English

Literacy is  ... the road to ... progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.

Kofi Annan

What is the vision for English in our school?

At St Werburgh’s and St Columba’s, we want to prepare children with the essential reading and writing skills they will need for later life by providing an enriched and engaging English curriculum, where they write with a clear purpose across all subjects and read for understanding and pleasure.

What does our English curriculum offer to our pupils?

Daily English lessons aim to engage, motivate and inspire children at all levels of attainment. Lessons follow a sequence which is driven towards an exciting purpose and of relevance to the children. Each stage of the teaching sequence aims to develop confident, independent and creative writers who enjoy writing. Drama, experiential learning, Speaking and listening, exposure to high quality texts and layered learning of grammatical features all play their part in preparing the children to become empowered writers who have a clear sense of what they need to do to get better. All pupils have the opportunity to utilise their writing skills across the curriculum. Regular handwriting practise takes place ensuring children develop correct letter formation. Pupils are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work.

Our whole school approach to writing uses the programme Pathways to Write, which ensures pupils are challenged and exposed to high quality texts from different genres. The programme also ensures consistency and progression from EYFS through to Year Six.

Our school places a high emphasis on the importance of reading, we aim to foster a delight in literature and a love of books while building on the key skills required to become successful, fluent readers.

Careful planning and assessment ensure continuity of progression across both key stages through shared, guided, and independent reading opportunities and intervention programmes.

Children in the Foundation Stage and Year 1 are taught phonics daily using the ELS programme which is linked to spelling and handwriting.

Children in Year 2  and LKS2 follow Pathways to Read and UKS2 pupils are taught reading skills through the sharing of high quality texts linked to the wider curriculum subjects. During lessons pupils are given opportunities to develop comprehension and fluency skills. Pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure and understanding. A carefully selected range of literature is readily available through classroom reading areas and the school library.

What effect does our English curriculum have on our children?

As we encourage our children to be life long learners, we want to instill a love of reading and writing that will continue throughout their adult lives. As their reading develops, we want them to experience a wide range of authors that transport them to every corner of the world. We hope that their lives will be enriched by their reading experiences and allow them to confidently express the imagination and creativity they have within them. As writers, we want them to have the confidence to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas clearly both in their personal and professional lives.

Curriculum Unit Overviews

Below is a link to the long term plan that the children will be exploring during each academic year. The document outlines the key objectives and expectations for each year group that they will encounter during their learning.

Long Term English Progression Map

Intervention Groups
Throughout the year many pupils benefit from extra small group interventions. These groups take place outside of the Maths and English lessons often in the afternoons. These may focus on plugging the gaps in learning or further extension activities to ensure all pupils are making at least good progress. These interventions include Mop up Maths, Rapid Write, Rapid Maths, Phonics Counts and Better Reading supporting Partners.