Curriculum
Literacy
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope, a tool for daily life in modern society, a bulwark against poverty and a building block of development….” Kofi Annan
Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world.
At Christchurch Learning Centre, we ensure that literacy is embedded throughout our curriculum; reading, extended writing, oracy and SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) are integral foundations of every subject.
We aim to foster a culture of reading in school where pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure, particularly during tutor times. Pupils also take part in weekly spelling activities, which aim to broaden their subject specific vocabulary and in turn impact their independent writing skills.
Reading Plus is a diagnostic interactive platform which supports pupils to develop their reading fluency and comprehension skills. All pupils are allocated an account and encouraged to complete an assessment during their induction period. This assessment generates texts appropriate to their individual reading ability and highlights gaps in comprehension to be targeted through specific interventions within school.
All pupils are assigned two reading and one vocabulary task per week, which can be completed during timetabled reading lessons, or independently as home learning. Pupils are motivated to engage with Reading Plus by rewarding consistent weekly, monthly and termly access. Red tickets can be earned and traded instantly for ‘sweet treats’, or the ticket can be added to their golden tickets and accumulated as part of their overall school behaviour and attainment reward.
Reading Plus at CLC offers continuity in learning for those pupils aiming to return to mainstream provision or fill gaps in learning for those who have been out of education for long periods of time. By using the same reading system as our mainstream feeders, pupils can have a familiar learning platform and see the correlation between what they do here and in other provisions.
EdShed is a game-based spelling intervention designed to use the science of spelling to support pupils’ understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation. All new pupils complete an initial spelling assessment and where needed, targeted pupils complete one 30-minute session per week with the SENCo.
As part of the game-based activities pupils can accumulate points which are shown on a league table and can be used to purchase upgrades to their avatar. This increases motivation to take part and progress to the next level. Pupils are provided with individual log in details and as it is web based, EdShed can be accessed from school and home.
EdShed provides diagnostic and formal spelling tests for level 1 to 6 as well as tests for misconception words. After each weekly session, the SENCo will analyse the data to plan new, personalised assignments and word lists for the following week. All results are recorded to track progress and this data is available to support staff in their lesson planning.
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