Intent

Reading

Our aim is to encourage children to develop a lifelong love of learning. We intend to equip them with the phonic and decoding ability needed to become fluent readers, unlocking a whole world of books and enhancing children’s language and awareness of the world.  We understand that reading ability closely correlates to educational performance in all subject areas and therefore provide a range of reading opportunities for all pupils across the curriculum.

Writing

We aim to develop pupils’ creative writing potential by breaking down the skills, technical knowledge, grammatical understanding and planning frameworks needed to write for a range of purposes. Pupils will have the opportunity to evaluate good examples, learn how to apply key features and expand their vocabulary. We also intend to provide creative and imaginative writing inspiration and make links to other subjects to make writing more meaningful and relevant.

Implementation

We ensure that our English teaching and learning provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion and celebrates children’s unique creativity. Cross curricular links are made to deepen understanding and provide a wide variety of experiences, quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children.

Writing

Over the course of a week or a fortnight, English writing lessons will include:

• First hand experiences.
• Good examples of texts and key features.
• Planning, drafting, editing and publishing work. Pride is taken with handwriting and presentation and this is celebrated.
• Grammar and spelling activities.
• Quiet time to write and build writing stamina.

Reading

In reading, we take a discussion led approach.

• In KS1, groups read with the teacher as a whole class and in small groups.
• In LKS2 reading VIPERS, we use the key skills of comprehension to delve into a range of texts.
• In UKS2 reading circles, pupils lead discussions and practise comprehension skills in group reading.
• Reading comprehension is an integral part of all subjects and pupils read instructions, information and texts across the curriculum.

Spelling and phonics

• Bug Club phonics - synthetic approach.
• Daily phonics sessions.
• No Nonsense Spelling used weekly in KS2.
• Spelling patterns and rules taught progressively.
• Drafting and editing with a focus on identifying spelling mistakes.

Progression

Long term plans enable teachers to plan a balance of text types and cover the year group expectations in SPAG. We also track the progression in punctuation and grammar so that pupils build on their knowledge year on year.

Creativity

Creativity is a way of celebrating the unique talents of our school community. Through fostering a love of reading and writing, we can also promote creativity through English.

• Focus Education stories are used as hooks for Science, Geography and History themed writing.
• First hand experiences are used as a stimulus and time to plan, create, take part in drama and art in English are all ways we celebrate creativity.

Impact

Pupils will be confident and creative writers that are able to plan, draft and edit their work independently. Children will be secure in the basic skills needed to write competently and proficiently across the curriculum. Their fluency and reading skills will allow them to access a range of texts that will build their vocabulary and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the world. Through discussion and engaging reading opportunities, pupils will develop a lifelong love of reading and the learning experiences that it provides.

We will measure the impact through:

• Subject leader monitoring: lesson observations, book monitoring and learning walks.
• Gathering pupil voice – to check understanding, understanding of key skills and knowledge, progression, confidence in discussing English.
• Teacher assessments made for writing and judgements moderated.
• Moderating pupils work in school and with cluster schools.
• Phonics check and phonics assessment.
• NFER reading assessments in Y1-5 (Year 2 and 6 complete reading SATS papers).