Speaking and Listening forms a large part of the curriculum from EYFS to Year 6 and at Woodnewton we put a big emphasis on developing these skills during the school day. We nurture children’s speaking and listening through a variety of approaches: exploratory play, story time, drama techniques and through collaborative learning across other subjects within the curriculum. We develop these skills so that our children can express their own ideas clearly and confidently, in a safe and supportive environment, in all aspects and areas of their school life and into their future.
All staff in our school model the use of higher-level vocabulary within their speech and expanding children’s vocabulary is a key focus from EYFS. Subject specific vocabulary is embedded across the curriculum, through teacher modelling, in context. Contextual learning helps children to understand new words and supports them in including them in their work. The model is reflected in shared reading sessions, where children are the given the chance to explore unfamiliar vocabulary and expand their knowledge of words. We are keen to model the correct grammar in speech, for example using ‘we were’ instead of ‘we was’ and encourage children to reflect this in their use of spoken and written language. Children are given the chance to orally rehearse ideas for writing regularly.