Subject Leader : Tom Prescott

At Holy Trinity our aim is that all children should be strong writers, independent readers and confident speakers and listeners. We look to instill enjoyment and rich vocabulary and as much diversity as possible into our literacy curriculum.

READING

Intent 

Love of reading / Reading fluency / range of reading skills

The reading curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for pupils to discover a love of reading, to become fluent readers and provide children with the reading skills they will need to open doors into all subjects and areas of life. We want our children to be inspired, we endeavour to nurture a love of reading that will stay with your child for their whole life. We work hard to ensure that children build on the foundations of the ELS Phonics programme. To motivate and excite children, we provided opportunities to read an array of interesting texts related to our Humanities pathways, as well as be ensuring that children are read to by an adult everyday.

Implementation

To ensure all children are fluent readers, staff at Holy Trinity ensure that Children in Reception and Y1 have a daily 30-minute phonics lesson following the accredited, systematic synthetic phonics programme: Essential Letters and Sounds (for more information please see the phonics section). From Y2 – Y6 children receive a daily 30-minute Guided Reading lesson with opportunities learn and practise the following reading skills:

• vocabulary
• retrieval
• summary
• inference
• prediction

Children are given are regular opportunities to read individually, in groups or as a whole class, in all lessons. Accelerated Reader provides us with termly summative assessments which track the child’s progress, reading level and fluency. Informed by this, teacher are able to match children with books from our school library which is tracked in class by teachers and TAs and through reading records, where parents play an important role in ensuring they read with the their child as much as possible. Children needing extra reading support have access to Phonics Hub which is set up this year to support children in Years 3, 4 and 5 to support children who need help, as well as interventions offered by members of staff.

this through opportunities such as BookMark reading volunteer, additional 1:1 reading in class and/or tutoring from the Covid Catch-Up Tutor.

Impact

To ensure consistency throughout the school, leaders ensure that:

• Staff receive regular training
• Termly summative assessments are monitored and appropriate intervention put in place following Pupil Progress meetings with SLT.
• Parents are provided with information throughout the year about how to support their child.
• Learning walks provide opportunities for both formal and informal feedback
• We regularly invest in new literature for reading for pleasure

Early Reading and Phonics 

At Holy Trinity, we provide our Phonics and Early Reading offer through the Essential Letters and Sounds programme.

This programme matches, or exceeds, the expectations of the national curriculum and the early learning goals. The sequence of reading texts, that directly links to every phase of the ELS programme, demonstrate a cumulative progression in phonics knowledge.

For children, re-reading words and sentences that they can decode (sound out) until they are fluent (read with ease and precision) is a key part of learning to read. By reading texts several times, children have the greatest opportunity to achieve this fluency.

The texts sent home are carefully matched to the teaching taking place in school. Our children will be practising what they have been taught in school with their families at home.

Reading at home

Children take books from the large selection available in the library and classroom to read at home. There is an expectation that children read at home daily. Reading journals are provided for parents to communicate their observations on their child’s reading progress with the class teacher.

In Key Stage 2, books going home reflect each child’s ability based on our rigorous assessment of every child. On completing a book, children take a quiz on Accelerated Reader at school, demonstrating their understanding by answering comprehension questions. 

The teaching of reading, including the systematic teaching of synthetic phonics, begins from the minute our children arrive in Reception.

Phonics is at the heart of teaching our children to become independent readers at Holy Trinity. Children are explicitly taught the sounds related to each letter or combination of letters and learn how to apply this knowledge when reading. Both the reading and spelling of tricky or exception words are also taught so that children are encouraged to recognise these words on sight. 

Writing

Intent
Love of Writing / Writing Fluency / Range of Writing Skills

At Holy Trinity, we believe that writing is a vital skill that enables children to express themselves, communicate effectively, and engage with the world around them. Our aim is to develop confident, fluent, and creative writers who take pride in their work. We provide a structured and engaging writing curriculum that supports pupils in developing the knowledge, skills, and stamina needed to write for a range of purposes and audiences.

We ensure our approach to writing aligns with the expectations set out in Ofsted’s framework, focusing on a well-sequenced and knowledge-rich curriculum that allows all children to make progress. Through high-quality teaching, carefully planned learning sequences, and opportunities for independent and collaborative writing, we empower children to see themselves as authors. Our use of engaging core texts, closely linked to our humanities curriculum, provides meaningful contexts for writing and helps to develop a broad vocabulary and deep understanding of different genres.

Implementation

To ensure all pupils become proficient writers, we implement a structured, research-based approach to teaching writing. This includes:

• IPEELL Writing Structure: We follow the IPEELL framework (Introduction, Point, Elaborate, Ending, Links, Language), which provides a clear structure to help children organise their writing effectively. Teachers explicitly model the writing process, demonstrating how to plan, draft, and refine work using this approach.
• Buddy Writers in KS2: Collaborative writing is a key part of our approach, particularly in Key Stage 2. Research suggests that peer assessment and discussion can significantly improve writing skills. Pupils work with a ‘Buddy Writer’ to plan, review, and refine their work, developing both their writing and critical thinking skills.
• Core Texts and Cross-Curricular Links: Writing opportunities are carefully planned around high-quality core texts that link to our humanities curriculum. This ensures writing is purposeful, engaging, and rooted in a rich context that inspires creativity.
• Spelling through Purple Mash: We use the Purple Mash online portal to support the teaching of spelling. This platform is accessible from home, enabling children to reinforce their learning beyond the classroom and practise spelling patterns in an engaging and interactive way.
• Grammar through Twinkl: Weekly grammar lessons follow National Curriculum objectives and are delivered using Twinkl resources. This ensures consistency and progression across year groups, supporting pupils in developing a strong grasp of grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction.

Impact

The impact of our writing curriculum is monitored to ensure all children make progress and develop confidence in their writing abilities. We achieve this through:

• Regular Assessment: Teachers assess writing using formative and summative methods, ensuring that feedback is constructive and helps pupils to improve.
• Book Looks and Moderation: Leaders and staff regularly review pupils’ work through book scrutiny’s and moderation meetings, ensuring consistency and high expectations across the school.
• Pupil Progress Meetings: Termly discussions with SLT help identify children who may need additional support and ensure appropriate interventions are in place.
• Celebration of Writing: We foster a love of writing by showcasing pupils’ work through displays, performances and competitions, celebrating their achievements and inspiring them to see writing as a valuable and enjoyable skill.

By carefully structuring our writing curriculum in line with research and national expectations, we ensure that every child at Holy Trinity develops the confidence, fluency, and skills needed to become a successful and enthusiastic writer.