English Curriculum

'Every word has the power to touch a heart or change a mind' - Michael Rosen

Writing Leads: Miss Harrison and Miss Phillipps

Reading Leads: Mrs Cooney and Mrs Frewen

Phonics

At Westwood Farm we teach phonics through the 'Letters and Sounds' programme. We have a variety of reading scheme books which include those with a specific focus on phonics. We track phonics very carefully and provide interventions for any child who is struggling to learn their phonics alongside their peers. (Please see the specific Phonics page for more information).

Writing at Westwood Farm School

We aim to inspire and guide pupils at Westwood Farm Schools to write with creativity, clarity, and confidence, developing their ability to communicate effectively across a range of genres and audiences.

At Westwood Farm Schools we believe writing is a powerful tool for self-expression, learning, and connection. Our intent is to cultivate enthusiastic, independent writers who see themselves as authors, poets, and communicators.

To achieve this, we use a writing process split into six distinctive steps. The amount of time spent on each step will vary depending upon the text type, purpose of the writing, year group or class. The six steps are detailed below:

Step	Description	Example
Exploring	This is an opportunity for children to explore the upcoming text type and acquire knowledge to support with the completion of the upcoming piece of writing.	• An in-depth look at examples of the upcoming text type to gain an understanding of its features. • Read the anchor novel, focussing on a specific point/ feature to support the children’s writing. • Learn about a specific grammar feature that may support with the upcoming piece of writing. • Look at modelled examples (successful and unsuccessful ones) and analyse the difference. Purpose of the text – what is it and why do we read them?
Plan	A chance for children to plan their piece of writing and gain an in-depth understanding of both the text type and what is required to complete a successful piece of writing.	• Establish the success criteria for the piece of writing. • Use a planning template • Complete a writing map (e.g. a story map)
Write	Children are given an adequate amount of time to complete the piece of writing.	• Use a writing scaffold (if needed)
Edit	This will be the children’s opportunity to review their writing before the teacher has taken the work in to look at. Editing should be completed in purple pen.	• Children self-assess. • Children have their work peer-assessed. • Check work against the ‘Every-time I Write’ checklist. • Go through their work looking for punctuation and spelling errors.
Respond	This is the work being returned to the children after the teacher has had an opportunity to review it. The children will then respond to teacher’s feedback, this could be either whole class, group or individual. The children should then complete a responding activity to improve their writing. This activity should be completed in a purple pen.	• Redraft an entire piece to improve it (if needed) • Improve individual section with a directed focus from the teacher. (if needed) • Rewrite a paragraph based on feedback from the teacher (if needed)
Publish	As part of the school’s writing curriculum, children should at least once a term ‘publish/write up in best’ a piece of writing.	• Send a letter and posting it • Write a book review for the book corner • Create a book for the library or another classroom • Writing to go on display around the school.

Documents to upload as PDF under Writing:

Writing Grammar Progression

Writing Composition Progression

Every time I write checklists

Reading

'Reading enables us to lift ourselves from our current situation to something higher and better : It expands one's own imagination' - Meshcak Asare

At Westwood Farm, ‘reading for pleasure’ lies at the heart of our approach to teaching reading and we support this by providing children with a large variety of quality reading books for guided reading sessions and to take home and read with parents. Our teachers have a love of reading and are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about books and authors. In Foundation and Key Stage One we ensure that phonics is given a high priority and we ensure that children become automatic and confident decoders. We have a specific, well-defined programme for the daily direct teaching through shared, guided and independent, focused reading. Parents are encouraged to be involved in supporting reading at home and we always welcome parent volunteers to help reading with children in school.

Reading Spine - see below links for the different Year Groups

Oracy

'Reading and writing float on a sea of talk' - James Britton

At Westwood Farm we believe in the power of quality talk to help children express themselves emotionally and to be able to articulate how their learning works. We understand that children learn best in an oracy-rich, dialogic classroom, in which questions are planned, discussions are scaffolded, and teachers use talk skilfully to develop and deepen learning. We follow the Cambridge University research which shows that good oracy leads to higher order thinking and understanding, and we have started a programme to teach specific oracy skills with the aim of elevating speaking to the same status as reading and writing. As well as teaching exploratory talk in the classroom we teach children presentational oracy skills which children are keen to show to parents in class assemblies and performances.