At Hadfield Infant School, we believe that reading, writing and oracy are the foundations for learning. We want every child to develop the confidence to communicate, the skills to read fluently and the ability to express their ideas clearly through spoken and written language.

Our English curriculum is carefully designed so that children build knowledge and skills progressively from Reception through to Year 2. We prioritise reading and language throughout the school day, whilst giving children opportunities, vocabulary and experiences they need to become confident communicators, enthusiastic readers and capable writers. 

Phonics 

We have been teaching the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme for over three years. Our consistent approach and fidelity to the programme are reflected in our strong phonics outcomes. 

Little Wandle provides children with a clear and predictable structure to their phonics learning. Each session follows a familiar pattern, helping children to know what to expect and allowing them to focus their attention on learning rather than worrying about what comes next. This consistency is particularly important for our youngest learners and helps children to develop confidence alongside their phonics knowledge. 

Reading starts our day. Every morning from 9am, children across school take part in their daily phonics session. We believe that giving phonics a protected place at the beginning of the day demonstrates just how important reading is to us. 

We continually identify and respond to gaps in children's learning. Where additional support is needed, this may include precision teaching during class time through 'shuffle breaks', alongside additional practice and targeted support. Some children may also be invited into school from 8.30am for an additional early phonics session, providing them with further opportunities to practise and secure the skills they need. Our aim – every child should leave Hadfield with the confidence and skills to read successfully. 

Reading 

We are passionate about developing a love of reading as well as the ability to read. 

Following the Little Wandle programme, children are listened to read at least three times a week in school. Each reading session has a different focus, ensuring that children develop a broad range of reading skills. 

The first session focusses on decoding, the second prosody and finishing with comprehension. Children practise reading the words accurately, develop fluency and expression, and demonstrate their understanding of what they have read. 

Because the books are carefully matched to the phonics learning taking place in school, when your child brings their reading book home, they should be able to read it independently and with increasing fluency. This means that home reading can become an opportunity to celebrate success, build confidence and share the joy of reading together as a family. 

Reading for Pleasure

Reading at Hadfield goes far beyond our guided reading books. 

Every class has dedicated time each week to visit our school library, where children can choose a book to take home and enjoy simply for pleasure. These books can be shared together at home and returned or changed each week. 

Families are warmly invited to join us in the library on Friday mornings before our Celebration Assemblies, giving parents, carers and family members the opportunity to share a story with their child and be part of our reading community. 

Across Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, every class also has a reading spine: a carefully selected collection of high-quality children's literature from a wide range of authors. These stories are shared with children throughout the year, often at the end of the school day, ensuring that every child experiences a rich and varied diet of books. 

We also love welcoming our families into school as Secret Readers. Parents, carers and family members can surprise the class by coming in to share a story. The excitement this creates is wonderful – and it helps children see that reading is something our whole community values and enjoys. 

And if you are passing school, don't forget to visit our Book Barn at the front of school. Children and families can freely swap books throughout the week, helping to make books and reading a part of everyday family life. 

Writing 

We want children to see themselves as authors, storytellers and confident writers. 

We follow the I'm a Clever Writer programme, which breaks the writing curriculum down into manageable and achievable skills and learning processes. The programme builds systematically on prior learning, helping children to understand how sentences are constructed and giving them the knowledge and confidence to apply their skills independently. 

Children are explicitly taught the skills they need to become successful writers, including sentence construction, vocabulary, punctuation, grammar and the organisation of ideas. As children progress through school, these skills are revisited, developed and applied in increasingly sophisticated ways. 

Handwriting 

Handwriting is a priority at Hadfield. 

We teach handwriting explicitly four days each week, ensuring that children have regular opportunities to develop letter formation, fluency, consistency and presentation. 

On Fridays, children have the opportunity to edit a sentence and apply their handwriting and writing skills, helping them to recognise and correct errors whilst developing pride in the presentation of their work. 

Our aim is for handwriting to become increasingly automatic, allowing children to concentrate their attention on expressing their ideas rather than on the physical process of writing. 

Oracy

We believe that every child deserves to find their voice. 

Oracy sits at the heart of our English curriculum and is woven through every area of learning – not just in English lessons. 

Children are given regular opportunities to talk, listen, explain, question, discuss, rehearse and present. We deliberately introduce children to a wide and ambitious range of vocabulary and create opportunities for them to use new words in meaningful contexts. 

From discussing a story character to explaining a mathematical strategy, describing a scientific observation, performing a poem or sharing an idea with their peers, children's spoken language is continually developed. 

We know that strong language and communication skills provide children with the tools they need to access the wider curriculum, build relationships, express themselves and become confident learners. Our commitment to oracy therefore extends beyond English. Every lesson is an opportunity to develop language.