English
English Intent
At Bournebrook C of E Primary School we intend 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. We will ensure that all pupils can read easily, fluently and with good understanding and develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information. We want all children to acquire a wide and varied vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language in addition to appreciating our rich and varied literary heritage. Through good quality teaching of English, children will be able to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. Children will become competent in discussions in order to learn new ideas and to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding. We aim to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding in English through units of work that build children’s skills. This can be done through whole-class reading or writing activities, whole-class focused spelling, punctuation or grammar activities, group or independent activities and whole class sessions to review progress and learning. A range of teaching strategies will be used for these activities including: demonstration, modelling, questionings and discussions.
Implementation of English
Foundation Academic Year 2023 – 2024
Phonics is taught on a daily basis as soon as the children enter the Foundation Stage in September. All children will take part in the government approved Little Wandle teaching programme. Children who are having difficulty learning will have additional phonics to help move their learning forwards and will have support from a teaching assistant during daily phonics lessons. Children will progress through the Little Wandle programme in phonics and reading. As well as a daily phonics lessons children will have the opportunity to read across the week and will have a reading focus session. Children will have the opportunity to develop their learning through the love of books and stories. The phonics focus for the day will be introduced during a whole class introduction and the teacher will model the new skill and the opportunities to develop this skill in a range of different ways. Children will have a home reading book which is matched to their individual phonics level which is sent home changed weekly. Books are sent home on Wednesday and returned on Monday. Reading and the love of reading is embedded across the week with daily stories or books shared by the teacher or teaching assistant.
Writing and the skills needed for writing are taught in the same way as reading, embedded across the week and children have the opportunity to develop skills in different areas. Reception follow Little Wandle letter formation and handwriting units. Reception also use early morning work time to provide a carousel across the week to further develop reading and writing skills. The activities can include; fine motor activities e.g. threading or tweezers, name and number card, pattern tracing worksheet, a phonics game and a range of books linked to the current theme.
Year 1 – 6 Academic Year 2023-2024
Daily English lessons
Over the year pupils will cover a range of text types:
Narrative – Traditional; Fables; Myths; Adventure; Mystery; Science Fiction; Fantasy;
Historical fiction; Contemporary fiction; Issues and Dilemmas; Fairy Tales; Play scripts and Film Narrative.
Non-narrative – Recount; Instruction; Persuasion; Discussion; Explanation; Non-Chronological Reports.
Poetry – Free Verse; Structured Poetry; Visual Poetry
English writing lessons are progressive and develop skills needed within the genre covered. There are several opportunities planned to write for sustained periods of time across each unit to further develop writing stamina. All year groups are to write an extended, quality piece of writing, which can then be assessed. Assessment grids inform future planning.
For all year groups, English planning should reflect a journey and build on children’s prior learning. Teachers must work together and moderate the teaching of English in order to ensure that expectations are high and that children are able to achieve the best of their ability. Whilst we give children of all abilities the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding, we also plan progression into the scheme of work, so that there is an increasing challenge for the children as they move up through the school.
Editing to Improve
Editing is an important step in the writing process. We teach children to edit their own independent writing in order to; correct grammar, spelling and punctuation errors, clarify the message, change the writer’s tone and hone language for an intended audience. By teaching children how to be a good editor makes them a better writer overall. Children edit their work by using a purple pen to identify an improved change has been made.
Working Walls
Working walls are used for all children across the school, which are developed over the course of each genre. Staff add to the working wall and the during the lessons so that children can refer to them while working independently.
Spelling
Spellings will be taught within the daily English lesson and are practiced throughout the week. Our spelling work is based on No Nonsense Spelling and the Statutory Word list from the National Curriculum.
Handwriting
Across school children are taught handwriting by following the Little Wandle Scheme in Reception and Year 1. All children are taught to hold their pencil correctly from a very early age, which is instilled as they move through school. Handwriting plays an important part and is taught through daily lessons in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 and as an on-going process in KS2. Capital I will have a top and bottom, the K is not looped, the letter J has a top and bottom.
Phonics
At Bournebrook, we use the Little Wandle synthetic phonics scheme. Phonics will be taught on a daily basis which is also embedded during daily reading practice. Children in EYFS and Year 1 use the Little Wandle scheme, cross phases monitoring ensures fidelity to the scheme. Some children require daily keep up, this completed by the class teacher, using Little Wandle flash cards.
Children are assessed half termly by their class teacher and results are sent to the subject leader to monitor progress and ensure high expectations are maintained by all staff. Assessments are completed every half term to provide a picture of children’s needs.
Children requiring further support after the lesson will receive keep up from an adult. Children that need additional phonics support are part of the rapid keep up lessons with Year 2 children that require additional support. (See phonics pathway)
Reading
All classes read high quality texts as a starting point. Reading skills including decoding, skimming, scanning, along with the reading domains including author voice, vocabulary comparison, inference, summary and prediction are taught and practiced independently during English lessons.
Shared reading is an instructional approach that involves an adult working with the whole class or with a small group of children depending on the age of the children. The text offers challenges and opportunities for problem solving, but is appropriate for children to read with some fluency. The adult helps children to learn to use reading strategies, such as context clues, letter and sound knowledge, and syntax or word structure, as they read a text or book that is unfamiliar to them. The goal of shared reading is for pupils to use these strategies independently on their way to becoming fluent, skilled readers. It is also to extend and challenge more-able groups of children. Questions, including: literal, deductive, inferential and evaluative to improve the children’s comprehension skills. Comprehension skills are also taught indirectly across the curriculum in other lessons.
Children that have not developed a fluent approach reading are provided with 1:1 intervention to further develop their fluency of reading. Comprehension is hindered by a lack of fluency, at Bournebrook we value the need to be able to read fluently. Targeted interventions are completed outside of the class reading session.
Home Reading (reading by children)
All children have a reading book and an electronic reading tracking gird, Track My Read, is in place to record the children’s reading at home and school.
Children will also be able to select a ‘reading for pleasure’ book to take home and keep or a week. This book could be of any reading level, based on children’s interests and own choosing. Reading and the love of reading is embedded across the week with daily stories or books shared by the teacher and teaching assistant.
Story time
Story time happens daily, usually at the end of the day providing time for the whole class to enjoy a story together and become involved in the joy of reading.
Class Library
Each classroom also has a collection of books forming part of their ‘reading corner,’ appropriate to their children.
School Library
The school library is a multi use space but has a large number of books that children can choose to borrow. Junior Librarian is used to record the books the children have borrowed.
Other book opportunities.
Children can work with a reading buddy at lunch time to select books from the baskets to read during lunch time sessions. Reading buddies are on hand to provide suggestions and support to all children wishing to read.
Cross-curricular links with English
Teachers will consider the opportunities for developing English skills across the curriculum. The skills that children develop in English are linked to, and applied in every subject of our curriculum. The children’s skills in reading, writing and spoken language enable them to communicate and express themselves in all areas of their work at school. Each term children will be asked to produce a piece of writing in either Science, History / Geography, Art / DT to show skills in writing in another subject. All teachers are aware of capitalising opportunities, which will arise every day for children to develop their spoken language skills across the curriculum. Where applicable and where opportunity arises,
Drama will form part of English lessons. The shared text or plenary sessions offer excellent opportunities for Drama.
English Impact
The effective teaching of English will impact upon the pupils in the following ways children:
• will be able to read easily, fluently and with good understanding at the appropriate level.
• will develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information.
• will acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language at the appropriate level.
• will appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• will write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences at the appropriate level.
• will develop a good stamina for reading and writing.
• will use discussions 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.