English

Intent:

Through our English curriculum, our intent is to create a positive reading and writing culture in school, so our pupils go from strength to strength, building on a range of skills, as they work through each journey of the writing process. Throughout this journey, we ensure the children of All Saints’ are immersed in a range of genres, writing for an array of purposes and audiences. They will have a clear understanding of the:

purpose of a text type,
intended impact of writing skills/tools
ability to carefully select vocabulary with attention to the desired effect on the readers’ thoughts and feelings.

We adapt learning in response to diverse learning needs and overcoming potential barriers making learning accessible for all no matter what the children’s starting point is, so they reach their potential and flourish. We want all of our children to be capable readers, writers, spellers and speakers, who can transfer their English skills to other curriculum areas and who are prepared for the next phases in their education. By giving children the context to learning, they will understand the value of English to them now and in their futures.

Implementation

The intent is embedded across our English 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. The high-quality text is often the same text that is studied during daily comprehension sessions. We passionately believe that reading and writing are inextricably linked therefore studying the text in both reading and writing sessions encourages children to make links and become empathetic and ambitious writers. Long, medium and short term planning and the use of progression maps ensure that a variety of genres are progressively taught and built upon both throughout the year and throughout the school.

Where necessary, pupils in the lowest 20% of attainers will receive target and structured intervention e.g. colour semantics; RWI fast track tutoring; RWI Fresh Start. These pupils will require an emphasis on small steps with an abundance of scaffold and modelling to enable them to achieve the expected objectives within the lesson. All areas of need will be supported using reasonable adjustments.

Teachers also ensure that cross-curricular links with concurrent topic work are woven into the programme of study. Children are given the opportunity to transfer and build upon their knowledge of a genre studied during English lessons and apply this learning to a topic focus.

Impact

The impact and measure of this is to ensure children not only acquire the appropriate age-related knowledge linked to the English curriculum, but also skills which equip them to progress from their starting points, and within their everyday lives.

Long-term pupils will:

be confident in the art of speaking and listening and to be able to use discussion to communicate and further their learning
be able to read fluently both for pleasure and to further their learning.
enjoy writing across a range of genres
Pupils of all abilities will be able to succeed in all English lessons because work will be appropriately scaffolded.
have a wide vocabulary and be adventurous with vocabulary choices within their writing
have a good knowledge of how to adapt their writing based on the context and audience
leave primary school being able to effectively apply spelling rules and patterns they have been taught
make good and better progress from their starting points to achieve their full potential
Pupils of all abilities will succeed in all English lessons because work will be appropriately scaffolded.

Reading

Read Write Inc. for Reception & Key Stage 1
Reading is taught from an early stage; we teach the core reading skills of: decoding – using phonic strategies, reading for meaning and fluency- daily in EYFS and Key Stage One using an adapted version of the Read Write Inc programme. This programme supports our children to become fluent readers while meeting the higher expectations of the National Curriculum and uses effective assessment to accelerate every child’s progress and prepare them for Key Stage 2. Reading in Year 1 The children follow a whole class model too but with different activities compared to KS2 and Year 2, where they learn a variety of different reading skills including activities based around phonics. They too have a ‘reading for pleasure section within the week in order to foster a lifelong love of reading.

Read Write Inc. for Reception & Key Stage 1

Reading is taught from an early stage; we teach the core reading skills of: decoding – using phonic strategies, reading for meaning and fluency- daily in EYFS and Key Stage One using an adapted version of the Read Write Inc programme. This programme supports our children to become fluent readers while meeting the higher expectations of the National Curriculum and uses effective assessment to accelerate every child’s progress and prepare them for Key Stage 2.

Reading in Year 1

The children follow a whole class model too but with different activities compared to KS2 and Year 2, where they learn a variety of different reading skills including activities based around phonics. They too have a ‘reading for pleasure section within the week in order to foster a lifelong love of reading.

Reading in Years 2 - 6
To ensure that all children receive quality teaching in reading, Year 2 – 6 follow a whole class approach to teaching reading. Within lessons 1-3 word reading is taught, along with expression and fluency, where the children are taught different reading objectives. The fourth lesson of the week focuses purely on teaching specific comprehension skills; this offers a great opportunity for teachers to assess the children’s knowledge of the learning that has gone on that week. The final lesson of the week is where we ‘drop everything and read!’ to encourage the children’s love of reading.

Reading in Years 2 - 6

To ensure that all children receive quality teaching in reading, Year 2 – 6 follow a whole class approach to teaching reading. Within lessons 1-3 word reading is taught, along with expression and fluency, where the children are taught different reading objectives. The fourth lesson of the week focuses purely on teaching specific comprehension skills; this offers a great opportunity for teachers to assess the children’s knowledge of the learning that has gone on that week. The final lesson of the week is where we ‘drop everything and read!’ to encourage the children’s love of reading.

Encouraging Children to Read Books
Books at All Saints’ The texts we use in reading closely reflect children's own interests and experiences but still marry up with curriculum goals. In EYFS and KS1 the children use books that are organised into levels of difficulty shown by ‘colour bands’. Some of these banded books are from reading schemes; such as ‘Collins Big Cats’, ‘Oxford Reading Tree’ and ‘Rigby Stars’. The class teacher guides the children to select books that reflect both their interest and ability from an appropriate colour level. They also read their levelled RWI book during RWI sessions. The children will bring home a ‘sharing book’ from the class book corners and their levelled RWI book to read with their parents. Parents and teachers comment on the children's progress and communicate through the 'Home/School Reading Record Book'. Once children have finished the Read Write Inc. scheme, they read books that are on the Accelerated Reader programme. Children follow the book with an online quiz, and get immediate feedback, motivating them to make progress with their reading skills.Communication between home and school is fundamental in helping each child to develop to their full potential. Reading experiences at All Saints’ To develop a child’s love of reading, we deliver whole school book units, linked to our topics, designed to enthral and inspire. In addition to this, we host reading days and book fairs throughout the year and invite drama workshops into school.

Encouraging Children to Read Books

Books at All Saints’

The texts we use in reading closely reflect children's own interests and experiences but still marry up with curriculum goals. In EYFS and KS1 the children use books that are organised into levels of difficulty shown by ‘colour bands’. Some of these banded books are from reading schemes; such as ‘Collins Big Cats’, ‘Oxford Reading Tree’ and ‘Rigby Stars’. The class teacher guides the children to select books that reflect both their interest and ability from an appropriate colour level. They also read their levelled RWI book during RWI sessions. The children will bring home a ‘sharing book’ from the class book corners and their levelled RWI book to read with their parents. Parents and teachers comment on the children's progress and communicate through the 'Home/School Reading Record Book'. Once children have finished the Read Write Inc. scheme, they read books that are on the Accelerated Reader programme. Children follow the book with an online quiz, and get immediate feedback, motivating them to make progress with their reading skills.Communication between home and school is fundamental in helping each child to develop to their full potential.

Reading experiences at All Saints’

To develop a child’s love of reading, we deliver whole school book units, linked to our topics, designed to enthral and inspire. In addition to this, we host reading days and book fairs throughout the year and invite drama workshops into school.

Writing

Encouraging Children to Write
At All Saint’s Primary School we place the curriculum at the heart of all our learning. Our enquiry led learning is based around a half termly or termly central topic with subsequent questions that feed into weekly lessons. There are topic themes which include science, history and geography and cross curricular links are encouraged where ever possible. Although we link subjects together, we also ensure that all children reach the high standards and make excellent progress in individual subjects. This is achieved by teachers planning fun, creative and challenging lessons, activities and learning experiences. Teachers carefully use the national curriculum expectations in each subject and develop children’s skills and knowledge as a result. By using specific cross-curricular maps teachers shape the spirit of children’s learning journey by capturing those that are relevant to the children, family and community we serve. This includes many topics around London and the local area of Wimbledon. Each curriculum map ensures it builds on the last, providing a well-sequenced and progressive curriculum including: geography, history, Spanish, art, DT, music, PSHCE, PE, computing and RE. We embed the British, Christian and Right’s Respecting Schools values throughout all our teaching and learning to ensure we are providing a rich and diverse curriculum where we are all growing and learning together in God’s love and celebrating our achievements.

Encouraging Children to Write

At All Saint’s Primary School we place the curriculum at the heart of all our learning. Our enquiry led learning is based around a half termly or termly central topic with subsequent questions that feed into weekly lessons. There are topic themes which include science, history and geography and cross curricular links are encouraged where ever possible.

Although we link subjects together, we also ensure that all children reach the high standards and make excellent progress in individual subjects. This is achieved by teachers planning fun, creative and challenging lessons, activities and learning experiences. Teachers carefully use the national curriculum expectations in each subject and develop children’s skills and knowledge as a result. By using specific cross-curricular maps teachers shape the spirit of children’s learning journey by capturing those that are relevant to the children, family and community we serve. This includes many topics around London and the local area of Wimbledon.

Each curriculum map ensures it builds on the last, providing a well-sequenced and progressive curriculum including: geography, history, Spanish, art, DT, music, PSHCE, PE, computing and RE. We embed the British, Christian and Right’s Respecting Schools values throughout all our teaching and learning to ensure we are providing a rich and diverse curriculum where we are all growing and learning together in God’s love and celebrating our achievements.

English across the curriculum

We promote the transference of accurate English across the curriculum and give children opportunities to read, write, perform, debate, question and listen in a range of contexts from Early Years through to Year 6.

Reading and writing is further promoted through focus days such as World Book Day and whole school projects.

All Saints' C of E Primary School