At Lilleshall Primary School, we believe that Literacy and communication are key life skills and that through the English curriculum, using cross-curricular links where appropriate, we provide children with the skills, knowledge and thinking that will enable them to communicate effectively and creatively with the world at large.

Reading

The most important gift our school can give a child is the power to read. It is a lifelong tool to enable them to gain knowledge and enable them to make a positive contribution to society. At Lilleshall School we recognise the importance of children first learning to read and then reading to learn. Reading is at the heart of the curriculum and through this approach children will develop a love of reading.

Writing

At Lilleshall Primary we believe that all pupils should be able to confidently communicate their knowledge, ideas and emotions through their writing. We want pupils to acquire a wide vocabulary, a solid understanding of grammar and be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn through their time here. We also want them to write clearly, accurately, coherently and creatively, adapting their language and style for a range of meaningful contexts, purposes and audiences. Handwriting, spelling and grammar will be explicitly taught to ensure that children are able to understand the conventions of writing and manipulate language to create effects for the reader.

Phonics

At Lilleshall Primary, our intent is for all children to be able to read with fluency and automaticity by the end of Year 2 so that they have moved beyond learning to read and are able to read to learn. 

We use the Supersonic Phonic Friends programme which is a fully systematic, synthetic phonic approach ranging from the simple to the complex spellings of the alphabetic code. Supported by their Supersonic Phonic friends, this approach will ensure children develop confidence and apply each skill to their own reading and writing. This programme is validated with the DFE.

In 2024 we received a letter from the Department for Education and the Minister for Schools Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP congratulating Lilleshall Primary School on it's outstanding achievement in the 2023 Phonics Screening Check. It stated that Lilleshall Primary School is in the 3% of al primary schools in the country. 

Speaking and Listening

Speaking and Listening is at the heart of our learning approach at Lilleshall School. Children are encouraged to speak with confidence and in a wide range of contexts, adapting their speech as appropriate. Talking enables children to clarify their understanding. Listening skills are equally vital allowing children to understand and respond appropriately to others, identifying key features of language used for a specific purpose e.g. to persuade, to instruct etc.