Literacy teaching for children in Years 1 - 6 includes all elements of English as set out in the National Curriculum. This involves reading, writing (including spelling, grammar and punctuation), phonics and spoken language. For children in Early Years, English provision is part of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and is organised within the 'Literacy' and 'Communication and Language' areas of learning although opportunities for language development can be found throughout the EYFS.
At Downfield, our literacy provision aims to create strong and meaningful links with topic work wherever possible. This involves careful planning and text selection in order that pupils are fully immersed in their topic work whilst learning key literacy skills. This approach provides a context for learning and fully engages the learners. An overview of the whole school topic map can be found on the main curriculum page.
Progression in reading and writing skills is carefully mapped out and teachers are encouraged to build on prior learning and prepare for what lies ahead.
Children's literacy learning is organised in such as way as to support, supplement and enrich topic based learning. Teaching and learning in literacy is also organised in order that pupils receive a wide range of reading and writing instruction within different genres and text types.
Please see below the year group overviews detailing the units taught in each term for each year group.
Specific Information regarding Reading Instruction, our reading scheme and Phonics teaching and Learning at Downfield can be found on separate pages under the curriculum tab or click below.
Assessment in areas of Literacy:
As a core subject, literacy is an area of the curriculum in which pupils are assessed regularly in a variety of ways. Ongoing teacher assessment is part-and-parcel of our daily teaching practices; teachers use the Downfield feedback toolkit to respond to children's attainment and progress. We use assessment tasks in reading and phonics to ensure children are progressing well against the expectations for their year group. Moderation of writing takes both in school and externally with other schools and professionals.
Statutory assessment tasks are also used to assess areas of literacy. Details of these can be seen below.
Reception: The Reception Baseline assessment is undertaken at the beginning of the academic year. Please click here for a leaflet below providing information for parents.
Teacher assessment judgments against all 7 areas of learning including 'Literacy' and 'Communication and Language' are made at the end of the year. These provide a benchmark for attainment and progress across KS1.
Year 1: Phonic Screen. Click here for DFE information sheet
Year 2: Reading Comprehension (children may complete a non-statutory SATs paper) Click here for DFE information (this leaflet was written at the time of statutory assessment tasks for Year 2 however, it does contain some useful information about the nature of the materials and has therefore remained here visitors to view.)
Year 2: Writing (children complete writing tasks which are assessed against a nationally used assessment framework)
Year 6: Reading Comprehension (children complete a SATs paper).Click here for DFE information (this will be updated once new versions are published.)
Year 6: SPAG (children complete a SATs paper involving spelling, grammar and punctuation)
Year 6: Writing (children complete writing tasks which are assessed against a nationally used assessment framework)
