English

Intent
At Kirk Langley Church of England Primary School we believe that a quality  English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and spoken language. One of our priorities is helping children read and develop their comprehension skills. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts. We want to inspire children to be confident in the art of speaking and listening and who can use discussion to communicate and further their learning.

We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledge-base in English, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate fully as a member of society.

Implementation
These aims are embedded across our literacy lessons and the wider curriculum. We have a rigorous and well organised English curriculum and framework, that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. We use a wide variety of quality texts based on the rationale of Take One Book and resources to motivate and inspire our children. Teachers also ensure that cross curricular links with concurrent topic work are woven into the programme of study.

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 Kirk Langley Church of England Primary School we have continued to place high quality text at the heart of each class. Library books are available and Library areas are in each classroom. Texts are purchased regularly for Reading for Pleasure as adults reading to children is seen as vital for instilling a continued love of reading and being immersed in fiction and poetry. Phonics development is built around Rocket Phonics and as children become proficient at decoding the Book Bands support progression through yearly expectations.

We identify children who need support and provide intervention in the most effective and efficient way that we can. Reading is a major element within our Home Learning Policy and meetings with parents as partners supports development. SEND children and Disadvantaged are monitored to ensure the aspiration and expectation of reading effectively is built throughout the Primary years.  Teachers plan and teach English lessons which are adapted to the particular needs of each child.  We help each child maximise their potential by providing effective scaffold support through modelling whilst striving to make children independent and knowledgeable about the toolss and strategies that they need.

Marking is rigorous in English and across the curriculum, with regular ‘Response Times’ and spelling corrections to help children correct and consolidate their work. Regular English book scrutinies are carried out to check all teachers are following our marking policy rigorously.

Impact

The impact on our children is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills.  With the implementation of the writing journey being established and taught in both key stages, children are becoming more confident writers and by the time they are in upper Key Stage 2, most genres of writing are becoming familiar to them and the teaching can focus on writer’s craft, sustained writing and use of grammar, spelling and punctuation skills.

As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in the English lesson are transferred into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific grammar, punctuation and grammar objectives. 

We hope that as children move on from Kirk Langley Church of England Primary School to further their education and learning and high aspirations travel with them.