explains sen and support

1. INSET: September 2006
Children working below Level 3
in reading and writing.
 To refresh our understanding of the skills
involved at National Curriculum “P” levels.
 To understand the reading and writing skills
of children working at level 1 and level 2.
 To consider how to support these children
across the curriculum.

2. “P” levels
Levels prior to Level One
P1 – P3
 Exploration
 Communication
 Response
 Interaction with others
 Learnt responses
 Observation

3. “P” Levels
P4 – P8
Subject specific
 Further exploration
 Familiarity
 Sort & classify
 Question & answer
 Recognition
 Awareness
 Understanding
 Selection
 Repetition
 Imitation
 Choice
 Greater response
 Creation
 Expression
 Play
 Comparison
 Rote learning

4. Level 1c
Reading
 Can recognise sounds and symbols;
 Can identify initial sounds in words;
 Understand simple sentences.
Writing
 Can shape letters correctly;
 Sentence attempts require a discussion to be
fully understood.

5. Level 1b
Reading
 Can read familiar words;
 Can identify initial & final sounds in words;
 Can use their knowledge of sounds to build up a word.
Writing
 Can build short phrases, using words they recognise;
 All letters can be clearly recognised;
 Phrases/statements show use of full stops;
 Writing can be understood without discussion.

6. Level 1a
Reading
 Can use their knowledge of letters, blends
and sight recognition words to read simple
texts.
Writing
 Clearly shaped letters
 Phrases and statements to show ideas
 Use of full stops and capital letters

7. Strategies to Support Level One
Ideas may include:
 Pair children with a more able reading buddy.
 Text given should only be very simple sentences without
connectives, including pictures for additional clues.
 Ensure child is following reading text with finger.
 Play “Spot the key word” before or during reading or ask child
for next word in the sentence.
 Writing frames to include: mixed up sentences to re-arrange;
basic cloze procedures with initial letters given for missing
words; key words/word banks; simple sentence starters.
 Read back written attempts with the child.
 Provide subject specific word banks to support writing,

8. Level 2c
Reading
 Read word to word but need help to
understand meaning
 Can recount main facts with support
Writing
 A series of simple sentences
 Incorrect spelling uses phonetics

9. Level 2b
Reading
 Reads simple sentence texts with basic
punctuation
 Combine phonic, graphic, grammatical and
contextual clues to gain meaning
Writing
 Some sentence punctuation
 Plausible spelling attempts
 Variation in simple sentence structure and
word choice.

10. Level 2a
Reading
 Reads unfamiliar texts accurately, beginning
to use intonation
 Can identify main points & express opinion
Writing
 Beginning to write descriptively to add detail.
 Accurate use of full stops and capital letters
 Spelling of monosyllabic words is accurate,
with phonetically plausible attempts at longer,
polysyllabic words.

11. Strategies to Support Level Two
Ideas may include
 More able reading buddy with time to talk about text prior to
class discussion.
 Recount phrases / facts from text
 Listen to child whilst reading; read along with child; ask whole
class to read aloud simultaneously.
 Expect 6 – 10 decent simple sentences – provide target
number.
 Key word lists/word banks;
 Sentence starters with space to add sentences of their own.
 Verbal prompts to extend / improve sentences: for example…
Child has written: I cut out the picture.
Teacher prompts may be: “I cut out the picture with what / how?”