English

At Yealand Church of England Primary School, we teach English by following the Literary Curriculum (Literacy Tree). The Literary Curriculum is a complete, thematic approach to the teaching of primary English that places children’s literature at its core.

The Literary Curriculum immerses children in a literary world, therefore creating strong levels of engagement to provide meaningful and authentic contexts for primary English. Children become critical readers and acquire an authorial style as they encounter a wide range of significant authors and a variety of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The Literacy Tree is a whole school approach which we adopt from Key Stage 1. Within Reception, children will engage with some of the suggested Literacy Tree texts, alongside others which link to their individual interests and curriculum themes. Other Literacy strategies are taught in EYFS, such as Drawing Club, Tales Toolkit and Story Dough. Within the summer term in Reception, children will follow more of the Literacy Tree units of work in preparation for effective transition into Key Stage 1.

The Literacy Tree provides complete coverage of all National Curriculum expectations for writing composition, reading comprehension, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. All units of work lead to purposeful application within a wide variety of written outcomes.

Intent

At Yealand Church of England Primary School, we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. One of our priorities is helping children read with pleasure and fluency as well as developing the all-important 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 knowledgebase 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.

Using the programmes of study from the National Curriculum it is our aim to develop:

• A rigorous and well-organised English curriculum and framework that provides purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion.
• Using a variety of quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children.
• The habit of reading easily, fluently and with good understanding.
• The habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
• Acquiring a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.
• Write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audience using discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.
• Competency in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.
• Cross-curricular links which are woven into our topic work.

Implementation

At Yealand Church of England Primary School, we are committed to providing a motivating, challenging and comprehensive English curriculum that is accessible to all and ensures that our English teaching and learning provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. We use a wide variety of experiences, high quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children. All pupils receive a daily English lesson, as a minimum. Teachers also ensure that cross curricular links with concurrent topic work are woven into the programme of study.

• Teachers create a positive reading and writing culture in school, where both are promoted, enjoyed and considered ‘a pleasure’ for all pupils.

• Promotion of reading through teachers reading out loud regularly to their class.

• Pupils in EYFS and KS1 experience daily phonics sessions, following Read Write INC.

• Pupils are encouraged to be adventurous with vocabulary choices.

• Pupils acquire strategies to enable them to become independent learners in English (spelling rules and patterns and how to tackle unfamiliar words when reading).

• Pupils can discuss and present their ideas to each other by talking, being able to elaborate and explain themselves clearly, make presentations and participate in debates.

• Vocabulary promoted through displays in class, all curriculum areas, enhancing and encouraging a wider use of vocabulary.

• Vocabulary mats to be used where needed and thesauruses and dictionaries which are easily accessible for pupils to use.

• Teaching a range of genres across the school both in English and other curriculum areas; resulting in pupils being exposed to, and knowledgeable about, literary styles, authors and genres. They can express preferences and give opinions, supported by evidence, about different texts.

• Displays of writing in class and shared areas, give a purpose and audience, therefore encouraging pupils to have pride in their work and to show that their work is valued.

• Reading and writing events throughout the year, to encourage and promote enjoyment and opportunities to develop lifelong learning.

Yealand embraces the unique opportunity through the school class structures and staffing to personalise the curriculum to meet the needs of individual children, enabling pupils to maximise their potential in this core subject. The approach to the teaching of English within school is based on three key principles:

1. A daily Read Write Inc lesson (Reception and KS1) or a daily Reading Carousel/SPAG lesson (KS2)

2. A daily English lesson (between 45 and 60 minutes)

3. A clear focus on direct, instructional teaching and interactive oral work with the whole class, groups and individuals.