English Vision

At County Bridge, we are passionate about our children growing into confident speakers, readers and writers. We know this will develop their vital skills of communication, which will underpin their access and enjoyment in all areas of their lives. We want all our children to develop a real love for reading so they are able to read with fluency, expression and comprehension. We know that the more our children read, the greater the impact upon their development, acquisition of vocabulary and ultimately in their writing outcomes.

Intent

The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. At our school we ensure that all children from entry, in First Steps through to Year 6, are immersed in an inclusive, language-rich curriculum that is planned progressively so that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before and accumulates to clearly defined end points.

Through reading in particular, children have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development and as such we teach all English lesson through six quality books that have been set for each year group. Children are able to apply their reading, writing and speaking & listening skills in and across all subjects and are able to articulate their understanding of English well. All children make good progress through the delivery of a coherent curriculum that is broken down into small steps whether this be through face to face teaching or remote learning. We set high expectations for all groups of children regardless of gender, SEND or social disadvantages to ensure that learning is challenging and ambitious but also meets the needs of our children through appropriate scaffolds and models.

Reading sits at the heart of the English curriculum. This is to develop and foster a deep love of literature across a wide range of genres and styles. Our children are allocated an author per class. They become immersed in the stories they have written and a range of facts about their lives. Our aim is to teach children to read fluently and comprehend what they can read whilst expanding their vocabulary so that they are able to access a broad and balanced curriculum and succeed in future.

Children are highly motivated and resilient when faced with challenging learning, they are eager to learn and behave with integrity. Our English curriculum provides children with the skills, knowledge and qualities needed to flourish in our society.

Implementation

The English curriculum is taught and delivered through a broad and ambitious range of good quality texts. With the study of the class author, the children experience varied writing styles and develop their knowledge of eight significant authors by the time they leave our school. In addition to the class author, English lessons are centred around a high quality text that has been specifically planned to expose children to a wide range of genres.

Lessons are designed and delivered in a way that is engaging and allow children to transfer key knowledge to long term memory. Teachers plan and deliver skills and knowledge cumulatively with opportunities for reflection. They make links to prior learning to help children embed and use knowledge fluently. Additionally, teachers check children’s understanding through a secure use of assessment for learning which then informs the next steps in teaching. The English leader works closely alongside all the staff during the medium term and short term planning stages and supports staff through specific feedback to ensure that children’s learning is demanding and matches the aims of the curriculum.

Classroom environments serve as an additional teaching resource that focuses both on pupil’s achievements in English and supports the intent of the curriculum by displaying current skills and knowledge children need in order to make good progress. Teachers use the environment well to capture new and ambitious language in order to widen children’s vocabulary and use visuals and images to support new learning, ensuring that the needs of SEND and disadvantaged children are being consistently met. The classroom environment captures pupil voice.

The focus in Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) is to ensure that all children build secure foundations in reading and writing through having access to reading and writing opportunities throughout the environment. Children will be competent in their phonic knowledge through daily phonics teaching by the time they reach Year 1 and will be able to form all letters of the alphabet correctly in order to write a simple sentence. Phonics lessons are enjoyable and engaging, with lots of resources available to support the development of children’s early reading skills. Children develop, consolidate and deepen their knowledge, understanding and skills in reading, comprehension and writing to prepare them for their future learning.

Development of reading skills is a priority for EYFS. As soon as children begin our nursery we provide them with opportunities to explore and handle books to foster a love for reading. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 use the ‘Read Write Inc’ scheme to develop their skills in phonics.

We strongly believe that children must ‘learn to read’ in order to prepare them to ‘read to learn’. As a result of this they are able to access all areas of the curriculum successfully.

Impact

Our children love to read and do so with fluency and expression. They learn about a wide range of authors and texts and are able to make links within their learning in order to connect new knowledge with existing knowledge proving that they know more, remember more and can do more. Children write competently in a range of genres with understanding of the key features, purpose and audience. Our children are confident speakers, they have honed their speaking and listening skills and work well collaboratively with their peers. Children at County Bridge take pride in their learning and achievements in English.