English

We teach English not only as a subject in its own right, but also as integral to other curriculum subjects.

Children develop skills in speaking and listening, reading, writing and drama, enabling them to express themselves creatively and imaginatively and to communicate with others effectively.

Children learn to write in different genres and for a variety of purposes and audiences. Children learn to become enthusiastic, critical and life-long lovers of reading and explore a range of stories, poetry and drama as well as non-fiction and media texts. Opportunities in class include: silent reading, paired reading, and guided and whole class reading. Hearing the teacher model and read aloud further enhances children’s enthusiasm for reading as do our book fairs and book weeks. We ask that you support your children by listening to them read at home and asking them questions about the texts they read.

Our aims in teaching English are to allow children to –

• read fluently and expressively, 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
• be competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

Reading and writing have a high profile at All Saints Carshalton. We believe that teaching children not only to read and write successfully, but to enjoy the journey, is key in enabling them to reach their potential. This will also help them to develop a lifelong love for literacy.

We want to make sure that our expectations are high and that we have good progression in writing skills across the school.

The National Curriculum Programmes of Study

The programmes of study for writing at Key Stages 1 and 2 consist of

• transcription (spelling and handwriting)
• composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing).

In order to make good progression in writing, children need to:

• Enjoy writing and recognise its value,
• Write with confidence, clarity and imagination,
• Write grammatically correct sentences that are punctuated accurately,
• Understand the features of and how to write in a range of genres and non-fiction texts,
• Plan, draft, revise and edit their own writing,
• Develop an adventurous and broad vocabulary,
• Know their next steps and how they can make their writing better,
• Develop fine motor skills to ensure consistent mark making with increasing dexterity, to produce recognisable letters, developing into a continuous cursive style of handwriting,
• Use phonological knowledge and spelling rules to spell accurately.

At All Saints Carshalton, we use a whole-text approach to teaching literacy which is then linked to a curriculum theme. We refer to the New National Curriculum to plan and design exciting and imaginative opportunities for learning.

Spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

There are two statutory appendices in the New Curriculum on Spelling and on Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation. Spellings are taught weekly and are sent home in children's spelling journal for them to learn. These are then reinforced in school. Grammar and punctuation is taught as part of the literacy lesson. Grammar and Punctuation is taught through writing and reading sessions. Teachers use the correct terminology expected for each Year group in classrooms and expect the children to use and understand it (bossy verbs / Imperative verbs').

Click here to view the National Curriculum Spelling Appendix Years 1-6

Click here to view the National Curriculum Vocab, Grammar and Punctuation Appendix Years 1-6

In Key Stage One

Reading in Key Stage One is closely linked to and overlaps with our phonics provision at the school. Through daily phonics teaching as well as dedicated time to development of comprehension skills and fluency, through the use of 60 Second Reads, we aim to form well rounded readers. Pupils have access to the school library to enrich their reading diet as well as their banded reading book to take home and read to an adult.

Click here for an overview of phonics provision across the school.

In Key Stage Two

Pupils are given excellent opportunities to improve their reading skills, such as inference and comprehension by talking and coming to judgements both as a class or independently, through taught sessions. The Reading Roles system is used for weekly whole class guided reading sessions, where children develop and enhance specific skills such as word knowledge, vocabulary, retrieval and inference. As well as this, pupils also have opportunities each week to read aloud at school and are expected to take their reading books and home school diaries home so that they can read to an adult.

Click here for an overview of reading provision across the school.