At High Meadow Community School, our aim is to help children develop fluency in, and a love for, the English language through both the spoken and written word. We recognise that English is a core subject within the National Curriculum and a prerequisite for educational progress.

Mastery over language empowers children to function effectively in a literate society, enabling them to communicate not only at a functional level but also on a creative and imaginative plane. We strive for all children to be literate, fostering their ability to express their thoughts, emotions, and ideas clearly and confidently.

Our commitment to high-quality English education ensures that children are equipped with the skills necessary to engage with a wide range of texts, participate in meaningful discussions, and express themselves through writing. By nurturing a passion for literature and language, we prepare our children for success in their future educational journeys and beyond.

Together, we create a vibrant learning environment where every child can thrive as a confident communicator and a lifelong lover of the English language.

Early Reading and Phonics

Reception and Year 1

At High Meadow Community School, we are committed to fostering a love for reading from the very beginning of a child's educational journey. We teach early reading through the systematic, synthetic phonics programme, Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. This structured approach ensures that children have a solid foundation in phonics, enabling them to become fluent readers as they progress through their early years.

From the start of Reception, children engage in daily phonics lessons that adhere to the carefully designed progression of the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds programme. Our phonics instruction lasts for 30 minutes each day, beginning with 10-minute lessons in Reception. To enhance their learning experience, we incorporate additional daily oral blending games, gradually transitioning to full-length lessons as quickly as possible. Each Friday, we dedicate time to review the week’s teaching, reinforcing the skills learned and helping children gain fluency in their reading.

Children make a strong start in Reception, with phonics teaching commencing in Week 2 of the Autumn term. We follow the expectations of progress set out by Little Wandle Letters and Sounds, introducing four new phonemes and their corresponding graphemes (GPCs) each week. The final lesson of the week is dedicated to reviewing the week’s learning, ensuring that children consolidate their understanding. During these sessions, children also learn tricky words, which are essential for developing their reading skills.

Throughout the Autumn and Spring terms, Reception children focus on learning Phase 2 and Phase 3 GPCs, before progressing to Phase 4 in the final term. In Year 1, we begin the Autumn term with three weeks of revision covering Phases 2, 3, and 4 before moving on to Phase 5, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Year 2 children will start the year by revisiting Phase 5 and other previously taught phases to ensure complete confidence in applying these GPCs in both their reading and writing.

To monitor progress and inform our teaching, we conduct half-termly assessments throughout Reception and Year 1. These assessments help identify any gaps in phonics knowledge and allow us to provide additional practice where needed. Daily assessments within the classroom enable our staff to quickly identify any children who may be at risk of falling behind, allowing us to implement appropriate ‘Keep Up’ interventions to support their learning journey.

At High Meadow Community School, we believe that a strong foundation in phonics is crucial for developing confident and capable readers, and we are dedicated to providing the highest quality of phonics instruction for all our children.

For support with the pronunciation of the phonemes taught, please refer to the video links here

Reading Practice Sessions

Children in Reception, Year 1 and 2, read fully decodable books with an adult 3 times per week during our ‘Reading Practice’ sessions. Our ‘Reading Squad’ deliver reading practice sessions in small groups to teach de-coding, prosody and comprehension during these sessions. This ensures that children have regular practise each week and can celebrate their developing skills and phonetic knowledge with family over the weekend and continue to build their reading fluency.

Some children may need 1:1 intervention or small group sessions, which is assessed on a daily and weekly basis.

Children who are not reading fluently by the end of Key Stage 1 are placed on the 7+ Reading Programme, to ensure that they catch up with their peers.

We are rigorous in our approach, and committed to ensuring all children leave High Meadow Community school being able to read well and able to read in order to access all areas of the curriculum.

Our mission is to teach a love of reading, and children are exposed to high-quality texts across the curriculum to support this aim.

                                                                       

Reading for Pleasure at High Meadow Community School

Daily Storytime Escape 

At High Meadow Community School, reading for pleasure remains a whole school priority. We believe that fostering a love for reading is essential to our children's development and reading enjoyment has been reported as more important for children's educational success than their family's socio-economic status (OECD, 2022). A Reading for Pleasure culture must be planned for and promoted throughout the school in a variety of ways.

Following lunchtime, every day, teachers read aloud the class book to the children; our dedicated reading sessions focus on reading for pleasure, providing an enriching environment where children can simply listen to a story being read to them.

During these sessions, teachers model how to read expressively, demonstrating the joy and excitement that comes from engaging with a text. They do not stop unnecessarily to ask clarification or comprehension questions. Instead, they allow the story to weave its own magic, only pausing occasionally where necessary to define any important vocabulary. This expressive reading not only captivates our children but also helps them develop their own reading fluency and comprehension skills.

Books are selected carefully by the teacher, however there is also a collaborative process where pupils can make suggestions for the next read, which ensures there is a wide variety of authors and genres introduced and enjoyed throughout the year. This approach allows our children to discover new interests and broaden their literary horizons, nurturing a lifelong passion for reading.

By prioritising reading for pleasure, we aim to create a vibrant reading culture that encourages all children to explore the wonderful world of books.

Our Library

At High Meadow Community School, our whole school library serves as a vibrant space where children can immerse themselves in a diverse range of literature. The collection is meticulously curated by our dedicated English Team and School Librarian, ensuring that it meets the varied interests and reading levels of all our children.

We are proud to have a team of enthusiastic 'School Librarians' who open the library daily, providing the entire school community with access during lunchtime. This initiative empowers our children to take full charge of the library operations, using our 'Accessit' Software to efficiently log books in and out. In addition to fostering a love for reading, our librarians run a monthly reading challenge and highlight an 'Author of the Month,' allowing children to explore new authors and genres while enhancing their literary knowledge and appreciation. Through these initiatives, we aim to create an engaging and supportive environment that nurtures a lifelong passion for reading.

High Meadow Online School Library

We also subscribe to Warwickshire School Library Service, which helps to supplement our stock every year with the latest releases and award winners.  We also receive project boxes which provide every class with topic-related books and resources every half-term.

Warwickshire School Library Service

 

Writing

At High Meadow Community School, we believe that effective writing is a vital skill that empowers our children to express their thoughts, ideas, and creativity. To cultivate this skill, we implement an engaging 'Writing Week' each week, culminating in an independent writing piece every Friday.

Our Writing Week begins on Monday with an exploration of a model text. In this initial lesson, children delve into the features, structure, and grammatical elements of the genre being studied. This foundational understanding allows them to become familiar with the specific characteristics of different writing styles.

Throughout the week, we focus on enhancing writing skills through targeted lessons on grammar and punctuation. Children engage in interactive activities that deepen their understanding of these essential components, ensuring they can apply them effectively in their writing.

As the week progresses, we guide our pupils through the planning stage, encouraging them to brainstorm, select high quality vocabulary and outline their ideas. We also provide opportunities for shared writing, where children collaborate and learn from one another, fostering a supportive writing community.

By Friday, our children are well-prepared to showcase their learning through an independent writing piece. This structured approach not only builds their confidence but also equips them with the tools they need to become proficient writers.

To inspire creativity and engagement, we incorporate a range of exciting stimuli, including books, film clips, artefacts, visitors, and real-life experiences. These diverse resources not only enrich the writing process but also help children connect their writing to the world around them.

At High Meadow, we are committed to nurturing a love for writing and ensure that every child has the opportunity to develop their unique voice.