English
English Subject Coordinators are Mrs S. Pharboo, Mrs A. Sabat and Mrs S. Khan
Phonics Coordinator is Miss C. Jenkins
Why do we teach what we teach? (Our intent)
We want our children to acquire a wide vocabulary, a good understanding of grammar in context and to be able to spell new words by applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn throughout their time in our school.
We want our children to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style as necessary. We believe that all children should be encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their writing and aim to develop a legible, joined handwriting style by the time they move to secondary school.
We want our children to understand that all good writers refine and edit their writing before producing a final published copy therefore we want our children to develop independence in being able to identify their own areas for improvement in a piece of writing and edit their work during and after the writing process.
We want all children to develop a love of language for language sake. We aim to develop our children’s ability to use spoken and written language to communicate effectively – to listen, speak, read and write both in and for a wide range of contexts, purpose and audiences.
We want our children to read fluently and with confidence in any subject by the time they are ready to move to secondary school. We want our children to love reading and to want to read for themselves.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
How do we teach it? (Our implementation)
We recognise that each child has their own starting point upon entry to every year group and progress is measured in line with these starting points to ensure that every child can celebrate success.
We follow the National Curriculum 2014 to deliver lessons rich in reading, writing, phonics, spelling, grammar and punctuation through our whole school English Spine where high-quality texts are used to deliver all aspects of the English Curriculum.
Each core book on the English Spine has been carefully chosen to match the National Curriculum reading and writing requirements for each year group as well as linking into our wider curriculum, with history, geography, science and social themes specifically covered.
This structure provides the children with a deeper understanding of texts. We think it is important for our children to value the importance of reading to develop and enhance writing and to see a clear purpose and context for writing.
Speaking & Listening
As soon as children enter St Mary’s C.E. Primary School, we place a great emphasis on developing their oracy skills. We have a firm belief that if children “can’t speak it, they can’t write it” therefore children are constantly encouraged to articulate their sentences before beginning to write them down. The focus on oracy continues as children progress through the school.
Reading
We work on promoting a love of reading in all children and fostering a text rich environment where children understand how language works as well as develop the skills they need to be proficient readers and to interpret texts accurately. Around school, you will see displays which celebrate reading, inspiring reading corners and spaces and a well-stocked and vibrant Library area. In addition to this, throughout the year the importance of reading is enhanced through activities such as termly newsletters, reading cafes, reading week, author visits, book fairs.
Teaching Early Reading
We follow the Read, Write, Inc (RWI) approach to teaching Reading and Phonics, supplemented with additional reading materials. Our approach is systematic, consistent and rigorous in order for all children to become readers as quickly as possible. We use the same phonics programme across the school providing continuity and a tool for guaranteed progression.
We teach phonics in Nursery in the spring term and in Reception from their first day in school. Children learn how to ‘read’ the sounds in words and how these sounds can be written down. This is essential for reading but it also helps children learn to spell well. The children also practise reading (and spelling) ‘tricky words’, such as ‘once’, ‘have’, ‘said’ and ‘where’. Once children can blend sounds together to read words, they practise reading books that match the phonics and the ‘tricky words’ they know. They start to believe they can read and this increases their confidence.
RWI phonics teaching takes place in YR, and Y1, Y2 daily:
- 30 minutes in YR
- 45 minutes in Y1
- 40 minutes in Y2
RWI phonics teaching takes place daily in Nursery from the spring term.
Some children in KS2 will continue to access RWI groups if they need further consolidation and development of reading skills.
We check children’s reading fluency and decoding skills half termly so we that we can ensure they are in the right group. Children will move to a different group if they are making faster progress or may have one-to-one support if we think they need some extra help.
We believe that reading fluency holds the key to successful reading and the children are assessed each term on how many Words Per Minute (WPM) they can read. Children should be able to read approximately 90 WPM of an age appropriate text to be considered fluent readers.
In Y2, Y3 and Y4, children develop reading stamina and pace in guided reading lessons. Staff use these lessons to support children to engage deeply with a core text: to analyse text style, author’s language choices and intent, character motivation and plot structure.
In Y5 and Y6 we teach reading skills using core texts in whole class reading sessions with the staff in their class.
Writing
Early writing is taught through early mark making, then when the children begin RWI phonics, they are taught the correct letter formations. This begins with writing CVC words, moving onto short sentences using the sounds they have been taught. In EYFS children are taught letter formation and sentence composition in small, teacher directed groups.
Emphasis is placed on speaking and listening to support the composition of creative sentences. Children are also encouraged to write independently during continuous provision.
From Y1-Y6, the English curriculum is taught by studying the high-quality text from the English Spine every half term, from which various writing opportunities are then derived. Each week, the children are taught to develop an understanding of how the text flows through reading comprehension, exploring key themes, events and plot of the texts being studied.
From the text, children are taught the grammar elements of the NC, corresponding to the genres being written as part of the writing process. Children are then supported in how to apply the grammatical content taught in identifying features of a high-quality modelled text (WAGOLL) before progressing to plan, write and edit a written piece which matches the purpose and audience.
Children receive regular feedback from both teachers and are encouraged to use writing targets to assess their independent writing.
We aim to provide our pupils with a ‘language rich’ environment and within our classrooms, we explore ambitious vocabulary in all lessons and use our working walls to acquire an understanding of new and unknown words as well as words in our Tier 2 and Tier 3 lists.
We use the RWInc Get Spelling scheme for children in Y3 and Y4 who no longer need RWI phonics. Children are given weekly words to learn at school and at home in preparation for a spelling test at the end of the week.
Handwriting
We use the Nelson Handwriting scheme to teach letter formation.
We expect the skills that are learnt through the English curriculum to be applied in all other subject areas.
What is the difference that this makes? (Our impact)
Children will know more, remember more and understand more about the curriculum. Children retain prior-learning and explicitly make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning.
By the time children leave St Mary’s, they are competent readers with the skills to take part in discussions about books, explain preferences, make recommendations, evaluate an author's use of language and the impact this can have on the reader, and have a thirst for reading a range of genre. They can read books for research to enhance their learning and knowledge and understanding of all subjects on the curriculum and can communicate their research to a wide audience.
In addition, children will be able to write clearly and accurately, adapting use of language and style for a range of purposes, contexts and audiences. They will enjoy using a wide vocabulary and have a strong command of the written word. Children will have developed a love of writing and be well-equipped and ready for the next stage of learning.
Children will participate enthusiastically in public speaking and school performances. We want all children to develop a love of language for language sake. We aim to develop our children’s ability to use spoken and written language to communicate effectively – to listen, speak, read and write both in and for a wide range of contexts, purpose and audiences.
Children will strive to be the best readers and writers they can be so they are ready to move to secondary school.