What is foundational learning?

Foundational learning refers to the key skills that students need to access their learning across the wider school curriculum. These include:

  • Reading
  • Spelling, punctuation and grammar
  • Handwriting
  • Numeracy

Why is foundational learning important?

Foundational skills are essential for everyday life and provide the building blocks for learning across the curriculum. Developing strong foundational skills helps students to access more subject-specific knowledge and skills with greater confidence.

For example, a good understanding of numeracy is important for accessing learning in Science and Design and Technology, as well as Mathematics.

How do we teach foundational learning at Little Ilford School?

Supporting students to develop their foundational learning skills is the responsibility of every teacher. These skills are addressed within curriculum lessons whenever appropriate. For example:

  • When students are reading, teachers will model effective reading strategies and explicitly teach the skills needed to become confident readers.
  • Teachers will model how to complete mathematical calculations and apply mathematical skills when they are relevant to tasks being completed in lessons.
  • Where a student's handwriting is not legible, teachers will guide them on how to improve the clarity of their writing. Teachers will encourage students to rewrite unclear words, focusing on one of the 4Ps of clear handwriting: posture, pen grip, paper position or pressure.
  • When marking students' work, teachers will provide feedback on spelling, punctuation and grammar where appropriate.

In addition to the daily opportunities students have to practise and develop their foundational skills, students who are identified as needing additional support may receive targeted intervention to address specific gaps in their learning.

How can you support your child at home?

As with any skill, regular practice is one of the most effective ways to develop your child's foundational skills. There are many simple ways you can support your child at home.

Reading

  • Encourage your child to read regularly. Try reading with your child or asking them about what they are reading.

  • Give your child opportunities to read a range of different types of books in their own time.
  • Read together with your child and talk about the books you are reading.
  • Encourage your child to read to younger siblings, as this can help them to develop their own reading fluency and confidence.
  • Make use of your local library and encourage your child to use the school library, which has a well-stocked selection of books.
  • Talk about books with your child. Discussing characters, ideas and events can help children make connections and make reading more enjoyable.

A list of recommended reads can be found here. 

Spelling, punctuation and grammar

  • Encourage your child to read regularly so that they become familiar with new vocabulary, spelling and grammatical structures.

  • Use the ‘look, cover, write, check’ method to practise words that your child finds difficult to spell.
  • Consider purchasing literacy workbooks that provide opportunities to practise spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Handwriting

  • Give your child regular opportunities to practise their handwriting.

  • Check written homework for handwriting clarity and encourage your child to rewrite any words or phrases that are unclear.

Numeracy

  • Encourage your child to practise basic number skills regularly, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

  • Look for opportunities to use maths in everyday life, such as calculating change when shopping, comparing prices, reading timetables or measuring ingredients when cooking.
  • Encourage your child to explain how they worked out an answer rather than focusing only on whether the answer is correct.
  • Practise multiplication tables regularly, particularly those that your child finds difficult.
  • Encourage your child to estimate answers before using a calculator. This helps them to develop a sense of number and recognise when an answer may not be reasonable.