Woolston Brook School

Literacy at Woolston Brook School

At Woolston Brook, we aim to empower every student to become confident, capable, and independent communicators. We recognise the profound impact that strong literacy skills have on a pupil's academic success, self esteem and ability to navigate the world around them. Our literacy curriculum is designed to be inclusive, engaging and responsive to the diverse needs of our learners, with a focus on developing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through personalised and adaptable approaches. We aim to foster a love of learning by providing pupils with meaningful and relevant content that connects to their lived experiences, while also ensuring that literacy is embedded across all areas of the curriculum. We strive to build pupils' confidence, resilience and emotional intelligence, enabling them to express themselves clearly, think critically and engage positively with others. Our intent is to equip pupils not only with the academic skills they need for future success but also with the self awareness and emotional regulation to be active, responsible, and respectful members of society.

Phonics

At Woolston Brook, we are committed to providing a strong foundation in reading and writing through high-quality phonics instruction. To achieve this, we follow the Ruth Miskin phonics schemes (RWI and RWI Fresh Start), which are tailored to meet the individual learning needs of our pupils. The specific scheme used is dependent on the age and stage of development of each pupil, ensuring that phonics teaching is structured, systematic and tailored to each pupil’s stage of development. Our approach is designed to support all learners in becoming confident, fluent readers and writers, while also fostering a lifelong love of literacy. Phonics is assessed regularly, and interventions are implemented promptly for pupils who need additional support. In Years 3 and 4, we implement Read Write Inc. Phonics, a highly effective synthetic phonics programme developed by Ruth Miskin. This programme has been proven to promote early success in reading, writing, and spelling. Read Write Inc. Phonics is delivered through daily lessons, providing pupils with consistent and structured opportunities to build their phonics knowledge and literacy skills. The programme supports children in learning the sounds that letters make, blending them to read words, and segmenting them to write, thereby ensuring a secure grasp of fundamental phonics principles.

Additionally, we offer the Read Write Inc. Fresh Start programme for older pupils who require extra support in phonics. This structured, phonics-based intervention is designed to help learners develop confidence and fluency in both reading and writing. Fresh Start is delivered through targeted interventions throughout secondary, as and when the need arises. These interventions are timely, systematic, and planned as soon as a need is identified, ensuring that no pupil is left behind. The Fresh Start programme not only reinforces phonics knowledge but also enhances pupils’ speaking and listening skills. It provides a detailed and systematic route for teaching phonic skills to help pupils become fluent readers. Pupil progress is regularly monitored, with each pupil advancing through the programme at their own pace. Importantly, Fresh Start also aims to nurture confidence, resilience, and engagement in phonics lessons, fostering a love of reading and writing that extends beyond the classroom.

Lexia

Pupils who require additional support with their literacy skills use the online Literacy Program, Lexia. The software is designed to accelerate literacy skills through a combination of personalised independent practice and teacher-led instruction. Lexia makes learning fun and rewarding, helping pupils feel more confident in their literacy skills. This is reinforced with our weekly, and half termly Lexia competitions. It is used regularly to make sure progress is steady, and it helps pupils catch up and keep up with their learning in the classroom.

School Library

Our school library promotes a love of reading by offering a diverse selection of books that cater to a wide range of interests and reading levels. The library provides pupils with the opportunities to explore new genres, develop their reading habits and broaden their knowledge. Through this variety, we aim to inspire a lifelong love of reading and help students discover books that engage and challenge them.

Theme Days

As a school, we actively celebrate a variety of literacy-themed events throughout the year, such as World Book Day and National Poetry Day. Theme days provide exciting opportunities for students to engage with books, authors and poets in creative ways. By celebrating these occasions, we aim to inspire a passion for reading and enhance pupils' literary skills.

English Curriculum

Our English curriculum is carefully planned in line with the National Curriculum. It is designed not only to suit the needs of our learners and develop their reading and writing skills, but also to help pupils maximise their assessment potential and achieve a range of qualifications. Please see Long-Term Mapping documents for more information.