Ko te reo te tuakiri
Ko te reo tōku ahurei
Ko te reo tō ora
Language is my identity
Language is my uniqueness
Language is life
Language has the power to enrich our lives. Our goal at Glenavon, is to provide education that allows children access to opportunities in life.
Glenavon literacy programmes endeavour to provide authentic contexts relevant to our school community.
The content of our programmes reflect our many cultures. Our teaching resources and library have a comprehensive range of materials that supports our diversity.
To meet the needs of our children, programmes are differentiated and the content is developed through explicit teaching and taught in a structured, systematic way.
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We believe that to be successfully literate, our Glenavon students need to master three key areas of reading and writing: learning the code, making meaning, and thinking critically.
Learning the code
This means developing the ability to decode and encode written forms of language. The focus is on the conventions of written language and the skills required to read and write letters, words, and text. “Cracking the code” is an exciting intellectual challenge for learners.
making meaning
This involves developing and using knowledge, strategies, and awareness in order to get and convey meaning when reading or writing. It also involves understanding the forms and purposes of different texts and becoming aware that texts are intended for an audience.
thinking critically
Becoming literate involves reading and writing beyond a literal, factual level. It involves analysing meanings, responding critically to text when reading, and being critically aware when composing texts. It also involves responding to texts at a personal level, reflecting on them, and finding reward in being a reader and a writer.
We believe that the teaching of handwriting is not an end in itself. It is a skill which, along with spelling and punctuation, is an essential tool in effective written communication.
At Glenavon, the aim of teaching handwriting is to teach each child to write legibly, fluently, without strain, and with sufficient speed for all practical purposes. This is taught daily for 10 minutes a day.
handwriting
Literacy is integral in one form or another to help students experience success in all curriculum areas and in life. Its importance to each individual must not be underestimated.
Our aim is to create literate citizens that can access opportunities in life.
what does it look like?
Awa
reading: We use a structured approach to Literacy, based on Better Start Literacy Approach and current research.
Reading: Daily whole class phonics lessons where we build our letter-sound knowledge. This needs to be automatic for us to become skilled readers. We are learning to listen for sounds in words, the letters that make these sounds and to blend them together to read.
Writing: In Awa our Reading and Writing skills are taught side by side. We learn to write the sounds and words we can hear. A big focus for us is being able to say a sentence and then write our sentence, building up complexity as our knowledge grows. We write in Phonics, guided groups and the whole class daily.
Handwriting: We use the Casey Caterpillar handwriting programme to learn the shapes that form our letters. We practice on blackboards to start, moving to books when we have all our shapes. We practice daily working on correct formation, size and sitting on the line.
Moana
Reading:
In Moana, our reading programme combines whole-class and small-group learning.
Most sessions begin with buddy reading, which helps to boost fluency and frontload topic knowledge.
Follow-up tasks are designed to strengthen understanding and may include vocabulary building, sentence structure practice, and reading comprehension activities. Targeted small groups then work directly with the teacher to focus on specific learning goals e.g. decoding.
We also have daily read-aloud sessions, where students are exposed to rich texts and new vocabulary, supporting both their language development and enjoyment of reading.
writing:
In Moana, we have a strong focus on developing sentence-level structure, with the goal that by the end of Year 4, students are confidently forming paragraphs. Each writing session begins with the teacher modelling writing, then writing together, before students practise writing independently. At this stage, contexts and purposes vary – for example, writing to entertain, inform, and persuade. Throughout this process, teachers also work with individuals or small groups to target specific learning needs and provide additional support where required. We love sharing our writing with each other at the end of each session, celebrating progress and learning together.
Handwriting:
In Moana, handwriting takes place first thing each morning. We have a strong focus on the size and shape of letters, with the aim that writing letters becomes automatic for our learners. Handwriting is explicitly taught, and letters are corrected by both students and teachers to ensure accuracy and consistency. All Moana classes follow the same sequence for teaching letters, creating a clear and structured approach across the syndicate. We also use handwriting as an opportunity to practise heart words from our spelling programme, giving students extra reinforcement and confidence in their writing.
RāKAU
Reading:
n Rākau this year, we’ve shifted from group reading to a whole-class reading approach. During a one-hour reading session, we include a read-aloud, buddy reading, and a whole-class lesson. This begins with teachers reading a text aloud for about five minutes, highlighting rich vocabulary and ideas. The next ten minutes are for buddy reading, where each student reads daily with their assigned partner (while we also pull aside target readers for a short guided session). For the remainder of the hour, we come together for a whole-class reading session that focuses on the reading progressions.
Writing:
We love to begin off our Rākau writing lessons with a fun 10-minute warm-up such as quick writes, word connects, or scattergories. Writing is taught as a whole class, with students who need a little extra awhi seated closer to the front for added support. Each week we focus on a specific writing progression, alternating between one-off lessons and sessions where we build a single piece of writing across the week. We enjoy weaving the term’s topic into our writing, and to finish, students are given opportunities to publish their work on their devices at the end of the week.
Handwriting:
Handwriting is the first learning task of the day in Rākau. All classes follow the same handwriting progressions, with students this year beginning to develop slope and flicks as they work towards using full cursive writing by the end of the year. Spelling words are regularly incorporated into handwriting practice to strengthen both skills at once. To further increase engagement and purpose, students also practise writing names, countries, and new vocabulary that connects to their wider learning.
Manu
Reading:
This year we follow a whole-class teaching approach, which takes place in Block 1 each day after handwriting and the CODE. Within these sessions, students take part in targeted Phase 3 progression activities, while those requiring extension are engaged in higher-level tasks such as novel studies.Alongside this, students who need additional support in reading rotate through a tumble system. This provides opportunities to build reading fluency, strengthen comprehension, and complete scaffolded follow-up tasks. To support learning at home, students are also given a weekly homework activity that has an aspect of reading to check off each night.
Writing:
Writing in Manu begins each day with the CODE, our spelling programme that focuses on developing students’ understanding of spelling patterns, rules, and word meanings. After this, students use Block 3 to work on their progression task. These sessions begin with whole-class teaching to launch the task, followed by scaffolding and guided support for students as needed. This structure also allows teachers to provide extension opportunities linked to the same task, ensuring all learners are challenged at the right level.
Handwriting:
Handwriting is a daily non-negotiable in Manu, taking place first thing in the morning after the roll. These sessions involve explicit whole-class teaching, with the teacher modelling each letter, demonstrating correct formation, and showing how it is used within words.The consistent routine of daily handwriting supports students as writers across all subjects. It also provides a natural progression, giving teachers the flexibility to move students from print to cursive when appropriate.
our literacy program is supported by this document
whole class reading approach
this year our some of our classes are trialling a whole class reading approach.
The Whole Class Reading (WCR) approach is a structured way of teaching reading that moves away from traditional guided reading groups where only a few children read with the teacher at a time. Instead, the whole class works on the same text together, with tasks carefully scaffolded so that all students can access the learning at their level.
Here’s a breakdown
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Shared text: All students work from the same high-quality text (novel, non-fiction, article, poem, etc.).
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Equity of access: Everyone engages with rich texts
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High expectations: Teachers set the bar high, using scaffolds to support students to reach challenging content.
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Modelling and discussion: Teacher-led modelling of strategies (decoding, inference, vocabulary, comprehension), followed by partner/group talk and independent tasks.
Typical Structure
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Hook/Activate – Introduce the text, context, and vocabulary.
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Model – Teacher reads aloud/model fluency, expression, and thinking strategies (“think-alouds”).
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Shared Reading – Students follow along with the text; targeted questions draw out comprehension and critical thinking.
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Guided Practice – Tasks differentiated by scaffolding: e.g., sentence starters, graphic organisers, oral rehearsal.
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Independent/Paired Application – Students respond through writing, discussion, or related tasks.
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Review/Reflect – Whole class revisit key learning and strategies.
benefits
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Ensures all children are exposed to age-appropriate, challenging texts.
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Builds a strong shared reading culture in the class.
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Maximises teacher time and modelling (rather than spreading it thinly across groups).
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Develops oracy and critical thinking through structured partner talk and discussion.
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Makes assessment and tracking easier as everyone is working on the same material.
BSLA AND THE CODE
At Glenavon, we deliver literacy through a structured, systematic approach that ensures every child builds a strong foundation in reading, writing, and spelling.
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Years 0–2: We follow the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA). This provides our youngest learners with a research-based foundation in phonological awareness, phonics, and early decoding skills, setting them up for confidence and success in literacy.
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Years 3–8: We use The Code, a structured literacy programme that explicitly teaches the rules, patterns, and conventions of English spelling. This supports students to continue building on their decoding and spelling knowledge as texts and vocabulary become more complex.
Across all year levels, syndicates plan content collaboratively, ensuring consistency and progression across the school. Spelling is taught every day in a structured and systematic way, so students regularly revisit, practise, and apply what they are learning.
This approach gives our learners:
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Daily exposure and practice with high-utility spelling patterns and rules.
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Cumulative teaching that builds step by step, with new learning connected to prior knowledge.
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Confidence to apply skills in both reading and writing contexts.
By embedding structured literacy across all syndicates, we are ensuring that every Glenavon learner develops the strong foundational skills they need to engage deeply with the curriculum.
Oral language
We believe oral language is the foundation for building effective literacy skills. Strategically planned oral language learning experiences will be part of daily teaching across the curriculum. This will also include explicit teaching of vocabulary related to learning contexts.