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We aim for all children at Istead Rise to become effective communicators, with well developed skills in reading, writing and oracy. Through innovative delivery of The National Curriculum, we will teach pupils to write for a range of purposes and audiences, and to be able to identify, interpret and employ the different devices and conventions associated with different types of text. We will help all children to become fluent readers and nurture an appreciation of different types of literature. We believe it essential that young people are able to express themselves clearly and in an articulate fashion, thus we will create opportunities across the curriculum for children to practise and develop their speaking and listening skills.
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 word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. 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.
Curriculum Implementation
Both reading and writing are taught daily in discrete lessons as well as being developed in multiple areas of the curriculum.
In writing, teaching is delivered in carefully considered units of learning, designed to culminate in pupils creating a high quality example of a given text-type. Along the way in a sequence of learning, pupils are taught how to identify, interpret and employ all the relevant features of the text-type, as well as the necessary elements of spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG). We often encourage children to share their ideas in collaborative group or partnered work, before asking them to commit their individual pieces to the page.
Sequences of learning will typically consist of approximately 10 consecutive lessons which will all be orientated around developing pupils’ understanding for writing for a particular purpose. Examples of the text-types covered in sequences include:
- Stories
- Description
- Recounts
- Letters
- Journal Entries
- Instructional texts
- Non-fiction information texts
- Journalistic Reports
- Poetry
- Play Scripts
The content of our writing learning sequences will include the required content from National Curriculum programmes of study and relevant appendices (available below), but will also teach children the text-specific skills and devices needed to produce a portfolio of high-quality writing outcomes. These outcomes are moderated both across the school and across the schools in the Trust, they are also internally monitored in LAP (Learning and Progress) meetings and SLT/Subject Leader book monitoring across the year.
In reading, children will engage with a range of strategies, including choral and echo reading to develop their fluency, as well as partaking in regular lessons aimed at developing their comprehension skills. In these lessons, children are taught how to answer questions about a range of texts, linked to specific content domains, in particular the retrieval of Information, Inference and authorial language choice (R.I.C). Children will be exposed to a range of high quality texts and will participate in whole class reading sessions on a daily basis.
The development of strong oracy skills features throughout our curriculum and during English lessons pupils will regularly participate in speaking and listening activities which enable them to develop critical communication skills and the ability to properly articulate themselves.
Children in Reception and Year One also receive daily phonics lessons with teaching that follow the Read Write Inc programme. Children’s progress in phonics is regularly assessed and closely monitored to ensure they receive teaching that is firmly focused on the development of crucial early reading skills that will enable them to fully access the wider curriculum as they progress through their academic careers and also to enjoy reading for pleasure. As children are regularly assessed, they may be moved to a different phonics group to ensure that their needs are being met.
Spelling in Years 2 through to Year 6 is taught through the progression outlined in the Emile Spelling Programme through a daily spelling session which is also linked to handwriting. This programme builds year on year to cover each of the spelling requirements outlined in the National Curriculum For English, Appendix 1 for each year group.
Information on our sequences of learning can be found below.
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