English

INTENT

SPEAKING & LISTENING

We intend:

for pupils to acquire a wide vocabulary for spoken language
for pupils to rehearse their writing orally
for pupils to use discussion in order to learn, to elaborate and to explain clearly their understanding and ideas
for pupils to be competent in the arts of speaking and listening: presenting, sharing, participating and debating
for pupils to have the confidence to speak in front of an audience.

READING

We intend:

for pupils to become enthusiastic and motivated readers
to develop pupils’ confidence in reading a wide variety of genres and text types
for pupils to have the skills to decode words in order to be able to read fluently with understanding of what they have read.
to encourage a love of literature and an enjoyment of reading for pleasure.

WRITING

We intend:

for pupils to acquire the ability to organise and plan their written work
for pupils to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
for pupils to know and apply the key technicalities of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

IMPLEMENTATION

For our younger children, we use a systematic synthetic phonics programme called Bug Club Phonics, with children reading decodable books that match their phonics level. We also pride ourselves on our culture of reading for pleasure across the school: teachers read to their class on a daily basis, each class visits the library once per week and we have access to literally thousands of books both physically and digitally. Supporting this, our ‘Reading Spine’ ensures a broad and diverse range of texts and poems are studied by pupils all the way through their school life.

Our pupils write for a range of purposes (and across the various school subjects) from an early age. Every piece of writing has a clear purpose, audience and type, and this allows pupils to develop into confident and skilled writers. Spelling, punctuation and grammar is carefully sequenced to allow pupils to build a strong understanding of the technical aspects of writing, so that they can apply these with confidence.

IMPACT

Pupils will develop detailed knowledge and skills as they progress through our English curriculum. They will develop a receptive and expressive vocabulary, and they will become fluent readers, with a reading style that supports their comprehension. They will confidently be able to predict, question, clarify, summarise, infer and activate prior knowledge. They will want to read for pleasure and enjoyment and be immersed in reading.

The children will become increasingly independent and responsible for selecting and using writing strategies: planning, drafting, sharing, evaluating and editing. Their transcription skills will become increasingly automatic in order for pupils to focus on writing composition, and they will be ready for the next stage in their learning.

For further detailed information on Reading and Phonics, please click here.