English

Leader of Learning for English: Mrs M Nelis

Book Recommendations

Remember - we are really keen to receive your children's book recommendations! Just contact Mrs Nelis on the admin email address: admin@wardenhillinfant.co.uk  and let us know the books you and your child have been enjoying together. Then look out for your recommendations in the weekly school bulletin!

Blue Peter Book Badge Winners!

Congratulations to Aliasgher in Year 2, who is our latest Blue Peter Book Badge winner, joining Muizza in Year 1, and Liyana, Musa, Maymuna and Hawwa in Year Two. We love that you have been drawing and writing about books you have read. 

Rainbow Reads

Once children have completed the Read, Write Inc Phonics programme, the book they bring home to read, in addition to their library book, will be a choice from our 'Rainbow Reads' selection. 

These books are a lovely collection of high quality texts we have put together, to develop the children's love of reading for pleasure. Your child will be able to choose from non-fiction books, poetry, picture books and short chapter books. We hope that these tempting texts will really support your child in developing a reading habit for life!

Our Approach To Reading

Talking Point

With the weather being so changeable recently we have experienced lots of different types, sometimes all in the same day! Chatting with your child about what the weather is like each morning will help to develop their vocabulary. Is it a chilly morning? Is the wind strong and blustery? Is it foggy, or sunny and bright?

English Policy

The English Policy outlines our approach to the teaching of all aspects of English at Warden Hill Infant School. 

click here to read our English Policy

The Power of Reading

We base our English curriculum on the 'Power of Reading' approach developed by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE). This means we use high  quality texts in a variety of ways to develop our children's oracy, language comprehension, drama, reading, and writing skills. Our choice of books used in English lessons across the EYFS and KS1 ensures that children meet a wide range of characters and text types.

Each of our year groups are linked with an author, with our class names reflecting aspects of that author's writing. Currently these are:

EYFS - Eric Carle (Butterfly, Caterpillar, Firefly & Ladybird Classes)

Year 1 - Atinuke (Pineapple, Guava, Mango & Pomegranate Classes)

Year 2 - Michael Rosen (Bear, Jellyfish, Bee & Goldfish Classes)

Click here to read our English Curriculum Map

Click here to read our English Progression Document

Key Book Corner Texts

As part of our approach to developing a love of reading for pleasure, we ensure that all of our children have access to high quality children's literature in their classroom book collections. 

Click here to see our Key Book Corner Texts

Rhymes, Songs & Poetry at WHI

An appreciation and enjoyment of rhymes, songs and poetry is the right of all of our children, and this document shows how these are mapped across each year group.

Click here to see our Rhymes, Songs & Poetry at WHI

Phonics

At Warden Hill we use a systematic synthetic phonics system called 'Read, Write Inc' to teach early reading skills. In the first half term in Reception children are taught in class groups for phonics, and from then on are taught in groups based on their current attainment. Half termly assessments ensure that children are taught at the appropriate point of phonics instruction, and help us to identify children who would benefit from additional individual tuition to enable them to make the best possible progress. 

We hold parent information meetings and workshops to explain our approach to phonics in detail, and we include phonics homework links on the school bulletin each Friday. These links take children to the RWI 'virtual classroom', where they are able to access phonics film clips at their exact instructional level, linked to the current week's learning.