English

Literacy is an integral element of our whole school curriculum. Teachers use creative and purposeful ways to engage pupils in their learning, raising standards and narrowing gaps in attainment.

We are an inclusive school and we set high standards and expectations for all of our pupils regardless of their abilities. We use various strategies and grouping to enable our pupils to fulfil their potential in all curriculum areas including English. Children are encouraged to reach their full potential by using a well-planned curriculum and providing extensive intervention programmes such as Nessy & Dyslexia Gold.

Reading

The National Curriculum states that pupils should be taught to read fluently, understand extended prose and be encouraged to read for pleasure. Reading is singled out as of extreme importance since through it ‘pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually’. Reading allows pupils to ‘acquire knowledge’ and to ‘build on what they already know’ .

Reading at the early stages is supported through phonics teaching using the Floppy Phonics materials. To support progress in reading all pupils are expected to read at least four times a week.

The curriculum divides reading skills into two dimensions:

Word reading/ decoding
Comprehension

The Spoken Word

The National Curriculum states that pupils should be ‘taught to speak clearly and convey ideas confidently in Standard English’ . They should:

Justify ideas with reasons.
Ask questions to check understanding.
Develop vocabulary and build knowledge.
Negotiate.
Evaluate and build on the ideas of others.
Select the appropriate register for effective communication.
Give well-structured descriptions and explanations.
Speculate, hypothesise and explore ideas.
Organise their ideas prior to writing.

Writing

The National Curriculum states that pupils should:

Develop the stamina and skills to write at length.
Use accurate spelling and punctuation.
Be grammatically correct.
Write in a range of ways and purposes including narratives, explanations, descriptions, comparisons, summaries and evaluations.
Write to support their understanding and consolidation of what they have heard or read.

The 2014 Curriculum divides writing skills into two dimensions:

Transcription (spelling and handwriting).
Composition (articulating ideas in speech and writing)

We recognise that both these elements are essential to success and we support the acquisition of both sets of skills through various methods. We recognise that these areas are clearly linked to the other aspects of English learning: speaking and listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary. We use the Talk for Writing method developed by the well-known author Pie Corbett. Links are made across the curriculum whenever possible.