and we ensure that children are reading daily, as well as being read to, in order to build on their knowledge of different genres of writing and develop their vocabulary.  Our writing teaching sequence has a clear research-informed structure which begins with providing the children with a model text to read, unpick and identify the purpose of and audience for the piece of writing.  Children then carry out a number of pre-writing activities focusing on the skills and features required for the genre of writing that they are working on; all grammar and punctuation skills are taught in the context of the writing that the children do.  Following this, they plan their writing using a variety of different graphic organisers and then write their first draft.  They receive feedback on this from the teacher and then edit and improve their writing before producing their polished piece that is shared with the audience.  Each of these stages is underpinned by high quality modelling by and shared writing with the teacher

Our aims are to:

  • Guide and nurture each individual on their own personal journeys to becoming successful writers.
  • Provide exciting writing opportunities and experiences that engage and enhance all pupils.
  •  We want all children to acquire a wide vocabulary and to be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn throughout their time in primary school.
  • We want all children to have a solid understanding of grammar and apply it effectively to their writing.
  • We want them to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
  • We believe that all children should be encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their writing, in part by developing a legible, cursive, individual handwriting style by the time they move to secondary school.
  • We want every child to have a good knowledge of phonics to springboard children to becoming fluent writers.
  • To plan a progressive curriculum to build upon previous teaching, with regular assessment to ensure each child’s needs are met to reach their full potential.

At Mallard we want to equip pupils with the knowledge to become fluent, accurate and creative writers. Please find below our whole school approach to writing and progression for pupils. 

Writing Intent

Handwriting

Children will be taught handwriting using a cursive style. 

Children in early years will be initially taught each individual letter before learning how to join them in a style called pre-cursive. In KS1 children will continue to work on letter formation and begin to attempt to join letters. In KS2, if children are already joining, they will continue to use the approach they have learned. However, where children have not yet grasped this, they will continue to be taught how to write in cursive joined handwriting.