English

Our Vision For English

Our English lessons develop pupils’ spoken language, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary. The skills of English are taught in discreet English lessons which are then applied and practised in a cross curricular approach, linking up and making connections across subjects.

The National Curriculum for each year group is closely followed through a ‘unit of writing’ based approach, each year building on prior learning and further development of English knowledge and skills.

We want our children to be taught in a language rich environment, where they speak clearly and with confidence, conveying their views and ideas fluently using an ever growing vocabulary. An emphasis on the teaching of vocabulary and developing oracy skills places speaking and listening at the heart of our English curriculum with the teachers as a clear role model for all children.

The teaching of reading is systematic and sequential across school. We recognise the importance of ‘being able to read and comprehend’ as being central to accessing all other areas of the curriculum and the world around them. We read with and to children through a wide range of independent, shared, guided and class reading activities in order to develop children who ‘are readers’ rather than ‘read’. Children have access to a wealth of books of all genres and regular library sessions.

We develop writing skills, including grammar, punctuation and spelling knowledge, so that our children have the skills, knowledge and stamina to write, in a range of genres and for different purposes, at an age appropriate standard. The teaching of writing is systematic, consistently built on prior learning and incorporating shared, modelled, guided, peer edited and independent writing. We use the reading of a wide variety of high quality texts to support children in the ‘ideas gathering’ stage of writing and other ‘Talk for Writing’ strategies across all phases of the unit of work.

Children are taught in mixed ability classes and intervention programmes such as RWI and Better Reading are used for those children who need additional support. The focus is on early intervention so that an additional need can be identified and supported.

English is celebrated and promoted across the school with events and extracurricular activities such as World Book Day, The 100 Book library Challenge, Wicked Young Writer writing competition, Blackburn library events and the Lancashire Fantastic Book Awards.