What Does This Mean for Your Child?
At our school, we want every student to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to succeed in school and beyond. We recognise the importance of foundational knowledge and skills as the building blocks that enable our students to access the full curriculum and achieve their potential.
What are foundational knowledge and skills?
Foundational knowledge and skills are the essential abilities that underpin learning across all subjects. They include:
- Reading fluency and comprehension: being able to read accurately, fluently and understand increasingly complex texts.
- Vocabulary and communication: developing the language needed to express ideas, discuss learning and understand subject-specific concepts.
- Writing skills: including handwriting or typing fluency, spelling, grammar, sentence construction and the ability to communicate ideas effectively in writing.
- Mathematical fluency: secure understanding of number, calculation and mathematical reasoning.
- Learning habits and self-regulation: organisation, resilience, concentration, independence and the ability to reflect on and improve learning.
Why are they important?
Research and national guidance recognises that students are more successful when these foundations are secure. Strong foundations allow students to focus their thinking on new and challenging content, rather than struggling with the basic skills needed to access learning. For example, secure reading skills help students understand texts in every subject, while fluent writing enables them to communicate their knowledge and ideas effectively.
What does this look like in our school?
In our school, foundational skills continue to be developed and strengthened through all subjects. This includes:
- Explicit teaching of subject-specific vocabulary through the use of Frayer models
- Regular opportunities to read, write, discuss and think critically.
- Support for pupils who need additional help with literacy, numeracy or handwriting.
- Frequent retrieval and practice to help knowledge become secure and memorable.
- High expectations for communication, presentation and independent learning.
How do we support students?
We are committed to helping every student build strong foundations by:
- Delivering a carefully sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge over time.
- Identifying and supporting gaps in literacy and numeracy.
- Providing targeted intervention where needed.
- Encouraging reading, vocabulary development and effective study habits.
- Ensuring that students receive clear feedback to help them improve.
How can you, as parents or carers, help?
Parents/carers play a vital role in developing these foundations by:
- Encouraging regular reading at home.
- Discussing new learning and current affairs. You can see what your child is learning in school here and opportunities for learning outside of the classroom here: Independent Learning | Framwellgate School Durham
- Supporting good attendance and homework routines.
- Encouraging resilience and independence when facing challenges.
- Celebrating effort, progress and achievement.
What does targeted intervention look like for those students who require additional support?
Reading: At the foundation of our reading strategy is the belief that reading empowers individuals to live full and rich lives. Reading unlocks academic goals, providing young people with choices about their future careers, as well as enabling them to engage in the world around them – on both an interpersonal level and in wider society. Unfortunately, in 2024 research revealed that 18% of adults in England have very poor literacy rates (Adult Literacy Rates in the UK | National Literacy Trust), meaning that not only will they struggle academically, but will also struggle to interpret the written word that saturates the environments we live in.
We want all of our students to read with Fluency, Resilience, Accuracy, and for Meaning, so that they achieve their academic potential, and are able to engage meaningfully with the written word in all its forms.
Maths: Year 7 Foundation Maths Intervention is designed to provide targeted, small-group support for students who have identified gaps in their foundational mathematical knowledge and skills.
The intervention focuses on addressing specific areas of need identified through KS2 maths attainment data, Sparx Maths baseline assessments and Question Level Analysis (QLA). Content is carefully aligned with the current Year 7 mathematics curriculum to support students in developing the skills and knowledge required to access their mainstream maths lessons successfully. There are 4 intervention groups with 5-10 students in each. Two of the groups follow a structured 8 week programme and two of the groups are needs-led with greater flexibility. Students attend this intervention 3x15 minutess + a 30 minute session each week during tutor time. The impact of this intervention is assessed and monitored through baseline assessment and re-assessment following the intervention.
Writing: There are a number of things that all teachers can do, and have been provided with guidance/training to do, to help students with their handwriting but for those students who need significantly more support, there is a handwriting club where students can develop this skill and trial different writing aids. More detail about the referral process, support on offer and how this links to exam concessions can be found in the Handwriting Guidance.docx
