Steep Church of England VC Primary School

Well developed reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are fundamentals to social and emotional connection with others, and enable children to experience the riches of our cultural capital through their access to a broad, exciting and engaging curriculum. 

Children at Steep are supported to develop their speaking and listening skills in a range of formal and informal contexts, so that they are confident and respectful communicators in conversation, debate, presentations and performances.

We immerse children in the wonders of quality texts to instil a love for reading, a passion for discovery and a confidence to explore their imagination. Teaching of high quality synthetic phonics supports children develop these essential reading skills from an early age.

We teach children to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. We ensure all of our children enjoy, thrive and challenge themselves throughout the full writing process; supporting them to acquire a wide range of vocabulary, a solid understanding of grammar and an ability to spell new words - effectively applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn throughout their time in primary school. We encourage all children to take pride in the presentation of their writing, in part by developing a fluent, joined, handwriting style. All good writers refine their writing over time, so we teach children to edit and re-edit their work effectively, enabling them to identify areas for improvement with increasing independence so that they can be really proud of their finished work and know it is their own.