TPS Reading Curriculum

Why is Reading important?

English has an important part to play in both education and society. A high-quality English curriculum will teach children to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. All the skills of English are essential to participating fully as a member of a school and society.

Through reading, children have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. The choice of books they read, play a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know in other areas of the curriculum and the wider world. Learning to read is about listening and understanding as well as working out what’s printed on the page. It provides them with background knowledge on their world, which helps them make sense of what they see, hear, and read. It is the talk that surrounds the reading that gives it power, helping children to bridge what is in the story and their own lives, rather than just the vocalization of the words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding. Reading for pleasure makes a big difference to children’s educational performance. Children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who do not, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures. Reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.

What are the aims of our Reading curriculum?

At Tottington Primary School we are passionate about promoting high standards of language and literacy. Through combining the Early Years and National Curriculum with our TPS core & context values, our ambitious curriculum equips all our children with the necessary skills in reading.

We promote and foster a love of reading through the use of high quality and diverse texts and exposing them to a range of authors. We want our children to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and for information and appreciate our rich and varied literacy heritage. Early reading skills are a priority at our school and time and effort is put into ensuring our children can read easily, fluently and with good understanding. Our children are exposed to and encouraged to use comprehensive and diverse vocabulary and have a good understanding of the use of grammar. Children are exposed to texts that help children successfully navigate reading with confidence. These are complex beyond a lexical level (reading ability) and demand more from the reader than other types of books.

Through our well-planned, and sequenced reading curriculum our aim is that by the time children reach Year 6 and move onto secondary school and college, they will be able to access the more complex texts expected of them in these next stages of their learning journey. Enabling the children of Tottington Primary School to become successful, active and positive members of their local community and wider world.

Early reading is taught through our Little Wandle SSP phonics programme. Click here to view our Phonics page.

Why is writing important?

English has an important part to play in both education and society. A high-quality English curriculum will teach children to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. All the skills of English are essential to participating fully as a member of a school and society.

Writing provides children with a vehicle to express who they are as people and to actively engage in daily life. Writing makes children’s thinking and learning visible and permanent. It provides children with opportunities to explain and refine their ideas to others and themselves. The purpose and use of writing is wide and varied and each one has value in its own right:

• To express a person’s views or feelings
• To reflect on experiences and learn from them
• As an expression of creativity
• To inspire others
• To make a community contribution
• To foster connections
• To make others happy
• For academic and career success
• To leave a legacy

What are the aims of our writing curriculum?

At Tottington Primary School, we are passionate about promoting high standards of language and literacy. We inspire our children to aim high. Through combining the Early Years Framework and National Curriculum with our TPS core values, our ambitious writing curriculum equips all our children with the necessary skills to become confident, competent writers.

We promote and foster a love of reading and writing through the use of high quality texts and expose children to a range of authors from Nursery to Year 6. We want our children to write, for both pleasure and for information, and to appreciate our rich and varied literacy heritage. Our children are exposed to and encouraged to use comprehensive, rich, diverse vocabulary. We want all our children to write legibly, spell accurately and have a secure understanding of the use of grammar.

We enable our children to use the medium of writing to express themselves in the written word and use it as a vehicle for communication, connection and creativity. We provide immersive, purposeful and real-life opportunities for children to write. We want our children to write clearly, accurately and coherently in a range of genres, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. High importance is placed on the effective process of writing and children are taught to plan, revise and evaluate pieces they create.

Through our well-planned and clearly sequenced Writing curriculum, our children acquire the vital knowledge and skills required for the next stage of their learning journey and for adulthood. These enable the children of Tottington Primary School to become successful, active and positive members of their local community and wider world.