English

At Sedbergh Primary School, English and the teaching of English is the foundation of our curriculum. Our main intention is to ensure every single child becomes primary literate and progresses to the best of their ability in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening by the time they leave our school in Year 6.

Staff at Sedbergh Primary feel it is essential to highlight and be aware of the differing groups of learners and vulnerable children in their class.  We challenge children of all abilities and ensure they make good progress in all areas of the English National Curriculum. We recognise that each child has their own starting point upon entry to every year group and progress is measured in line with these starting points to ensure every child can celebrate success.

English at Sedbergh Primary will not only be a daily discrete lesson, but is at the cornerstone of the entire curriculum.  It is embedded within all our lessons and we will strive for a high level of English for all. Through using high-quality texts, immersing children in vocabulary rich learning environments and ensuring curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, the children at Sedbergh Primary will be exposed to a language heavy, creative and continuous English curriculum which will not only enable them to become primary literate but will also develop a love of reading, creative writing and purposeful speaking and listening.

At Sedbergh Primary, our intent is for creativity to be at the helm of our English curriculum and for children to learn new skills in a fun and engaging way.

At Sedbergh Primary School we intend to develop in our children:

• A positive attitude towards all aspects of English, including spoken language.
• Appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage.
• Enthusiastic readers who gain pleasure and understanding from the written word.
• The confidence to work with growing independence in the different areas of English.
• The competence to produce a high standard of work, with our children meeting age related expectations or above.
• The ability to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• An awareness of audience.
• A fluent handwriting style containing correct joins and letter formation by the end of KS2.
• A good grasp of phonics, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.
• The use of discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their ideas and understanding.
• The ability to apply these skills to sustained pieces of writing.

The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age-related knowledge linked to the English curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.

Long term, pupils will:

• be confident in the art of speaking and listening and to be able to use discussion to communicate and further their learning
• be able to read fluently both for pleasure and to further their learning.
• enjoy writing across a range of genres
• Pupils of all abilities will be able to succeed in all English lessons because work will be appropriately scaffolded
• have a wide vocabulary and be adventurous with vocabulary choices within their writing
• have a good knowledge of how to adapt their writing based on the context and audience
• leave primary school being able to effectively apply spelling rules and patterns they have been taught
• make good and better progress from their starting points to achieve their full potential