Reading, Writing & Phonics

Reading at Newman

Developing readers at every stage

We want pupils to experience reading as something meaningful, enjoyable and useful.

Pupils encounter a broad range of high-quality fiction and non-fiction texts, selected to maximise interest and engagement. Reading skills are taught sequentially so that pupils can continually build upon their previous knowledge and understanding.

At the earliest stages, reading development may involve listening and responding to environmental and instrumental sounds, experiencing songs and stories with strong rhythms and repetition, engaging with pictures and objects of reference and beginning to associate symbols with meaning.

As pupils progress, they encounter texts every day and develop decoding, comprehension, inference, deduction and information-retrieval skills. They learn about different authors and genres and explore how writers use vocabulary, language and structure to communicate with their readers.

At the most advanced stages, pupils identify the genre, audience and purpose of texts, synthesise information from different sources, evaluate what they have read and analyse how writers use language and structure to create particular effects.

Phonics

From sounds to confident reading

Phonics forms an important part of the progression towards reading and writing at Newman, but the starting point is appropriate to the individual pupil.

For some pupils, this begins with pre-phonics experiences designed to develop attention to sounds, rhythm, rhyme and environmental noises. Pupils may explore sounds through music, sensory activities, stories and real-life experiences before progressing towards recognising and discriminating between sounds.

As pupils develop, they begin to associate sounds with letters, blend sounds to decode unfamiliar words and build an increasingly secure bank of familiar vocabulary.

Writing at Newman

From mark-making to purposeful communication

Writing begins long before a pupil produces conventional sentences.

Within the Engage pathway, pupils develop the gross and fine motor skills needed for writing through movement and sensory experiences. They explore different implements, begin to make marks and develop an understanding that marks can carry meaning.

Within Discovery, pupils develop greater control through horizontal, vertical and circular movements, explore different mark-making materials and learn to hold writing implements in a practical and comfortable way.

As pupils progress through Develop, they begin grouping letters, leaving spaces between words, writing from left to right and producing short notes, lists, phrases and sentences.

Within Deepen, pupils develop accurate and legible writing and increasingly sophisticated spelling, punctuation and grammar. They learn to adapt vocabulary, structure, tone and form to communicate effectively for different audiences and purposes.

Speaking & Listening

Finding and using our voice

Communication extends beyond reading and writing.

Pupils are supported to communicate using the methods most appropriate to them, which can include speech, symbols, PECS, AAC and communication technology.

As communication develops, pupils learn to listen and respond to others, ask and answer questions, express preferences and opinions, participate in discussions and communicate their experiences, thoughts and feelings.

At more advanced levels, pupils develop presentation skills, adapt their communication for different audiences and situations and learn to express and support opinions and arguments.

Speaking and listening therefore supports both English development and the wider confidence pupils need to participate in their community.

Learning Through Our Pathways

Engage

Experiencing language and literacy

Literacy begins through interaction with the world around us.

Pupils experience environmental and instrumental sounds, music, rhythm, rhyme, sensory stories and high-quality texts. They may show engagement through movement, vocalisation, eye gaze, switches, symbols, communication aids or other individual communication methods.

Reading activities can involve photographs of familiar people and objects, personalised books, pictures and objects of reference.

Writing development begins through physical movement and sensory mark-making, helping pupils develop the gross and fine motor skills that provide foundations for later writing.

Discovery

Connecting sounds, symbols, words and meaning

Pupils discover that pictures, symbols, letters, words and marks can communicate meaning.

They encounter fiction and non-fiction texts every day and develop emerging reading and comprehension skills through text and images.

Phonic decoding becomes increasingly important as pupils learn to blend sounds and recognise familiar words.

In writing, pupils develop pencil control and letter formation and begin communicating through marks, letters, words and increasingly short phrases and sentences.

Develop

Building confident literacy skills

Pupils develop increasingly fluent and accurate reading, using decoding strategies when encountering unfamiliar words.

They develop comprehension through retrieving information, sequencing events, making predictions and inferences, discussing characters and settings and beginning to explain the effects of writers’ language choices.

Writing becomes increasingly purposeful. Pupils develop sentence structure, spelling and punctuation and learn to produce different forms of writing for different audiences.

They also learn to review and improve their work, selecting more effective vocabulary and beginning to correct errors independently.

Deepen

Reading critically and communicating independently

Pupils become increasingly independent and sophisticated readers and writers.

They explore a broad range of fiction and non-fiction and learn to analyse language, structure, ideas and perspectives. They compare texts, evaluate information and support their interpretations with appropriate evidence.

In writing, pupils communicate clearly and imaginatively and adapt their vocabulary, tone, style and structure for different audiences and purposes.

These skills increasingly prepare pupils for formal qualifications and for using English confidently in further education, employment and adult life.

A Rich and Varied English Curriculum

Books, poetry, plays and real-life texts

Newman’s English curriculum gives pupils opportunities to encounter a particularly broad range of texts.

Across Key Stage 3, curriculum planning includes novels, traditional tales, poetry, short stories, picture books, non-fiction, plays and Shakespeare.

Texts and themes identified within the curriculum include works such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Once, A Medal for Leroy, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Promise, alongside poetry, graphic texts and Shakespeare including The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth.

These texts provide starting points for developing reading, writing, communication and wider understanding rather than reading being taught in isolation.

Pupils can create book reviews, diaries, letters, newspaper reports, persuasive speeches, descriptive writing, poetry, brochures and non-fiction reports. They also encounter functional texts such as menus, timetables, leaflets, posters and guides, reinforcing the practical importance of literacy beyond school.