Shelley English Curriculum Statement
English Statement
INTENT
The English curriculum at Shelley Primary School aims to develop pupils who can communicate effectively through speaking and listening; reading and writing. A successful English education unlocks learning in all other areas of the curriculum and prepares pupils for the next stage in their education and beyond. It is our aim that pupils are taught the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding through well-chosen texts, first hand and meaningful experiences. We aim to inspire and develop pupils who have a love of reading and writing.
IMPLEMENTATION
- Pupils are taught the age-related objectives outlined in the English section of the National Curriculum.
- Pupils are taught the relevant knowledge, skills and understanding through lessons in reading, writing, phonics, spelling and handwriting. The balance of these lessons is dependent on the year group and phase (EYFS, KS1, KS2).
- Units of work in English are centred around our learning journeys with the aim of making meaningful links. As much as possible, pupils use first hand experiences and exciting class texts to base reading and writing outcomes on.
- Writing outcomes are planned and taught in stages:
Familiarisation - Creating interest and a meaningful purpose for writing. Reading to immerse pupils in the style of writing. Book talk as ‘a reader’ to ensure accurate comprehension of what is read.
Capturing Ideas – Further reading and book talk as ‘a writer’ in order to analyse texts and discuss author intent. Pupils gather ideas and content for their own writing at this stage.
Composition – Shared, guided and independent writing. Composition is centred on keeping the reader’s interest, whether it be through entertaining, informing, instructing, explaining etc. Modelling of writing is key at this point and children are encouraged to regularly proof-read independently and with peers.
Improvement – Shared, guided and independent editing writing. Editing can either be for improvements or to experiment alternative versions.
Publish and Perform – The purpose for writing is fulfilled. Children have opportunities to publish their writing and perform. • Teachers use No Nonsense Spelling, No Nonsense Grammar and Letter Join to help inform planning and ensure pupils are taught age-related expectations in spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting.
- Teachers use Song of Sounds, PM Benchmark and Accelerated Reader to help with the teaching and assessment of reading.
- Pupils are taught broadly the same English objectives and progress through these together. Adjustments are made for those whose progress is slower or swifter.
- The English environment is supportive. The class English Working Wall displays writing models and useful vocabulary to help pupils. Pupils are provided with supportive resources to help them, for instance word banks, sentence starters, spelling and phonics mats.
- Teacher assessments in reading are supplemented with formal summative testing using PM Benchmark individual assessment in EYFS and KS1 and Star tests using Accelerated Reader in KS2.
IMPACT
Pupils speak clearly and can hold more sophisticated conversations as they progress through the school. Pupils read for pleasure; they access a range of books and hold discussions about what they read. Pupils writing engages their reader and is accurately written. Pupils apply their knowledge, skills and understanding gained in English to the wider curriculum. All pupils make good progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their next stage.
