In the next instalment of our ‘How to Use’ series, we take a look at some of the key documents from our Subject Leaders’ Toolkit which are designed to work alongside the curriculum maps to support schools with text selection: our Coverage and Progression documents.

Rationale

Following our suggested curriculum map provides full curriculum coverage for schools.  However, we are passionate about the importance of schools having  that flexibility of choice and being able to tailor and personalise the curriculum maps to suit their needs.  We want to provide schools with ownership over the choice of books, whilst ensuring they have clarity and confidence about the coverage those texts offer.  All our coverage and progression documents are designed to work in partnership with the curriculum maps to ensure that teachers and subject leaders have clear oversight of which skills are being covered and when, so they can choose texts to suit their cohort needs and support them in plugging gaps.

Using the coverage document

The coverage document operates as a simple spreadsheet, detailing all the coverage across each aspect in the programme of study for every text.  Available for Writing Roots, Spelling Seeds and Literary Leaves, these documents are all separated by tabs into year groups.   To tailor this to specific text choices, simply select the year group of your choice in the tabs at the bottom, then click on the downwards arrow on ‘Books’.  All books in that year group will be automatically selected, so deselect all then reselect the ones you are considering using.  This is a great way to make final choices between two texts, or simply to see the coverage you have across the year.  Perhaps your cohort has presented a particular need or a specific misconception has been uncovered during the course of the year – the coverage document can allow you to see which resources would best suit the teaching of those misconceptions or gaps.   

Using the progression document

The progression documents are separated into individual year group files in the subject leader toolkit.  For each year group, every Writing Root text is broken down into more detail, showing:

• the range of writing opportunities (both extended and short) presented through the Writing Roots
• the audience, form and purposes covered
• the balance of fiction and non-fiction opportunities
• specific grammar coverage within the Writing Root

This can be a great way to check the balance of outcomes across the texts you have selected, as well as being a useful way for subject leaders to get a handle on the texts and writing opportunities children are experiencing in each year group.  

Using the Steps in Progression document

Our new Steps in Progression document is a great way to track how the skills in Appendix 2 and the Programme of Study develop through each year group.  While almost all of the statements included here are taken directly from the National Curriculum, we have also plugged the gaps where these exist to ensure there are clear steps from one year to the next to support teachers to identify how to support children with misconceptions.  The document covers all aspects of the English programme of study and is helpfully divided by colour into progression steps by year group for grammar, word reading, comprehension and transcription.  For identifying and plugging those gaps, we’ve got you covered!