Subject Lead: Mrs Garrett
Intent
English skills underpin children’s learning in most curriculum areas and they rely upon them constantly in their everyday lives. The intent behind the teaching and learning of English at Sheldwich Primary School is for all children to: develop an ability to read fluently, accessing a wide range of texts and text-types for both purpose and pleasure, to become confident, independent writers who can write effectively for a wide range of purposes and for children to be able to speak and perform in front of their peers with confidence and clarity. Teachers aim to ensure that English lessons are creative and engaging. Learning objectives are clear and focused on English skills and the lesson activities that children complete in order to achieve these objectives are often set within the context of the high-quality texts that are being read as a class.
Implementation
In order to achieve the aims of our ‘Intent’ in English, we carry out the following at Sheldwich:
General Practice
Lessons are taught every day following the National Curriculum.
Children are taught in a mixed ability year group.
Learning tasks are differentiated where the teacher feels this is appropriate or impactful.
Support from LSAs or class teachers is available to all learners but individual pupils are targeted for support according to the outcomes of daily formative assessment (Marking).
When the teacher judges it to be appropriate or impactful, Children are able to self-select the level of difficulty at which they wish to work for independent tasks.
Intervention programs / support groups are carried out by LSAs and Class Teachers with identified learners to instill confidence and further support those children who have found / are finding aspects of English challenging.
Home Learning tasks are set to develop, review and further embed children's English learning.
Where possible, links are made with other subjects across the curriculum.
Reading
A range of carefully selected, high quality texts are read and studied as a class throughout the year.
Children take part in small group or whole class guided reading sessions led by LSAs or Class Teachers.
Children are given regular, Independent ‘free’ reading time
Early Readers progress through our reading scheme colour bands/levels in sequence, with the freedom to choose the titles they wish to read from within that colour band.
Children are given informal opportunities to talk about the books they are reading and make recommendations to others.
Children have 1:1 reading opportunities with adults – Class Teacher, LSA, parent helpers.
Younger children are taught how to use the school library and older children use the library independently.
Writing
2-3 text-types are focused on per term resulting in 2-3 pieces of writing that the children have had an opportunity to plan, draft, edit (or re-draft) and write up a neat, final version of.
Each term, the children will focus on a fiction text type and a non-fiction text type and in other terms they may focus on poetry in addition to the other two text types.
Children are taught the required language and layout features of the text types they are studying.
Teachers provide pupils with high-quality modelled writing examples for the text types studied.
Teachers deliver lessons specifically focused on Phonics, Spelling, punctuation and grammar concepts and the importance of consistent and accurate use of these skills in writing tasks is re-enforced through marking and the drafting and editing process.
Speaking & Listening
Teachers model good speaking and listening skills continuously during daily English Lessons.
Teachers plan and deliver lessons and sequences of lessons with a specific focus on developing the children’s speaking and listening skills.
Children are given opportunities to script/plan, rehearse and give dramatic performances.
Children are given opportunities to speak in front of their peers and adults for more formal purposes (e.g. Debates, Presentations, Assemblies).
Children are taught both strategies for effective public speaking and how to employ the features of effective dramatic performance.
Pupils are taught how to: listen actively, engage effectively in classroom discussion and provide useful feedback to their peers about their speaking and listening skills.
Impact
As a result of our teaching you will see:
General
Engaged children who are appropriately challenged.
Confident children who can all talk about English and their learning within this subject area.
Lessons that use a variety of resources to support learning and extend children.
Learning that is tracked and monitored to ensure all children make at least good progress.
Reading
Children reading a wide range of high-quality fiction, non-fiction & poetry, effectively for purpose and with enjoyment and enthusiasm when for pleasure.
Children can decode texts clearly, fluently and confidently both internally and when reading aloud.
Children can accurately answer a range of comprehension, inference and language-focused questions about texts.
Children can express their opinions about texts and author’s intent/style with confidence and clarity.
Writing
Children can write effectively for a range of purposes and in different levels of formality.
Children can use the language (and layout features where appropriate) of different fiction and non-fiction text types effectively.
Children become increasingly independent writers.
Children are able to plan, draft, re-draft, edit and ‘up-level’ their writing with increasing independence.
Children can use the editing and drafting process effectively to make sure their spelling, punctuation and grammar is consistently accurate.
Speaking & Listening
Children can prepare effectively for public speaking or performance (research, script, note-making, rehearsal etc).
Children can speak and/or perform in front of their peers with confidence, clarity and effectiveness.
Children can speak and/or perform effectively for a wide range of purposes, showing an understating of the different levels of formality required.
Children can listen actively to adults and their peers, engaging in discussion.
Assessment
Teacher assessment and pupil self-assessment are a vital part of daily English lessons at Sheldwich Primary School. Teachers are expected to mark each lesson and peer and self-assessment is also used within English lessons to further the children’s opportunities for learning. ‘Every Day’ English lessons are marked simply and clearly to indicate to the child the extent to which they have achieved their objective for that lesson. Those that have been unable to fully meet objectives are identified by the teacher and given verbal feedback or support by an LSA or the teacher themselves in a timely fashion. Two to three times a term, the children complete a piece of writing which is marked in-depth by the class teacher with written comments and specific targets to help the pupil improve their writing. Each pupil has a list of criteria - for the assessment of their writing - in their English book and this is dated and highlighted throughout the year as the children produce evidence of the different criteria points throughout their work. This working document supports teachers in being able to make accurate assessment judgements for children’s writing. The school also works in collaboration with other local primary schools whereby teachers from the different schools have a chance to moderate each other’s writing assessment judgements. Teachers assess formatively in a number of ways in both Key Stages; through questioning in class, from the completed work in books, and the use of past questions from SATS/test papers (Reading & SPaG). Planning is adapted by teachers to meet the needs of their children. Formal summative assessments for Reading (PiRA) are delivered during Terms 2, 4 & 6 for Year 1 – Year 6.
Children also take part in the statutory assessments listed below:
Reception Baseline Assessment
Year 1 Phonics Screening
End of KS1 SATS
End of KS2 SATS
Reporting to Parents and Carers takes place on a regular basis through informal updates if/when required, during consultation sessions held twice a year and through a formal written ‘Mid-Year’ and ‘End of Year’ report.