English

How does English writing contribute to our curriculum intent?

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. The National Curriculum has provided us with a starting point for our Writing Curriculum. We have incorporated the National Curriculum aims of:

• Transcription (spelling and handwriting)

• Composition (articulating and structuring ideas in speech and writing)

The writing journey begins in EYFS where mark making and letter formation is supported. High-quality texts, which reflect children’s interests, spark a passion for writing and children begin to develop awareness of purpose and audience. Engaging the children’s interests and expanding their knowledge of the wider world continues to be an important element of the English curriculum from EYFS to Year 6.

As some of our pupils enter school with weakness in language acquisition, we place an emphasis upon vocabulary development. We want our learners to recognise how precise vocabulary enhances both the spoken and written word. Children are encouraged to apply vocabulary, which has been explored in reading lessons and other areas of the curriculum, within their writing.

We believe that writing outcomes are strengthened by instilling a love for reading in our pupils. Our children experience engaging encounters with carefully selected texts and speaking, listening, vocabulary and reading skills are progressively developed. This allows our learners to access the skills needed to write effectively and creatively within a meaningful context.

An important component of effective composition involves organising ideas coherently for the reader. We therefore aim to support all our pupils to have a clear awareness of purpose and audience when writing and to be technically accurate writers with a secure knowledge of grammar and punctuation. In order for our children to write fluently, they are taught to spell with accuracy through our effective phonics and spelling programmes. All learners are also taught a legible and, over time, speedy handwriting style.

We also recognise the value of making links to other areas of the curriculum, allowing pupils to practise and apply the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired through their English lessons.

At St James’ CE Primary School, we are committed to ‘Growing in God’s Love, learning as we go’ and wish to instil this aspirational outlook within our children. We want pupils to see themselves as writers and support them to see writing as a journey which requires them to plan, edit and revise their writing.

Our English policy provides you with details on how we implement this intent through our curriculum.

How does reading contribute towards our curriculum intent?

With our learners’ starting points and the rise of digital media in mind, we recognise that speaking, listening and language acquisition is paramount to ensuring that our children access the whole curriculum effectively. We strive to be good role models as we interact with pupils and value quality dialogue so that our children have the oracy skills to communicate with confidence and respond appropriately to different audiences, in both formal and informal contexts.

We recognise that reading is an essential life skill and will enable children to embrace the opportunities that life brings. We strive to teach our learners the key skills to be able to read, as well as a passion and love for books and reading. Through our commitment to the delivery of excellence in the teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics, we ensure that pupils gain the knowledge and skills to become confident, fluent readers with the ability to use a range of reading strategies and skills. Please refer to our ‘Phonics Policy’ which can be found on our website for further detail relating specifically to the systematic teaching of Phonics.

At St James’ CE Primary School, the journey of literature begins as soon as our learners enter our school. Our EYFS curriculum is text-rich and forms the beginning of our reading pathway. Across each year group, our texts are carefully selected to ensure that the values that define our culture and ethos are reflected. The texts are regularly reviewed to ensure that our children are exposed to the best of new literature.

We prioritise reading for both enjoyment and purpose in all year groups. Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively and imaginatively as they become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories, poetry and drama, as well as of non-fiction and media texts. The use of quality texts across the wider curriculum further supports children’s understanding of questioning, language and builds up a purposeful and meaningful vocabulary. This helps to develop children’s understanding of concepts and knowledge in other areas of learning. In addition to this, we feel passionately that our children should be exposed to literary greats simply because they are influential in terms of literature, particularly as the cultural capital of our learners varies. Overall, we aim to develop a culture of reading in which children become readers rather than children who read.

In addition, we recognise the value of memorable experiences in nurturing love and knowledge with regards to the English language. As such, activities including Book Week are an integral part of our school programme. In summary, we aspire to deliver a rich and varied curriculum that enables pupils to develop into confident, literate and articulate members of the community who have a positive impact on the world around them.

Our English policy provides you with details on how we implement this intent through our curriculum.