English

What English looks like at Gilmorton Chandler Primary School

INTENT:

Our English curriculum supports the aims and objectives of National Curriculum 2014.

We believe - 

• Everyone has the right to be literate – a life skill.
• English skills allow access to the whole curriculum.
• Children should develop a love for books that lasts a lifetime.
• Children should learn to write for many different purposes.
• All English objectives should be embedded into work in all other subjects including opportunities to edit written work and present outcomes in different ways.
• Cross – Curriculum links are important and the best way to teach non-fiction genres
• Children’s reading development should be a partnership between parent and school.
• Children should have access to good quality and new books – both fiction and non-fiction. 
• CPD, based on research, enables us as practitioners to adapt our teaching to best benefit our pupils.  
• Teachers need to have a strong, connected understanding of the subject being taught and to keep up to date with new children’s literature. 

IMPLEMENTATION:

We use the Programmes of Study and the Grammar and Spelling Appendices from the National Curriculum to guide our long-term planning and ensure progression.

English – Year 3-6

Daily English lessons to cover all fiction and non-fiction reading and writing objectives over the year including: speaking and listening (performance); using a variety of starting points - novels, plays, poems, film clips, drama; revising previously taught grammar objectives; emphasis on vocabulary incorporation; handwriting and editing/ improving/ redrafting opportunities. Opportunities for further non-fiction writing should be given through foundation subjects.

Spelling instruction using Spelling Shed Scheme - 20 minute lesson per day plus access to the online platform for children to practise the learning they have done that week.

Book Talk  – at least one 15 minute session per group per week. The aim of these sessions will depend on the age and ability of the children involved however their primary aim is to encourage a love for books and teach discussion skills.

Class Book/ Independent Reading/ Reading Aloud - 20 minutes should be given each day to allow for a combination of reading activities over the week. 

One extended independent write per half term should be in the Independent Writing Book to show progression over the years.  

This is what we do:

• Planning includes discrete focus on reading decoding and comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, technical accuracy, handwriting and composition/effect of writing followed by reflection to drive next steps learning and planning; SMSC.
• Emphasis on quality first teaching.
• Positive use of mistakes/misconceptions- learning environment.
• Regular book scrutiny, learning walks, pupil perceptions.
• Whole school CPD.
• Reviewing the latest research by professional educational organisations and embedding accordingly.
• Raise the profile of English through workshops, newsletters, competitions, theme days.

This is how we monitor the impact:

• PIXL assessments - termly.
• Pupil progress meetings - involving teacher, subject lead and HoS.
• Teacher assessment/ targets.
• Marking and feedback.
• Photo/video evidence of talk sessions or performances of own work or recitals. 
• Targeted use of TAs - TA’s noting and recording learning observations of individual children. 
• TA/Teacher conversations and feedback time. 

This is how we use intervention:

• Small group additional teacher support for reteach of identified areas from half termly grids on specified children.
• Quick response intervention (re-teach in books), following marking / assessments with identified children. 
• Pre-teaching to specific groups of children. 

What English lessons look like in our school;

• Teachers give children the opportunity to review previous learning, provide models for the kinds of responses pupils are required to produce, provide adequate time to practise and embed skills securely and scaffold new learning.
• Discuss reading and recommend new literature to children.
• Majority of lessons are based around a class novel, film or part of a Foundation subject topic being studied.
• Flexible mixed ability groupings / seating in place to allow children to work with different people over the course of time. 
• Lots of talk and discussion – whole class and pair.
• Frequent sharing and teacher modelling of what a good piece of writing is.
• Mini-quizzes of new knowledge and vocabulary are used to encourage better organisation of a pupil’s knowledge and to encourage their metacognitive monitoring.
• Mini plenaries to share ideas, pose questions, challenge choices, magpie.
• Fluent and joined handwriting encouraged when writing.
• Encourage use of dictionaries/ thesaurus as appropriate.
• Teachers pre-teaching or re-teaching vocabulary and/or grammar points as appropriate
• Sufficient time allowed for children to edit and improve their work and to undertake peer review in lessons.

English – EYFS/ KS1

5 hours per week Sounds Write Phonic Scheme.

The phonics learning scheme should be supplemented with opportunities to read, study and enjoy other books together in groups and as a class, including poetry.

There should be an opportunity for independent extended writing which incorporates previously taught SPAG and sentence work every two weeks – this can be taken from any stimuli or topic work. 

One of the extended independent writes per half term should be in the Independent Writing Book to show progression.

This is how we develop greater depth pupils:

• Direct to new or challenging children’s literature through teacher recommendations.
• Challenging vocabulary work.
• Allow freedom to choose own writing styles or stimuli.