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Darley Dene Primary School

English

Phonics

At Darley Dene, we teach phonics following the Little Wandle scheme combined with the Jolly Phonic pictures, stories, actions and songs. We start in Nursery and Reception by teaching the children to orally blend and segment words before they learn to read and write the letters.  In Reception and Year One, they are taught one way of spelling and reading all 44 phonemes (sounds) in the English Language, e.g. k, ee, sh. In Year One and Two, they are taught alternative spellings of these, e.g. ai, ay, a-e. In Year Two and beyond, they are taught to read and spell more complex words.

Reading

Reading opens the door to the wider curriculum for all children and, therefore, we endeavour to develop the full potential of all our pupils so they leave Darley Dene as confident, literate readers. 

Early reading skills are developed through Little Wandle, a structured synthetic phonics programme.  Daily sessions provide pupils with the opportunities to recall and apply learning, such as decoding and blending, in a consistent and engaging way.  A rigorous approach equips pupils with the foundations on which to become fluent and enthusiastic readers.

We strive to embed a culture of reading; placing it at the core of all we do. All pupils have access to a range of high-quality texts within the curriculum, in class book areas and the school library to further develop their vocabulary, fluency and comprehension, as well as fostering a life-long passion and appreciation for reading.  Through reading, a child is able to visit new places, meet a range of characters and explore new ideas. Time to read independently, in a group and as part of a whole class is valued and prioritised.

Writing

At Darley Dene we place high quality children’s literature at the heart of our writing curriculum by implementing the Power of Reading. Our intent is to provide children with the skills to write confidently and communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas to others effectively as well as, developing their love for writing. Regular opportunities are given across the whole curriculum for children to use and apply the written and spoken language skills they have acquired. This can be through trips and visits, exciting hooks to capture their imagination or introducing the first line in the new text to engage and excite children.

The curriculum across the school is thoroughly thought out and progressive, which ensures children build on their skills and knowledge and have the chance to develop their skills in a range of genres. Every week children have the opportunity to plan, write, edit and improve their writing and as they progress through the school further emphasis is added to developing an awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. We also intend for children to leave school being able to use fluent and legible handwriting and explicit time is given each week to practise and improve this skill. With regards to spelling, teachers show children how to understand the relationships between words as well as how to work out and clarify the meanings of unknown words and words with more than one meaning. 

Above all, we aim for children to take pride in their writing and presentation and as a school we celebrate and share our children’s successes with each other.

Oracy

Darley Dene recently started a programme with Voice 21, introducing an Oracy Framework alongside classroom tools and strategies to further develop our practice. It will provide opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident and successful learners, with high aspirations, who know how to make a positive contribution to society. From this work, children will be able to articulate their learning clearly by learning to talk and learning through talk.

Our vision at Darley Dene is for the Oracy Curriculum to enable our children to have the confidence to use their voice; choosing how to articulate their thoughts, feelings, opinions and ideas in a variety of situations for different audiences. Our children will understand the impact their voice can have on their future success and that of the community in which they are part of.

Darley Dene Primary School