Implementation
These aims are embedded across our English lessons and the wider curriculum. We have a rigorous and well-organised English curriculum that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. The Power of Reading English scheme places high-quality children’s literature at the heart of the English curriculum and encourages talk for writing and discussion to develop vocabulary. The scheme uses creative and cross-curricular approaches to engage children and enrich teaching and learning. Teachers follow the English long term plan and adapt the lesson sequences to provide a fully inclusive English curriculum that draw on cross-curricular links. We also develop writing skills through the use of writing focus tasks and cross-curricular topic writing to develop stamina and application of skills to writing. We provide a wide range of stimuli for writing including: first-hand experiences, film, imagery, music, modelled, shared and guided writing and relevant headlines. We ensure that children have a clear purpose for writing, such as, writing to be read aloud to an audience, shared with SLT, displayed on ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’, shared in Celebration Assembly, uploaded to Pobble 365 or even sent to schools in a different country. Writing pieces are assessed regularly through our consistent writing interim frameworks for each year group. Our curriculum is in-line with the 2014 National Curriculum for English.
The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
- are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.
In addition to daily English lessons, our children are encouraged to read for pleasure and to read widely through our whole-class reading lessons, streamed phonic lessons and visits to our local library. Our children excel in early reading through the use of the Read, Write, Inc. programme from reception – year 2 and continue to develop a range of reading skills, as well as a love of reading, throughout Key Stage 2 in whole-class reading lessons. We use a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction quality texts and resources to help develop a range of reading skills and to motivate and inspire our children. We also provide a wealth of enrichment opportunities, from visiting our local library to celebrating author days within school. Parents are given reading guidance and clear expectations for reading at home and are also invited into classes each half term to encourage active participation in their child’s learning.