English

Intent

At Walmsley C of E Primary School our curriculum is designed to deliver an exciting, innovative English curriculum which enables and empowers children's written and oral communication and creativity.

We want to foster a lifelong love of reading by exposing our children to various literature across all curriculum areas. We believe reading opens up a new world for children and gives them the opportunity to explore new ideas, visit new places. Reading is a key life skill and we strive to embed a culture of reading into the core of what we do. We learn to read and read to learn.

At Walmsley C of E we develop the appropriate subject specific knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum, and have undertaken a multifaceted approach to writing, whereby all subject areas include the opportunity for pupils to express their thoughts in a range of written styles. We hope for our students to leave Walmsley C of E Primary School with a certainty that they are able to communicate effectively in writing – and enjoy being able to express themselves in this way.

English

The English curriculum includes Spoken Language, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling and Handwriting.

Purpose of Study

English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach children to write and speak fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, children have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables children both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know.

Aims

The overarching aim for English is to promote high standards of literacy by equipping children with a strong command of the written and spoken word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The curriculum for English aims to ensure that all children:

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.
We use a wide range of reading schemes and real books to enhance our reading scheme. It is organised in a progressive structure to help support the children in their development of reading skills.

Phonics

Our teaching of phonics consists of a structured four part lesson which allows children to revise, learn, practise and apply taught phonemes.

We follow the Little Wandle phonics scheme in Reception and the Super Sonic Phonic Friends accredited scheme in Years 1 -6.

We have matched phonetically decodable books to support children's blending and early reading skills

Writing and Reading

We follow a Mastery approach to English through the programmes

‘Pathways to Write'

'Pathways to Read'

'Pathways to Spell'

'Pathways to Poetry'

Units of work are delivered using high quality texts and children in all year groups are given varied opportunities for writing, reading and spelling.

Skills are built up through repetition within the units, and children apply these skills in the writing, reading and spelling activities provided.

Many opportunities for widening children’s vocabulary are given through the Pathways to Write and Read approach and this builds on the extensive work we do in school to provide our children with a rich and varied vocabulary.

You will find the end of year expectations for each of our year groups in the attached documents in reading, writing and spelling. For further detail on the skills that your children are learning on a termly basis, please contact your class teacher

Assessment

Children in EYFS, Year 1, 2 and 6 will take part in statutory testing.

EYFS - on entry to Reception computer based test

Year 1 - Phonics Screening Check

Year 2 - End of Key Stage assessment tests

Year 6 - End of Key Stage assessment tests

Across school, children are assessed by their class teachers in all areas of the English curriculum.