English – Our intent, aims and concepts

Aim

Our English curriculum is the vehicle by which we inspire children to be curious, creative and independent learners. Children are immersed in high quality literature and daily opportunities to engage confidently in peer to peer discussion. By valuing and cherishing high quality literature across our schools and across our curriculum, our children will shape, draft and craft their writing, resulting in beautiful work of which they are justifiably proud. Oracy is given priority within the classroom, as a means of developing metacognition, in order that children develop a reflective, critical approach to both reading and writing. We expect that all children are supported to develop ideas and opinions around literature and are able to articulate themselves with confidence.

We intend that the study of English will enable our children to:

• Read easily, fluently and with good understanding

• Develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information

• Acquire a wide vocabulary

• Develop an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• 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

• Become competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

(DfE, National Curriculum, 2014)

Reading

Right from the very first day a child starts school in EYFS until the last day in Year 6, reading is a priority. Children start their journey with daily Read,Write Inc phonics until they can demonstrate that they have acquired the required fluency to take part in guided reading lessons.

All classes have daily reading lessons, three of these lessons are linked to the learning enquiries, whilst two lessons are dedicated to our 'fab five' texts that teachers provide to ensure we have highly engaged and well motivated readers.

Every year, teachers select texts that will engage and produce high quality writing in all year groups. Newly published texts are combined with classic texts in order to ensure the reading curriculum is enticing, relevant and current to the children.

Writing

Teachers plan rich and varied writing experiences that relate to the learning enquiry being explored at the time. Our teaching of writing offers:

• Quality children’s literature by significant authors

• Engaging starting points and immersion through experiential learning with a clear sense of audience and purpose.

• A clear build up to writing longer pieces using drama, planning and shorter writing tasks.

• Editing; this plays an integral part of the writing process and is taught explicitly.

• Grammar, Spelling and Reading objectives are embedded throughout, with opportunities to develop spelling and word choices, all leading to well constructed pieces of writing, that the children are always so proud of.

Oracy

At Shaldon we believe that being able to express yourself confidently and accurately is a key skill both as a pupil in school but also in terms of developing life long skills as an adult. In school, oracy is a powerful tool for learning; by teaching students to become more effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them. Indeed, one of our gateways is 'Expression' and we encourage all children to present themselves with honesty, confidence and insightfulness. Teachers carefully consider the ways in which pupils can present their learning through speaking and listening activities. Our pupils regularly have opportunities to develop their oracy skills in school. We ensure that all children increasingly present themselves and their learning to wider audiences with our eldest children often presenting themselves to an unknown audience.