English
At West Earlham Junior School we believe communication skills are key to success throughout all learning and are an explicit focus in all learning sessions.
The National Curriculum is the basis for our English curriculum with the learning presented coherently through the context of termly inquiries.
By the end of Key Stage Two when our children progress to other settings we will prepare them for life in modern Britain and their next stage of learning by providing a curriculum which supports them to:
- Use both written and oral language to express their thoughts and feelings in a socially appropriate way,
- Be confident in speaking to different people in a range of situations,
- Develop a love for reading- being able to identify a favourite author and express what they love about their reading,
- Understand the importance of communication skills for modern life,
- Be able to use their reading, writing and oracy skills practically to allow them to exercise choice in life.
Reading
We aim to develop fluent readers who have a love of reading which will support both their next steps in education and a lifelong enjoyment of reading. We aim for students to understand texts at many levels and critically evaluate what they read.
We will do this through;
- The provision of high quality phonics teaching for those learners not yet fluent,
- A literacy spine which closely supports the curriculum content, used in guided sessions, focussed on the range of reading and comprehension skills,
- Class authors, whose work is studied in more depth so that our students have knowledge of a wide range of classic authors and modern writers,
- Enhancing their understanding of the place of literature in the wider world through ‘World Book Day’ and having a Patron of Reading,
- Forging stronger links between home and school.
By the end of Key Stage Two we want our students to;
- Read fluently with a good understanding of the text,
- Develop a love for reading and read preferred texts widely and often,
- Know the work of a range of authors; both modern and classic,
- Talk confidently about their reading and be able to express opinions about the books they have read and make comparisons between the work of different authors.
Writing
We want our students to use writing as a tool for communication in a variety of contexts so they can clearly express their thoughts, feelings and ideas to others.
We want to equip our students for the next stage of education, with the skills to write confidently both for pleasure and practical purposes.
We will do this through;
- Using high quality models linked to the student’s reading,
- Embedding the teaching of phonics, spelling and grammar within the teaching of writing,
- A clear teaching sequence using high quality model texts,
- Inquiry planning with a wide range of real and imaginary purposes and audiences for writing,
- Sequencing the teaching of writing skills through the coherent planning of the curriculum from year three to year six so that skills are logically sequenced and built upon year on year.
By the end of Key Stage Two our students will be able to;
- Write independently with confidence,
- Spell accurately so that their writing is easily understood,
- Express themselves in writing adapting their style appropriately for a range of contexts,
- Use grammar to accurately convey meaning,
- Select vocabulary for nuance and to reflect the appropriate level of formality for the text,
- Understand the importance of writing accurately for practical purposes.
Communication and Language
We want all children to have a voice and be able to express themselves clearly.
We will do this through;
- Promoting talk in all areas of the curriculum,
- Philosophy sessions which teach a range of structures so that students learn to express agreement and disagreement in a range of ways,
- Developing critical thinking and the language structures needed so that students can explain their thoughts in a variety of ways,
- Providing a safe space to talk where all opinions are valued.
By the end of Key Stage Two we want our students to;
- Use spoken language to express themselves clearly with an appropriate level of formality,
- Be confident speaking audibly and fluently in a range of different situations,
Be able to listen to the viewpoints of others and respond appropriately, building on the contributions of others.
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