Writing

Subject Lead: Mrs Bradshaw

     

At St. Joseph’s, we provide a purposeful, progressive, and empowering curriculum for every child. We celebrate diversity and nurture curiosity through engaging learning experiences. Rooted in a love of literature, faith, Gospel values, and British values, our unique curriculum drivers shape everything we do. They help children understand their place in their community and the wider world, build meaningful experiences, and inspire them to achieve their best, knowing endless possibilities await beyond school.

Intent

At St. Joseph’s we intend for children to:

  • develop a love for writing as a lifelong means for communication and expression
  • write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
  • value and explore diverse literature

Implementation

At St. Joseph’s, we follow the English National Curriculum when teaching writing. To ensure progress across the school we have our Writing Progression of Skills document which documents progression in; writing composition, oracy and vocabulary, grammar and punctuation, handwriting and presentation.

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The flow chart below outlines the teaching sequence when teaching a different genre of writing. This sequence may take up to two weeks to implement, depending on the age of the children and the genre being studied.

This teaching sequence begins with a hook, this is to engage children’s imagination and interest using a variety of stimuli.
A high-quality text is then introduced, ranging from picture books to Shakespeare, and books linked to other curriculum areas. 
A WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like) is provided to guide children in their extended writing for a specific genre. Since writing can take many directions, a WAGOLL sets a clear end goal. Seeing a strong example helps pupils assess whether they have included the required features in their own work. At this stage, they also review the genre’s success criteria, which follow a progressive framework across all writing genres taught in school. The teaching focus then moves to studying the structure and features of the chosen genre. In all year groups, children study a variety of genres, these are;

  • Recounts
  • Newspaper Reports
  • A range of story types
  • Balanced Argument
  • Biography
  • Instructions
  • Letters
  • Non-chronological report
  • Persuasive writing
  • Poetry


We encourage children to always take pride in their writing and to respect their books. The teaching of handwriting is progressive across school and is supported by www.letterjoin.co.uk.


The National Curriculum spelling statutory requirements are taught using Spelling Shed activities to ensure consistency across the school.

Reading

Subject Lead: Mrs Bradshaw

     

A warm welcome to our Reading page. At St Joseph's, our curriculum has been designed to excite and inspire all of our children, ensuring it is purposeful, progressive and meaningful for every child. At St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we believe that reading is the key for academic success. We value reading as a key life skill and are dedicated to enabling pupils to become lifelong readers.

Intent 

At our school, we intend to create an environment where reading is not only encouraged but celebrated. A place where children are read to regularly, fostering a love of literature and enhancing their comprehension skills using high-quality texts tailored to ignite curiosity, promote discussion, and engage children. 

 

Implementation 

Reading is taught through a structured, systematic approach beginning with high-quality phonics instruction, starting in the Early Years using the Read Write Inc programme - to find out more about Phonics at St Joseph's, see our Phonics Policy. 

Group reading, whole class reading and one to one reading is used to meet the needs and abilities of all pupils. 

In Nursery, children take home story sacks and books to share with their families. Children are also given a picture only reading book to encourage early reading by building storytelling skills, vocabulary, and comprehension through visual cues, while also supporting language acquisition. 

Formal daily phonic teaching begins in week 1 in Reception and continue into KS1. During daily phonic sessions, children read a RWI book based on their phonic ability, to apply the phonics being taught, additionally, this reading session supports the development of fluency, prosody and comprehension skills. 

Pupils in Reception and KS1 also read with their class teacher or teaching assistant during class group reading sessions at least twice a week using a non-RWI fiction or non-fiction text. Comprehension is only recorded by the child in Year 2 when the teacher deems this appropriate.  

When deemed ready by the class teacher (generally towards the end of Y2), pupils access our online reading platform, Accelerated Reader. This platform personalises the reading experience by recommending books based on each child’s reading level and interests, from a library of over 200,000 titles. After finishing a book, pupils complete a comprehension quiz to reinforce understanding. Accelerated Reader is also available at home, encouraging ongoing engagement. 

In KS2, there are daily groups reading sessions, these are led by adults at least twice a week. Sessions also include a written comprehension focus, which includes the use of questions (VIPERS) linked to the text read with the adult, and Accelerated Reader. Written comprehension increases throughout KS2 and may also include short extract comprehensions. 

 

Pupils are taught the skills of reading, outlined in the National Curriculum and the KS1 and KS2 test domains.  

In St. Joseph’s, we focus on the following reading skills. 

• Vocabulary 

• Inference 

• Prediction 

• Explain 

• Retrieve  

• Sequence/Summarise 

 

The following skills are modelled, taught and practiced during one-to-one reading, whole class reading and discussion, and through group reading sessions.

Home/School Reading 

 

Reception & Year 1: Pupils take home three books—two phonically decodable and one from the school library—to encourage enjoyment and practice. 

When ready, children have access to a wide range of reading books to take home for them to take home, all books are banded. 

Home Reading Incentives: Initiatives like ‘5 for 5’reward children for reading at least five minutes, five times a week.  

‘Reading is a Treasure’ awards golden coins for each home reading session. 

 

Other Reading Opportunities 

Every class has ‘story time’ at least once a day, where the teacher takes the opportunity to model reading. 

Our approach to writing is text/novel based, so children are exposed to shared reading during English lessons. In Year 5 and 6 children have their own copy of the English text being taught. 

Throughout their education, children are exposed to a diverse range of genres, texts and authors to deepen comprehension and develop a genuine love of reading – texts are woven throughout the curriculum. 

Reading for Pleasure is promoted using class libraries, our school library, visiting our local library, author visits, buddy reading, celebrating World Book Day, ‘Starbooks’ and providing children opportunities to read quietly. 

School Library Access: Our dedicated library space allows children to explore and immerse themselves in a wide variety of texts.  

Access to a Wide Range of Books: Pupils are encouraged to use classroom reading areas and libraries alongside their reading scheme books. We keep them stocked with exciting, engaging texts. 

World Book Day Celebrations: Activities include ‘Book in a Box’ competitions, book swaps, sales, staff sharing favourite reads, and a themed book café. 

Topical books are displayed all throughout school, including corridors.  

Lunchtime Reading Clubs. 

Reading Rangers: Selected pupils champion reading across the school. They read with buddies, monitor reading areas, track ‘golden coin’ rewards, and support use of outdoor reading spaces.  

Author Visits: Real-life authors visit school to inspire and engage children with the world of writing and storytelling.   

Book Fairs: These provide families with opportunities to purchase books for home reading and help fund new high-quality texts for school.  

 

Assessment 

Daily formative assessment through group reading sessions and comprehension activities. 

Pupils in EYFS and Year 1 are assessed using RWI diagnostic and progress checks. 

Children from Year 2 onwards are assessed termly using standardised tests. Year 2 previous SATs, Year 3 to 5 use NFER termly reading assessments and Year 6 are assessed using previous Year 6 SATs papers.  

Each time a child completes a book on Accelerated Reader, they take an online quiz and receive immediate feedback. This platform tracks pupils’ reading practice and provides valuable insights to guide future learning. 

At the start of each term, pupils in Year 2 to Year 6 also complete the Star Reading online test. This provides accurate data, including reading age (in years and months) and a zone of proximal development (ZPD). This data helps us tailor reading instruction and book selection to support each child’s progress. 

 

Our Universal Reading Offer

Tier 1 Universal Offer 

  • High-quality, inclusive teaching that benefits all pupils. 

  • Read Write Inc. phonics from EYFS to Year 2 – Daily for EYFS and KS1, ‘keep up’ groups are used for children in KS2 where needed. 

  • Daily group reading sessions per week. 

  • Whole class reading daily – Story Time. 

  • Text/novel-based writing curriculum. 

  • Progressive Reading Spines. 

  • Accelerated Reading programme to ensure correct assessment of reading levels. 

 

Tier 2 Targeted 

  • Additional support for pupils who are not making expected progress. 

  • One to one reading at least three times per week, focusing on the skill identified on an individual basis. 

  • Use of ‘Keep Up’ phonics intervention sessions. 

  • One to one reading as ‘keep up’ sessions for individual children. 

  • Reading Buddies – Peer mentoring. 

  • In class adaptations, scaffolds and support. 

 

Tier 3 Intensive 

  • High personalised support for pupils with barriers to reading. 

  • One to reading daily, focusing on the skill identified on an individual basis. 

  • Use of Toe-by-Toe intervention 

  • Access to AR diagnostic assessment. 

  • Specialist involvement – SENCO, Educational Psychologist referral, Cognition and Learning team, Speech and Language etc. 

  • In class adaptations, scaffolds and support. 

 

Impact 

Children leave St Joseph’s: 

Enjoying reading across a range of genres and have a positive attitude towards reading.

Well prepared for the next stage of their learning, having developing skills and habits needed to read independently, critically and for pleasure. 

 

Pupil Voice 

We love to gather the thoughts and opinions of our children. This helps us to refine and improve our practice. Here is a summary of results from our most recent survey:  

Oracy

Subject Lead: Mrs Bradshaw

Intent 

At St. Joseph’s, we are committed to nurturing our pupils’ voices so they feel confident, valued and heard. We strive to develop articulate speakers who can express their thoughts and feelings openly and confidently, enabling them to engage with others and navigate the world with self-belief. 

Oracy is a vital thread running through our curriculum. By embedding high-quality talk into everyday learning, we support pupils in developing the skills they need to think critically, communicate effectively and become confident, articulate citizens. 

 

Implementation 

Oracy is woven into the fabric of our curriculum and daily routines. We use purposeful strategies and resources to promote both learning through talk and learning to talk, including: 

  • Planned discussions in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, including "Think, Pair, Share" and goal-free problems in maths. 

  • Sentence stems to scaffold responses, e.g., “I disagree because…” or “Have you considered…?” 

  • Reading in Mass and assembly. 

  • Drama activities such as hot seating and role play. 

  • Debating and presenting opportunities. 

  • Choral reading to build fluency and confidence. 

  • Weekly British Values assemblies using Picture News to explore current events. 

  • Participation in Trust-wide events, such as Debate Mate. 

  • Staff modelling of high-quality oracy to provide consistent role models. 

  • Teachers use probing questions, participation strategies, and prompts like sentence stems to deepen understanding. 

 

Types of Talk 

As children progress through school, they encounter a range of oracy challenges and opportunities that build on prior learning. These experiences are designed to develop confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to speak effectively in front of diverse audiences. 

Pupils engage in a variety of talk types, including: 

  • Exploratory Talk - Working with a group, expressing what their opinion is, answering questions posed to them 

  • Recitation - Reciting individually or collectively information they know, reading aloud  

  • Debate and Persuasion - Sharing opinions for agreeing and disagreeing, holding debates. 

  • Informing and Teaching - Explaining a method to a group/the class  

  • Entertainment and Expression – Reading aloud with prosody during group reading sessions, role play or drama.