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English

Intent:

At Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School, we strive to foster a love for literature and the English language by nurturing lifelong readers, writers and effective communicators. We aim to equip students with a strong foundation in both reading, writing and speaking, ensuring they leave primary school with the ability to communicate effectively, articulate their thoughts clearly, and engage confidently with a range of genres and writing styles. We emphasise language development, encouraging children to develop a rich vocabulary to express their ideas confidently through speech and then writing.

Implementation:

Phonics is an essential part of our curriculum in the Early Years and KS1, providing the stepping stones for reading fluency, comprehension and spelling. We follow the Read, Write, Inc. phonics programme to provide a structured approach that helps pupils decode words and understand the relationship between sounds and letters.  When the children have completed the Phonics programme, Read, Write, Inc. they are introduced to Read, Write, Inc. comprehension.  It continues to build on the children’s confidence, fluency, reading comprehension skills and promotes a love of reading. In KS2, we continue to build on this foundation by implementing the Read, Write, Inc. spelling programme, where students continue to develop their spelling skills and deepen their understanding of the English language.

Our curriculum is designed to ignite curiosity and passion for literature, supported by the Power of Reading programme, enabling students to explore a wide variety of texts and develop critical thinking skills. The key features of our English lessons are as follows:

  • Pupils are exposed to high-quality texts from various genres that not only improve their reading skills but also instil a love for books.
  • Guided reading sessions focus on both comprehension and fluency, allowing students to engage with texts meaningfully.
  • Children are given opportunities to write for a range of purposes and audiences.
  • Writing lessons are carefully structured to develop their skills in planning, drafting, editing and presenting their work neatly.
  • Grammar, punctuation, and spelling is taught in context, helping children to apply these skills in their own work.
  • Classroom discussions, presentations and debates are used to encourage children to listen and express their ideas clearly.
  • Differentiation and targeted interventions are implemented to ensure all children are supported to achieve their full potential in English.

Impact:

In English lessons, AFL strategies help teachers accurately assess children’s understanding of written and reading materials, allowing them to identify those who need extra support, including differentiated instruction or scaffolding. To further children’s learning, teachers effectively provide both verbal and written feedback, encouraging pupils to respond and apply the information.

We regularly monitor the impact of English teaching through pupil voice, data outcomes, planning, book looks and displays, learning walks and discussions with teaching staff, pupils and parents. We review this information to identify areas for improvement and support teacher development. 

By the end of Year 6, we aim to ensure that pupils leave us with a broad and deep understanding of English, viewing themselves as readers and authors who feel empowered to communicate effectively in a range of contexts.