Reading – curriculum information
‘At Clifton, we believe that all children should be able to read a wide range of text types as a vehicle to life-long learning. We therefore teach the skills of reading from the youngest age and promote a love of reading for a multitude of purposes.’
We aim for all children to be reading fluently by the age of six using the systematic, synthetic phonics approach. At Clifton, we use the Read Write Ink Scheme to achieve this. This is enhanced further through our Reading Mastery approach, where we aim to develop a deeper understanding of rich and high quality texts and share a true love of reading.
As the children’s proficiency in reading develops, our emphasis changes from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn.’ We encourage all our children from the very start to read with parents and carers daily to support them to develop this essential life skill.
“I love reading because I can pretend I am in the story.” Frankie – FS2
“I love listening to stories.” Maja – Y6
“I like learning phonics because it helps me to read fun stories.” Jack – Y2
‘The excellent relationships between teachers and their pupils ensure lessons are purposeful and enjoyable’…
‘Pupils are happy and they feel safe.’…
‘The harmonious relationships among all groups, from a wide variety of backgrounds, are a strength of the school’…
‘The Clifton ‘Good Citizen’ programme helps pupils to develop the communication and interaction skills they need for
later life.’…
‘Comprehensive subject plans identify the essential knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn over time.’…
‘Teachers ensure that they enrich the curriculum through an extensive range of visits and experiences’…
‘Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to share experiences of their cultural beliefs and celebrations.’…
‘Parents are overwhelmingly supportive, commenting very positively on the school’s many strong features’…
‘Pupils feel very safe in school because of the school’s rigorous approach to keeping them safe’…
‘The highly successful promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school’s work’…
‘The range of enrichment activities the school provides is excellent and contributes a great deal to pupils’ learning’…
‘Teaching and learning are consistently good. As a result most pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics from often significantly below-average starting points’…
‘Children make a good start in the early years because of good teaching’…
‘Teachers use
rigorous assessments to make sure that all pupils make good progress.’…
‘There is a strong sense of community in this school.’…
‘Staff morale is high, team spirit is very strong, and all are committed to continued improvement. This helps to explain why the school is continuing to improve’…
‘Leaders help pupils to develop resilience and self-confidence in their learning.’…
‘There is a very strong focus on checking on how well different groups of pupils are learning, so that any falling behind can be immediately helped to make better progress’…
‘Relationships between adults and pupils are extremely positive.’…
‘ A well-developed
programme for relationships education helps pupils to understand the importance of tolerance and respect for others.’…
‘Pupils with highly complex special educational needs receive outstanding levels of support.’…
‘Pupils demonstrate outstanding levels of tolerance and respect for other pupils and adults’…
‘Leaders ensure that pupils can develop essential life skills through activities such as learning to dress independently and simple food preparation’…
‘Leaders have high expectations of behaviour for all pupils.’…
‘Leaders leave no stone unturned to ensure that the very diverse school population is treated equally and that there is a relentless focus on driving up pupil performance’…
‘The multi-academy trust has provided teachers with detailed suggestions for how to adapt every aspect of the curriculum.’…
‘From the earliest stages in Reception, adults skilfully support pupils to explain their mathematical thinking.’…
‘Leaders have embedded a carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum from the early years through to Year 6.’…
‘The introduction of a comprehensively sequenced phonics programme is helping children to establish successful early reading skills from the very start of Reception.’…
‘Pupils contribute significantly to the successes of the school through their outstanding behaviour and readiness to learn’…
‘In religious
education lessons, teachers provide opportunities for pupils to understand and appreciate the different life experiences of their friends.’…