English at Nightingale

Our Approach to Literacy at Nightingale Primary School

At Nightingale, we take an evidence-based, thematic approach to literacy, ensuring a well-rounded education for all our pupils. Each term, our learning centres around a core text, which serves as the foundation for developing key reading and writing skills. By incorporating metacognitive strategies like Making Thinking Visible (MTV) and collaborative learning methods such as Kagan Structures, we foster deeper comprehension and engagement across all areas of literacy.

Writing

We view writing as a multi-step process, enabling pupils to refine their skills at every stage:

• Planning – Setting goals and generating ideas before beginning a piece of writing.
• Drafting – Focusing on capturing key ideas.
• Sharing – Encouraging pupils to share their work and receive feedback throughout the process.
• Evaluating – Ensuring that writing goals are being met through regular reflection.
• Revising – Making content improvements based on feedback and self-evaluation.
• Editing – Ensuring the text is accurate and coherent.
• Publishing – Presenting polished work for others to read.

Reading

Whole Class Instruction

Our daily reading sessions incorporate metacognitive strategies that enhance comprehension and engagement. Pupils develop an understanding of key reading domains by exploring:

• What the reading domain is,
• How it is applied,
• Why and when it is used.

Through Guided Oral Reading, teachers model fluent reading, while pupils practice and receive constructive feedback. Repeated Reading strategies allow pupils to re-read passages until they achieve fluency, ensuring mastery of complex texts.

Vocabulary Instruction

Building vocabulary is essential for reading comprehension and application in new contexts. We focus on:

• Teaching 3-5 key Tier Two words weekly.
• Using Dual Coding to reinforce connections between words and images.
• Exploring synonyms, antonyms, and sentence structures through interactive activities such as chanting and cloze tasks.

Sentence Instruction

Class Instruction

We enhance sentence construction through activities like sentence combining, helping pupils develop more complex, multi-clause sentences. Our approach includes:

1. Explicit instruction focusing on grammar and sentence mastery.
2. Modelling – "I do it"
3. Guided Practice – "We do it"
4. Check Understanding – "You do it"

By embedding grammar within writing tasks, we aim to improve both composition skills and overall content understanding.

Nightingale Reading Principles

Repeated Reading

An instructional strategy in which pupils read the same text multiple times increases fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary retention. This method also boosts confidence and self-esteem as pupils grow more adept at transferring their learning across texts.

Close Reading

A systematic approach to breaking down complex passages, asking text-dependent questions, and encouraging mastery through writing. Both repeated and close reading form the foundation of our reading instruction at Nightingale.

Fluency

Fluency is key to reading success. We use Repeated Reading techniques to ensure pupils develop automaticity—reading quickly and accurately. This leads to improved comprehension and a smoother transition between texts.

Early Reading

Our phonics programme is expertly aligned with Little Wandle Letters and Sounds, ensuring all pupils progress from decoding words to reading fluently. Paired with Big Cat eBooks, this provides a secure foundation for every child’s reading journey.

Accelerated Reader

This computer-based programme helps us monitor pupils' reading progress and guide them to books appropriate for their individual reading levels. Through daily reading and regular quizzes, children develop both pleasure in reading and comprehension skills.

MyOn

myON is a personalised digital library offering unlimited access to books tailored to each pupil's reading ability. This platform works in harmony with Star Reading and Accelerated Reader, enhancing literacy development both in school and at home.

Read Live Repeated Reading

The Read Naturally Strategy integrates teacher modelling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring to improve fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Using high-interest materials at individual skill levels, pupils track their progress and receive personalised instruction.

Reading Recovery

We use the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) Wave 3 programme as an early intervention for Year 1 pupils who face challenges in learning to read and write. Based on the principles of Reading Recovery, this programme helps pupils who require extra support but do not need full Reading Recovery intervention.

Nuffield Early Language Intervention

Our Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme targets vocabulary, listening skills, and phonological awareness in pupils aged 4-5. Delivered by trained teaching assistants, this 20-week programme is proven to help children overcome language difficulties.

To learn more about how we assess pupil progress and implement teaching strategies in reading, writing, phonics, and language development, [follow this link] to explore our gradual release model and suggested teaching sequences.