English

At Smallwood Primary, the acquisition of core literacy skills is central to teaching and learning.

We believe that not only should our pupils have the ability to read, write, speak and listen but also be able to apply these skills to effectively communicate, connect and make sense of the world in which we live.

The overarching aim for English in the National Curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.

Mr Ollie Preston

Year 6 Teacher

English Subject Lead

Intent

To foster a love for reading and writing whereby children are excited to read and discuss a diverse range of texts, are able to communicate their ideas verbally and in written form for different purposes and audiences, and understand the importance of both skills in everyday life.
For every single pupil to believe that they can succeed in reading and writing.
For all pupils to be able to articulate their learning confidently, referring to key reading and writing skills.

Implementation

High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND
TfM approach including (but not exclusively):

A systematic synthetic phonics programme
Structured practice of comprehension skills and decoding skills in context to develop fluency
Opportunities to read a wide variety of texts in terms of purpose/audience and diversity of content/author
Structured practice of writing skills in context to develop fluency
Variety of Extended Write opportunities to independently embed newly taught skills
Oracy practice through discussion, sharing of ideas and verbalising sentences.
High quality modelling to demonstrate the different stages of writing: planning, composing and editing.

Language-rich classroom environment
Opportunities to read and write across the curriculum in different subjects
High quality questioning to embed and secure understanding
Bespoke support and planning in order to meet individual needs including:

Differentiation and scaffolding
Small group teaching and guided writing/reading
Opportunities for pre and post teaching
Discussions and support from Subject Lead and SENCo

Enrichment opportunities including:

Visitors
Themed days

The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

read easily, fluently and with good understanding
develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
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
are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

At Smallwood, from Nursery to Year 2, we have adopted a systematic, synthetic approach to phonics based on the Letters and Sounds guidance. It incorporates rhymes, images and actions to support children with a consistent approach to phonics.

Our reading curriculum develops pupils’ fluency, confidence and enjoyment in reading. To enable this, reading books are matched closely to pupil’s phonic knowledge. In school and at home, children will read decodable texts (texts that children are able to sound out) which align with our phonics programme.

Sound Mats

Flashcards