The Curriculum at Exford First School

In the early stages of their school life the children are encouraged to explore their own interests as well as be guided in the skills and knowledge that lead to reading, writing, mathematics and science. As they progress through the school, we aim to introduce a wide range of themes in history, geography, art etc to give understanding to the world around them. In addition to the subjects specified by the National Curriculum the school addresses areas such as personal and social understanding, outdoor learning, health, multi-cultural learning and citizenship.

Reading and Phonics Programme -Read Write Inc. (RWI)

At Exford CofE First School we use Read Write Inc Phonics (RWI) to give your child the best possible start with their literacy. We have put together a guide to how the RWI programme works together with some useful links.

Once the class teacher is happy with a pupil’s reading and comprehension of books within a stage they will progress to the next step.  Teacher judgement is supported by RWI assessments and comprehension (verbal and/or written) assessments.

Read Write Inc (RWI) is a validated and highly successful phonics programme which helps all children learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary and spelling.  The programme is designed for children aged 4-7. However, at Exford CofE First School we continue teaching RWI to children beyond the age of 7 if they still need support in their reading.

RWI was developed by Ruth Miskin and more information on this can be found here.‍

How will RWI be taught?

All children are assessed regularly by our RWI lead teacher so they work with children at the same level. This allows complete participation in lessons.

Reception

In Reception all children will learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how those sounds can be written down.

Reading

The children:

• learn 44 sounds and the corresponding letters/letter groups using simple picture prompts – see below
• learn to read words using Fred talk and sound blending
• read from a range of storybooks and non-fictions books matched to their phonic knowledge
• work well with partners
• develop comprehension skills in stories by answering 'Find It' and 'Prove It' discussion questions

Writing

The children:

• learn to write and form the letters/letter groups which represent the 44 sounds with the help of fun phrases
• learn to write words by using Fred Talk
• learn to build sentences by practising sentences out loud before they write

Talking

The children

• They work in pairs so that they:
• answer every question
• practise every activity with their partner
• take turns in talking and reading to each other
• develop ambitious vocabulary‍

Year One & Year Two

Children follow the same format as Reception but will work on complex sounds and read books appropriate to their reading level. Daily sessions of RWI phonics last for 40 minutes.

Five key principles underpin the teaching in all Read Write Inc. sessions:  

Purpose – know the purpose of every activity and share it with the children, so they know the one thing they should be thinking about

Participation – ensure every child participates throughout the lesson. Partnership work is fundamental to learning

Praise – ensure children are praised for effort and learning, not ability

Pace – teach at an effective pace and devote every moment to teaching and learning

Passion – be passionate about teaching so children can be engaged emotionally.

All children in the school engage in a daily Talk For Writing lesson, where they spend time engaging with a wide range of high quality texts, learning model texts and skills for writing and developing their own independent writing skills.

For the 2024-2025 academic year we are following Year B for our Curriculum.

Religious Education

We follow the Jigsaw RE scheme for our Religious Education curriculum which comprehensively covers Somerset’s Awareness Mystery and Value syllabus and Understanding Christianity, published by RE Today. These resources guide our exploration of religious topics, promoting understanding and respect for diverse faiths.

Parents and carers have the right to withdrawal their child from all or parts of the RE curriculum. If you would like to exercise this right for your child please contact your child's class teacher or their Head of School.

‍For further information about any of our curriculum areas please contact the school office with your enquiry.