English
When children leave St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we expect them to read fluently and widely and to take pleasure in their reading. We want them to make connections between their own experiences and texts, recommend books to each other and to choose to read in their own time.
We teach our children to write with confidence and accuracy for a variety of purposes and audiences. Children are taught to write with grammatical accuracy and to be able to apply spelling patterns correctly using a neat handwriting style. We expose our children to a wide range of vocabulary so that they are able to decipher new words and then use them when speaking and writing. We also aim for our children to apply all of these English skills to all areas of the curriculum.
Phonics
Phonics is taught through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised systematic and synthetic programme. Daily phonics lessons are taught and this ensures that children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, mastering phonics to read and spell as they progress through the programme.
Whilst children are learning to read, they are given phonetically decodable books that match their phonics level. A reading practise lesson takes place three times per week for these children in EYFS and Key Stage 1.
For more information about how phonics is taught and how you can support your children at home go to:
https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/
Reading
High-quality texts are used to inspire and structure reading and writing lessons and also to engage children in a daily story-time session. Children in Key Stage 2 have a core reading list, consisting of high-quality books which children select from to read at home.
The Pathways to Read programme is used to support the teaching of reading from Year 2 upwards. Within each unit, children are explicitly taught skills and processes, building upon the knowledge they have previously gained.
A love of reading is promoted in many ways. Each class has an inviting and organised book area with a wide range of high-quality books of a variety of genres and authors. This allows children to enjoy choosing books to read, express their preferences and opinions and make recommendations. We also hold regular book sales, recommend books in the weekly newsletter, swap books and organise author and library visits.
Writing
Writing is taught through a Mastery-Learning model where key skills are taught and repeated during the unit of work, allowing children to practise and apply these skills through games and writing opportunities. During each half term, children produce a poem, a story and a non-fiction piece of writing.
Throughout the writing journey, we teach children new and innovative vocabulary and use drama/role play to inspire writing. Gamification (playing with language) is used to develop ideas and teach new grammar skills. Editing is a very important part of the journey and children are often taught to draft and redraft their work before presenting their final pieces.
Spelling lessons are taught separately so that spelling rules and conventions are introduced weekly and relevant spellings are taught in class and practised at home.
Cross Curricular
Reading and writing is taught across the curriculum ensuring that skills taught in these lessons are applied in other subjects.
Writing and reading lessons often use text that link to science, history and geography topics. This allows for cross-curricular links and meaningful writing opportunities in these subject areas.
Please click here for details of the National Curriculum for English which we adhere to.
- English Curriculum Statement for the Teaching and Learning docx
- English Long term plan docx
- Programme Overview Reception
- Programme Overview Year 1
- Reading for Pleasure for Parents