Literacy
"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."Albus Dumbledore
Reading
At Clarendon Junior School, children will learn to read with confidence, fluency and understanding. We aim to provide them with the skills required to access a wide range of material as well as achieve a lifetime of enjoyment through reading.
Reading at Clarendon Junior School
At Clarendon Junior School, there is strong consolidation of decoding skills alongside a clear emphasis on comprehension.
Developing Reading for Pleasure
School Library
We are very lucky to have a fantastic library which promotes authors and has a wide range of reading material to appeal to all pupils. A child from each class is a school librarian and help to keep the library tidy and well-organised as well as being on hand to offer advice if needed. Children's suggestions for new books are encouraged and often purchased!
- Clarendon Junior School encourages a love of reading by holding book-themed days and events both as individual classes and across the whole school e.g. World Book Day.
- We aim to share a variety of literature. Book Fairs are held to allow all children the chance to look at new books of all genres and hopefully purchase a new book of their own to take home!
- Our well-stocked school library promotes authors and a range of reading material to appeal to all pupils. Children's suggestions for new books are encouraged and purchased.
- Authors are invited in to talk and work with our children. Our most recent author (Guy Bass) visited us remotely.
- The West End Schools Theatre Company has taken every class to do workshops. The most recent of which was 'Books through Dance' which focussed on Alice in Wonderland.
- Children are encouraged to use reading records to fill in every time they read at home. Every 25 days of reading at home, the children have a certificate signed in their records and move their apple on the class reading tree in display.
- Children have access to a website called Reading Eggs which gives them access to texts and books to read alongside games and activities linked to reading.
Assessment of Reading
- Reading is assessed regularly and monitored on the school tracking system.
- Children in the school are assessed using the Salford reading test to check progress in their reading age relative to their chronological age.
- Rising Stars PIRA tests are used in Year 3,4,5 in order to provide standardised assessment scores at the end of the autumn, spring and summer term.
- Year 6 use past and current QCA SATs tests at the end of every half-term.
- For some children, interventions are provided for children who require additional support. The school SENCO and (if necessary) external agencies are involved to support children if needed.
Clarendon Junior School Reading Spine
Alongside Clarendon Infant School, Clarendon Junior School has developed a ‘Reading Spine’ of core, high quality texts for each year group from EYFS to Year 6. It consists of wide range of books to inspire and enthuse children’s reading. Both schools are incredibly passionate about providing children with high quality texts to help them become confident, lifelong readers. The children also provided their choices for our Reading Spine!
The texts are shared with all the children in different ways – they may be read to the children, used a stimulus for writing in English lessons or during reading celebration days.
The books on the spine are a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry to ensure children explore a breadth of text types and genres to help them find their favourite. This spine has been inspired by the ‘5 Plagues of Reading’ which ensures children are exposed to different text types such as: archaic language, non-linear narrative, symbolism, complexity of narrator and resistant texts. We have also included texts which are diverse, encourage oral storytelling and promote well-being.
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Writing
Clarendon Junior School aims to ensure that the children learn to write clearly, with neat and legible handwriting, to spell and punctuate accurately and to write in grammatically correct sentences. Further, we focus on the need to be able to communicate effectively for a range of audiences and purposes. The children are provided with the skills to communicate effectively both at secondary school and beyond.
Writing at Clarendon Junior School
Children at Clarendon Junior School are taught how to plan, draft, edit and improve their writing. These skills are then practised across all areas of the curriculum. Writing at Clarendon Junior School is seen in many forms - word and sentence level activities, independent, modelled, shared and paired - and requires an awareness of audience, purpose and context.
Spellings
- Alongside decodable words, the reading and spelling of common exception/tricky words (those which can't be sounded out) are taught. Spelling rules and strategies are taught across all year groups to help the children to spell accurately.
- Clarendon Junior School encourages all children to explore words and think about the origins and connections between words.
- Clarendon Junior School aims to embed spelling opportunities in all areas of the curriculum.
- For some children, interventions are provided for children who require additional support. The school SENCO and (if necessary) external agencies are involved to support children if needed.
- No-Nonsense Spelling is used to support the teaching of spelling in every year group.
- On the Reading Eggs website, children can access activities and games to help support them with their peelings as well.
- Children are invited to take part in a Christmas Spelling Bee in Autumn 2 and a Summer Spelling Bee at the end of the year. These take place in classes and then in year groups.
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
- Through discussion and reading, children's vocabulary is developed. Children are taught grammatical concepts and then encouraged to apply and identify these in the written and spoken word.
- Each class has a word wall with new vocabulary discussed, clarified weekly.
- Specific punctuation and grammatical terminology is taught in each year group. Opportunities to rehearse these are provided in all areas of the curriculum.
Handwriting
- The Nelson Scheme is followed at Clarendon Junior School. From the middle of their first year with us in Year 3, the children write in pen. All children are encouraged to work hard to present their writing so that it is neat, fluent and able to be read easily.
- For some children, interventions are provided for children who require additional support. The school SENCO and (if necessary) external agencies are involved to support children if needed.
- The focus on neat presentation is encouraged by earning the blue ruler. A piece of work is chosen every week to go in a display book and the child who produced this is able to use the blue ruler in class all week.
Speaking and Listening
Clarendon Junior School aim to foster the ability in every child to communicate and express themselves with peers and adults clearly and confidently.
Children learn to express their ideas verbally, to discuss and debate issues with others, listening and responding to alternative views. They learn that their choice of language and sentence structure must be varied to reflect the purpose and audience of their conversation. School productions at Christmas and the end of the year allow the children to practise their skills in a creative and exciting way.
Literacy Events at Clarendon Junior School
Autumn 1 2023
'This is Me' Poetry Competition
Autumn 2 2023
Author Visit -Joffre White Click on the link to see two stories by our children that have been 'published' on his website. https://www.joffrewhite.com/young-writers-in-schools
Christmas Spelling Bee
Spring 2 2024 Take One Poem
World Book Day 7th March 2024
Travelling Book Fair 12th -18th March
West End Schools Theatre Company - Books Through Dance
Summer 1 2023
M&M Productions - whole school performance of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Summer 2 2023
Summer Spelling Bee