Oracy
At Fosse Way Academy, we recognise that the ability to communicate effectively is an essential life skill that enables our pupils to succeed both academically and personally. As a Voice 21 Oracy School, we are committed to developing confident speakers and active listeners who can express their ideas clearly, listen respectfully and engage meaningfully with others. Our oracy curriculum ensures that every child has the opportunity to develop their voice and understand the importance of communication in all aspects of learning and life.
Our oracy curriculum has been carefully designed to develop pupils’ confidence, vocabulary, reasoning and ability to collaborate with others. Through purposeful talk, structured discussions, debates, presentations and collaborative learning opportunities, children are taught the skills needed to communicate effectively, share their ideas and respond thoughtfully to the views of others.
We use the Voice 21 Oracy Framework to support the development of four key strands of oracy: physical, linguistic, cognitive, and social and emotional skills. Through explicit teaching and regular opportunities for discussion, pupils develop their ability to articulate their thinking, use subject-specific vocabulary, ask and answer questions, justify their opinions and build on the ideas of others.
Oracy is embedded throughout our curriculum, with teachers planning meaningful opportunities for talk across all subjects. Whether children are explaining their mathematical reasoning, discussing characters and themes in English, exploring ideas in History or developing scientific understanding, talk is used as a tool to deepen learning and support children in becoming independent thinkers.
At Fosse Way Academy, we aim to ensure that every pupil develops the confidence to find their voice, the skills to communicate effectively and the ability to listen and respond with respect. Through high-quality oracy experiences, we prepare our children to participate fully in the world around them.
Phonics
At Fosse Way Academy, we recognise that learning to read is one of the most important skills our pupils will develop. We are committed to ensuring that every child develops the secure phonics knowledge and reading fluency needed to become confident, independent readers. We follow the Read Write Inc. (RWI) programme, a systematic and synthetic phonics approach that supports children in developing their understanding of sounds, blending and decoding skills.
Our phonics curriculum focuses on the reading elements of RWI, enabling children to develop accurate word recognition, fluency and comprehension. Through daily, carefully structured lessons, pupils learn to recognise and blend sounds, read words with increasing accuracy and develop the confidence to read unfamiliar words independently. Teachers use consistent routines and language to support children in making rapid progress and building secure foundations for reading.
Children are taught in carefully assessed groups, ensuring that teaching is closely matched to their individual needs. Regular assessment allows teachers to identify gaps quickly and provide targeted support so that all pupils can keep up with the pace of learning. Children who require additional support receive focused interventions to help them secure their phonics knowledge and become successful readers.
Alongside phonics lessons, pupils develop their love of reading through exposure to a wide range of high-quality texts. Children practise their reading skills through appropriately matched RWI books, allowing them to apply their phonics knowledge, build fluency and develop confidence. We also encourage children to read widely for pleasure, exploring a variety of authors, genres and texts.
At Fosse Way Academy, we aim for every child to leave the early stages of reading as a confident and enthusiastic reader, equipped with the skills they need to access the wider curriculum and develop a lifelong love of reading.
Reading and Reading for Pleasure
At Fosse Way Academy, we recognise that reading is fundamental to children’s success across the curriculum and plays a vital role in developing their knowledge, imagination and understanding of the world. We believe that every child should become a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader who develops a lifelong love of reading. Our reading curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity, develop a rich vocabulary and enable pupils to access and enjoy a wide range of texts, authors, genres and cultures.
Our Reading curriculum has been carefully designed to ensure that all pupils develop the skills and knowledge needed to become successful readers. Through systematic teaching of phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and critical thinking, children are supported in developing the confidence and strategies required to read independently and with understanding. We provide a broad and diverse range of high-quality texts that expose children to challenging ideas, different perspectives and rich language, ensuring that every child can see themselves represented within the books they read.
Reading lessons are carefully planned to develop pupils’ understanding of texts through discussion, questioning, prediction, inference and evaluation. Children are encouraged to become active readers who can articulate their thoughts, make connections and respond thoughtfully to what they read. Teachers model expert reading behaviours and promote a love of books through regular opportunities to read aloud, share recommendations and celebrate authors and illustrators.
At Fosse Way Academy, Reading for Pleasure is at the heart of our reading culture. We recognise the importance of children developing positive attitudes towards reading and provide regular opportunities for pupils to enjoy books purely for pleasure. Through dedicated story times, reading areas, book corners, reading corridors, author events, book fairs, celebrations such as World Book Day and opportunities to recommend and discuss books, we aim to create a community where reading is valued and enjoyed by all.
We understand that reading extends beyond the classroom and work closely with families to encourage reading at home. Children are supported in choosing books that interest and challenge them, developing independence and confidence as readers. Our curriculum promotes reading as a gateway to learning, imagination and understanding, while supporting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
By the time pupils leave Fosse Way Academy, they will have developed the skills, confidence and enthusiasm to become lifelong readers. They will be able to read fluently, discuss texts thoughtfully, use a wide vocabulary and appreciate the power of stories and information books. Most importantly, they will leave with a genuine love of reading and an understanding of the enjoyment, knowledge and opportunities that reading can bring.
Writing
At Fosse Way Academy, we believe that writing is an essential skill that enables children to communicate their ideas, thoughts and creativity effectively. Our Writing curriculum is designed to inspire confident writers who can express themselves clearly for a range of purposes and audiences. We aim to develop children’s ability to write with accuracy, creativity and independence, while nurturing a love and appreciation of language.
Our Writing curriculum has been carefully designed to provide a clear progression of skills, knowledge and vocabulary from Early Years through to Year 6. Through exposure to a wide range of high-quality texts, children develop their understanding of different genres, structures, vocabulary choices and authorial techniques. We believe that reading and writing are intrinsically linked and our English curriculum provides children with opportunities to explore rich texts, discuss ideas, develop their vocabulary and apply their understanding in their own writing.
Writing is taught through carefully sequenced units that provide children with opportunities to immerse themselves in a text, develop their understanding of purpose and audience, explore vocabulary and sentence structures and apply new skills through independent writing. Teachers explicitly model the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing, enabling children to understand how effective writers craft their work. Oracy is embedded throughout writing lessons, allowing children to rehearse ideas, develop language and confidently articulate their thoughts before recording them.
Spelling is taught through the Active Spelling approach, which supports children in developing secure spelling knowledge and a broad vocabulary. Active Spelling uses the principles of mnemonics, images and verbal reasoning to support the retention and application of spelling patterns and rules. Spelling sessions take place five times a week for 15 minutes and are led by class teachers. Each session includes opportunities to revisit previously taught spellings, strengthening retention and helping children make connections between spelling patterns.
Through Active Spelling, children explore words using a range of approaches, including orthography (how a word looks), phonology (how a word sounds), morphology (the meaning and structure of a word), etymology (the origin and history of a word) and graphology (the process of writing the word). This develops children’s understanding of how words are constructed and enables them to apply spelling strategies independently when writing.
Grammar, punctuation, handwriting and vocabulary development are taught explicitly and applied within meaningful writing contexts. Children are encouraged to take pride in their presentation and develop the stamina, resilience and independence needed to produce high-quality written outcomes.
Our Writing curriculum supports pupils’ wider development by encouraging creativity, critical thinking and effective communication. Through engaging writing opportunities linked to literature, real-life experiences and the wider curriculum, children develop confidence in sharing their ideas and understanding the impact of their language choices.
By the time pupils leave Fosse Way Academy, they will be able to write clearly, accurately and creatively for a range of purposes and audiences. They will have developed a secure understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation, alongside the confidence to make ambitious vocabulary choices and edit their work effectively. Most importantly, they will see themselves as successful writers who can use writing as a powerful tool for communication, learning and self-expression.