25MIDDLEFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018
»THE PRINCIPLES OF “CHATTERBOX”
In reading, we strive to:
»create a text-rich environment for all of our children that appeals to
their interests;
»provide a wide range of high-quality texts;
»promote reading for enjoyment throughout the school;
»develop confident, independent readers;
»help children use a range of strategies to enable them to read for
meaning;
»enable children to deduce, infer or interpret information, events or
ideas from texts;
»encourage children to become enthusiastic and reflective readers.
In writing, our aims are to:
»help children enjoy writing and recognise its value;
»enable children to write confidently, with accuracy and meaning in
narrative and non-fiction;
»encourage children to produce imaginative, interesting and
thoughtful texts;
»increase children’s ability to use planning, drafting and editing to
improve their work.
Prior to this, outcomes in both
Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 were
inconsistent and were often below
or significantly below average. In
both 2007 and 2010, the school
was judged “satisfactory” and in
January 2013, we were judged to be
“requiring improvement” by Ofsted.
Just13months later, Middlefield was
judged to be “good”. Since then, we
have embarked upon a journey of
continuous improvement.
This success has been the result
of several years of the school’s
bespoke and innovative “Middlefield
Chatterboxes” curriculum. This
is our meticulously planned and
implemented English scheme,
which, in turn, drives the remainder
of our creative curriculum. The
“Chatterboxes”approach has been
tremendously successful in developing
pupils’ abilities within an integrated
programme of speaking and listening,
reading and writing. It has given
pupils opportunities to interrelate
the requirements of English within
a broad and balanced approach to
the teaching of English across the
curriculum, with regular opportunities
to consolidate and reinforce taught
English skills.
It has ensured the delivery of the
National Literacy Curriculum 2014
in a fun and engaging way, which
enables all children from whatever
background and of whatever ability
to excel. It provides children with the
necessary skills to become competent,
creative and efficient users of the
English language, to prepare them
for secondary school and to enable
them to become successful in their
laterlives.
“Chatterboxes” provides children
with successful literacy role models
to increase aspiration and provide
children with meaningful, engaging
contexts for reading and writing.
Throughout our skills-based creative
curriculum, there is a focus on
broadening the children’s outlook and
raising their aspirations for the future.
We believe that this has a positive
impact on their progress and encourages
them to learn how to take risks and
become more resourceful, innovative,
enterprising and capable citizens.
Children engaged in
high-quality immersive
learning
Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett, MP
Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles, MP
