Subject Leader: Mrs Law

Our school vision states that we want all children to flourish and achieve their full potential. Skills in communication, reading and writing are essential for children to access the broader curriculum. We believe that all pupils can learn to read and write to a good standard and we strive to make this so, at the same time as instilling a love of reading.

The overarching aim for English is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of spoken and written language and to read for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion 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.

Reading and Phonics

We believe that reading is of huge importance. We motivate our children and foster a love for reading at a level that is right for them. Every week, children will take home a new reading book, in Early Years and KS1, these will be Read Write Inc books and in KS2 a range of schemes and free-readers. Children are also encouraged to borrow books that they can share at home.  Please see our Reading and Phonics page for more information on how we teach these subjects.

Writing

At Lindale CE Primary School, our aim is for all children to see themselves as writers, understand the process that writers go through and enjoy writing. Children develop their understanding of a range of genres and styles including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays. We ensure that rich texts are at the heart of our English curriculum to inspire writing.

In Reception and KS1 we teach reading and writing closely linked together using the Read Write Inc. programme. This provides a structured way of working using a unique layered approach to build children’s comprehension and writing, teaching grammar in context and developing their vocabulary. In addition, we use units from Jane Considine’s ‘The Write Stuff’ and CLPE’s Power of Reading. This puts high-quality texts at the centre of the curriculum and means the children get the most out of a text by becoming immersed in a range of activities focused on it.

In Key Stage 1 children are taught to use a pre-cursive writing script and then begin joining if ready. In Key Stage 2 their writing style becomes more consistent and refined, then they are allowed to use a pen.

Follow this link for our year group expectations for reading and writing.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

In Reception and Key Stage 1 phonics is taught every day and this forms the basis of early spelling. As the children progress through Key Stage 2, spelling is integrated into their daily English lessons, Guided Reading and weekly spelling workshop. 

Children begin to understand grammar concepts and start to apply them in their own writing. Focussed lessons are taught to cover punctuation and grammar objectives for each year group as well as embedding these skills into English lessons. 

https://issuu.com/lindaleschool/docs/literacy_issuu

English National Curriculum Programme of Study