English Curriculum

Intent

It is our intent at Crook Primary School to provide all of our pupils with a high-quality English curriculum, which develops their love of reading, writing and discussion. One of our main priorities is to ensure that by the end of their primary education, our pupils have the required knowledge and skills that allow them to speak, read and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others effectively. We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial and will give our pupils the tools they need to succeed in life. Through using high-quality texts, immersing pupils in vocabulary rich learning environments and ensuring new curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, the pupils at Crook 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.

In reading, we intend to encourage all pupils to read widely and often across both fiction and non-fiction to develop their knowledge of themselves and the world in which they live; to establish an appreciation of reading for pleasure; to gain knowledge across the curriculum; to develop their comprehension skills; and to expose them to a wide range of vocabulary so that they able to decipher new words and then use them when speaking both informally and formally. Phonics will be emphasised in the early teaching of reading when they start school in Reception, and it is our intention to ensure that, by the end of KS1 all pupils are transitional readers. This will be further developed in KS2, where we intend for all pupils to be able to read easily, fluently and with confidence, in any subject as they progress into secondary education.

In writing, we intend for our pupils to be able to plan, draft, proofread, evaluate and edit their writing. To be able to do this effectively, pupils will be encouraged to use a range of planning frameworks; in addition to developing effective transcription and composition all of which support the planning and writing process. They will also take pride in their writing, develop awareness of the audience, purpose and text type for a piece of writing, as well as adapting their language, style and grammar in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. We also intend for pupils to leave school being able to use fluent and legible handwriting.

In spelling, our teachers will show pupils how to understand the relationships between words. They will also teach pupils how to work out and clarify the meanings of unknown words and words with more than one meaning, and we intend for our pupils to apply spelling patterns correctly to pieces of writing.

In speaking and listening, we want to inspire pupils to speak clearly, fluently and coherently in front of others and ensure they use discussion in order to learn and to communicate; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas, make formal presentations and participate in debate. We want them to be able to listen attentively with understanding, pleasure and empathy and contribute to group discussions effectively.

 

Implementation

We have a rigorous and well organised English curriculum and framework that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion.

 

Reading

Early reading in the Foundation Stage and KS1 is supported through the  Little Wandle Letters & Sounds scheme. Regular training and development days ensure that staff are equipped to teach with the expertise and skills required to deliver phonics teaching and promote excellent progress, as well as a love of reading. pupils will be exposed to fully decodable individual phonics books, which are matched to their phase and will allow for oral rehearsal of sounds taught. When pupils have completed the phonics programme, they will progress onto age appropriate chapter books.

When pupils start KS2, they will have an Accelerated Reader book, which is at their reading level. These books are chosen independently by the pupils. By the end of Year 4, those pupils who are reading beyond age related expectations are able to access a wider range of books that are not levelled to further enhance their reading interests.

The lowest 20% of readers will be heard reading daily to support improvement in fluency and close attainment gaps with reading age. All other pupils will be heard to read regularly as part of classroom practice as well as within the dedicated ‘bagel book club’ time twice a week.

With our reading aims in mind, we have a discrete lesson for shared reading for all years from Years 3 to 6.  This ensures that reading comprehension and reading fluency is explicitly taught every day and that every child is given the opportunity to read aloud to the class at least once a week.  A wide range of fiction and non-fiction books to support and enhance these lessons were purchased so that all staff felt proficient and skilled in delivering these sessions effectively and pupils would develop their cultural capital whilst being exposed to rich vocabulary.

Within school we offer an up-to-date selection of books to provide quality reading materials for all pupils to promote reading for pleasure. We encourage  pupils to read widely in different subjects such as reading as a scientist. Each classroom has a dedicated reading area to inspire pupils to read and reflect on what they read.  Reading is celebrated throughout the school with creative displays which celebrate authors, pupils’s favourite books and their reading achievements.  In addition to this, throughout the school year the importance of reading is enhanced through World Book Day, author and poet visits. All classes take part in daily storytimes at the end of the day to continue to foster a love for reading.

In KS1 reading at home is supported by an ebook library. Pupils are given the book that they read with an adult in school the previous week to read at home to encourage overreading and fluency. In KS2 pupils take home their daily individual reader.  They are expected to read three times a week to an adult at home. Reading at home is regarded as an important part of reading development.

 

Writing

As we believe consistency and well-taught English is the bedrock of a valuable education, at Crook Primary, we ensure that the teaching of writing is purposeful, robust and shows clear progression for all pupils.  When planning English lessons, teachers make links to other areas of the curriculum to ensure that cross curricular links provide further context for learning. Teaching blocks focus on fiction or poetry. Lessons are sequenced so that they build progressively towards an extended piece of writing. In line with the national curriculum, we ensure that each year group is teaching the explicit grammar, punctuation and spelling objectives required for that age group.  As well as teaching the objectives, teachers are able to embed the skills throughout the year in writing opportunities across the curriculum.

In order to expose pupils to a variety of genres which helps to utilise and embed the writing skills, teachers use a writing journey to plan, structure and teach their English lessons.  This journey is designed to show progress, teach the year group objectives in the context of a text, apply and consolidate these skills and develop vocabulary, which has been taught using the SEEC model during discrete vocabulary lessons each week.  Writing is taught through the use of age-appropriate quality texts, which expose the pupils to inference, high-level vocabulary, a range of punctuation and characterisation, real-life situations and current affairs.  Each text is purposefully selected in order to promote a love of reading, engagement and high-quality writing from each child. pupils are provided with opportunities to write for a range of purposes and audiences. Teachers use shared writing sessions to model writing skills, teaching pupils how to compose, amend and revise their writing. pupils organise and present their writing in different ways.

Handwriting is also taught using Letter Join, during discrete handwriting sessions. Within Letter Join, there is a clear skills progression from EYFS to Year 6, so that by the end of KS1 pupils can use leading lines and by the end of KS2, pupils write fluently using joined writing.

 

Speaking and Listening

With regards to speaking and listening, we give our pupils confidence in themselves as speakers and listeners by showing them that we value their conversations and opinions. We also encourage a respect for the views of others. Teachers provide a model of speakers and listeners in our day-to-day interactions with them and with other adults in our school. We help pupils at Crook Primary to articulate their ideas and provide purposes and audiences for talk within a range of formal and informal situations and in individual, partner, group and class contexts. We provide opportunities to perform to a larger audience, in assemblies and a Year 6 production, where pupils’s efforts and skills are acknowledged by staff, parents, carers, visitors and peers. pupils are also provided with a range of experiences where they can work collaboratively and participate in opportunities to reflect on talk and explore real and imagined situations through role play, hot seating, drama and discussions. To develop their ability to listen with attention and understanding, pupils are given opportunities across the curriculum to ask and respond to questions appropriately.

 

Impact

Pupils will develop a love of reading and an enthusiasm for writing and they will enjoy showcasing their developing literacy knowledge and skills. Pupils will make links between texts and the different themes and genres within them. Through discussion and feedback, pupils talk enthusiastically about reading and writing and understand the importance of this subject. They can also talk about books and authors that they have enjoyed and can make reading recommendations. With the implementation of the writing journey well established and taught thoroughly in both key stages, pupils will become more confident writers and by the time they are in upper Key Stage 2, most genres of writing will be familiar to them and the teaching can focus on creativity, writer’s craft, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills.

The impact of our English curriculum is measured through the following methods:

• Assessment for Learning is embedded in English lessons and pupils are active in reviewing the successes in their work and identifying, with support from their teacher, target areas for development to ensure a continuous and individualised approach to improving their work.
• We teach pupils to become critical readers of their own writing by using self-evaluation and checking their work independently for sense, accuracy and meaning.
• Regular English book scrutinies are carried out to check all teachers are following our marking policy for extended pieces of writing. 
• Discussions with pupils about their learning and enjoyment of their lessons (pupil voice).
• Assessment of pupils’ progression of skills via TAFs throughout a unit of work which teaching staff use to inform further planning and delivery of English

At the end of each year, children will be assessed against age related expectations associated with the learner behaviours of an expected pupil within English reading and writing.

 

Writing Exemplars

Please click on the relevant year group to view examples of children's written work, which demonstrates writing that is working towards or at the expected standard for that year group, and some examples which are greater depth. These can be used to support the moderation of teaching judgements when assessing the extent to which a child has demonstrated the expected standards.

 

Additional Information