English

INTENT

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.

IMPLEMENTATION

We hope to achieve this by:

• Providing stimulating environments in which all aspects of literacy can thrive.
• Prioritising reading, writing and speaking and listening at every opportunity.
• Developing trusting relationships in the classroom, involving good use of peer and self-assessment, so that pupils feel confident to express themselves without fear of embarrassment or criticism.
• Following a text-based learning approach within English lessons, linking texts to topics where suitable.
• Motivating children through exciting topics which they help to plan and drive forward.
• Making lessons highly interactive and productive; so children have time to do, evaluateand improve.
• Making sure that learning is personalised as much as possible to meet the needs of individual children.
• Teaching using the Supersonic Phonic Friends approach. KS1 to follow Suze’s Spelling Rules and KS2 to use IDL to help with spelling.
• Implementing the Curly Cal Handwriting scheme from EYFS to include flicks for joining letters, then cursive writing from Year 1, where appropriate.
• Giving the children the opportunity to read for pleasure through the use of our well-stocked school library.
• Providing opportunities throughout the school year to promote reading and writing (e.g. Book fairs, competitions, World Book Day, parent workshops, author/poet visits, school librarians, reading incentives such as certificates and book tokens, Sedbergh Primary Book Swap shed, Spellbinding Book Club, National poetry day, National storytelling week.)