Our aim is to help the children to be able to read, write, listen and communicate clearly. We encourage children to develop a love of reading and enjoyment of books in a variety of ways and they are encouraged to explore their own creative ideas. Comprehension skills are developed through high-quality discussion and from reading and discussing a wide range of stories, poems and non-fiction texts. We encourage children to take books home with them to read with their parents, along with a reading diary for home-school liaison.

All children are encouraged to see themselves as writers. This process begins with the provision of plenty of opportunity for mark making in the Early Years. Spelling and handwriting are developed systematically within daily phonics sessions. Individual and group writing targets provide clear next steps to enable children to continually improve their writing.

Every opportunity is taken to enhance children’s vocabulary and they are shown how to understand relationships between words and to develop understanding and use of figurative speech.

Read Write Inc
At Hurst Green, we use Read Write Inc. (RWI) Phonics to teach reading. RWI Phonics is a programme for 4-13 year-olds created by Ruth Miskin and published by Oxford University Press. The Read Write Inc. programme is carefully matched to the new curriculum, giving your children the best chance of success against national expectations. They show teachers, teaching assistants and parents step-by-step how to teach all children to become fluent readers, confident speakers and willing writers. Our school uses Read Write Inc. Phonics for our children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. It is a comprehensive literacy programme, weaving decoding, comprehension, writing and spelling together seamlessly. For information and tutorials on how to support your child learning to read please head to: the Ruth Miskin Website

 

Talk for Writing and Drawing Club in EYFS

In EYFS, we use the Talk for Writing approach because it develops children's language, communication, vocabulary and confidence as writers. Through storytelling, role play, oral rehearsal and the repeated retelling of texts, children internalise language patterns and sentence structures before applying them independently in their own writing. This approach supports all learners by providing a strong foundation in speaking, listening, reading and writing, helping children to become confident and creative communicators.

Alongside Talk for Writing, Reception children participate in Drawing Club. Drawing Club nurtures, a love of stories and writing by encouraging children to respond to high-quality texts through discussion, drawing and purposeful mark-making. This process develops vocabulary, imagination, comprehension and confidence, while providing meaningful opportunities for children to communicate and record their ideas.

We believe that combining these approaches provides children with rich and engaging opportunities to develop the fine motor skills required for writing, alongside the creativity, vocabulary and enthusiasm needed to become successful writers. Together, they build strong foundations for literacy and ensure that children are well prepared for the transition into Key Stage 1.

 

Clever Writer 

Hurst Green has adopted 'I am a Clever Writer' in autumn 2026 for our Key Stage one Pupils. It is a 'clear structured approach to teaching writing' where each skill of writing is broken down into small steps to allow pupils to experience success with their writing. The curriculum overview has been carefully designed to allow for a progression in skills in each year group and can be found in our clever writer overviews and book lists for each year group.

Our aim is to ensure that every child within our school, regardless of background and potential difficulty, leaves our school as an enthusiastic writer who enjoys writing and have the skills to apply this to their future education.

We want our children to have the ability to write with confidence for a range of purposes and audiences ensuring that children leave Hurst Green Infant school fully prepared for their next steps.