Introduction to English
Intent
At Elburton Primary School we firmly believe that English is a vital way of communicating both now and in the future. All children are provided with access to a high quality English curriculum that develops children’s love of reading, writing and discussion so that they have the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills for future success. It enables them to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with others effectively.
Children learn to become enthusiastic and critical readers of stories poetry and drama as well as non-fiction and media text. We aim to inspire an appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage and a habit of reading widely and often. 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 knowledge-base 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 and this is reflected in our school’s mission statement: “Inspiring today’s children for tomorrow’s world.”
Implementation
These aims are embedded across our English lessons and throughout the wider curriculum. We have a rigorous and well organised English curriculum that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. Teachers plan their English units around high quality texts, exciting experiences or topical issues that motivate their learners and promote high standards of written and spoken English.
Our curriculum closely follows the aims of the National Curriculum. Children make good progress in early reading through the use of the RWI programme from reception to year 2. Whole class reading is taught throughout the school on a daily basis and children are taught how to develop their reading comprehension skills to ensure progress is made. We use a wide variety of quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children. We also provide a wealth of enrichment opportunities, from taking part in local projects such as the Mayflower 400 project to school poetry and creative writing competitions. This ensures that children benefit from access to positive role models from the local and wider locality. We also aim to broaden the children’s literal appreciation and understanding through regular author visits to promote a love of reading.
Impact
The school has a supportive ethos and our approaches support the children in developing their collaborative and independent skills, as well as empathy and the need to recognise the achievement of others. Our approach to English helps to address misconceptions and confidence issues by ensuring that all children experience challenge and success in English by developing a growth mindset.
As a result of our high quality English provision, we have a community of enthusiastic readers and writers who enjoy showcasing their developing literacy knowledge and skills. Standards of written work across the curriculum and through cross-curricular links are to a consistently high standard and our learners take a real pride in the work they produce. They are confident to take risks in their reading and writing, and love to discuss and share their ideas.
To view our policies, curriculum design in more depth please click on the tabs below.
Miss Emma Marriott
English Lead/MAT Hub Lead
Miss Alice Collinson
Read, Write, Inc Lead
Mr Nick Copson
Link Governor
