Primary English

Curriculum

An AET pupil is entitled to:

• a well-sequenced curriculum that builds depth of knowledge and understanding over time 

• master the knowledge necessary to become fluent and confident speakers, readers and writers 

• study a broad range of high-quality texts including: literary heritage texts; texts that develop powerful cultural capital; texts encouraging diverse perspectives and intertextual comparisons

• a curriculum that is interwoven with relevant non-fiction texts to develop rich background knowledge

• a text-based approach to the teaching of English

• access high-quality texts above their chronological reading age as their models for writing

• a reading curriculum that takes a holistic approach to reading, with decoding and language comprehension developed at every stage

• regular opportunities to: 

  • read a challenging, wide-ranging selection of texts; 

  • write and edit for a range of purposes and audiences; 

  • practise oracy so that they may learn to talk and learn through talk

• a curriculum that is responsive to pupil needs, as informed by regular and accurate use of assessment

• a curriculum that prepares them for statutory assessments, the KS3 curriculum and engagement in the discipline beyond school

Culture

An AET pupil is entitled to:

• a whole-school culture of reading and writing for pleasure

• a language-rich learning environment 

• a safe classroom environment where exploration and risk-taking is encouraged

• opportunities for English enrichment, through extra-curricular clubs, events, trips and competitions

• see the purpose of English in the wider world, including its use in a wide range of possible careers

Teaching

An AET pupil is entitled to:

• expert teaching underpinned by secure English knowledge and an up-to-date, evidence-informed approach

• a teacher who is passionate and knowledgeable about their subject and infuses their teaching with both

• the explicit teaching of reading:

  • synthetic phonics

  • reading fluency

  • reading behaviours

  • language comprehension and sequenced vocabulary instruction

• the explicit teaching of writing:

  • both explicit and integrated teaching of spelling and grammar

  • opportunities to practise procedural knowledge 

  • planning, writing, editing and publishing across a range of audiences and purposes

• the explicit teaching of oracy for a range of purposes and audiences

• high-quality, accurate models and precise explanations in every lesson

• access the texts they are studying and appropriate personal reading books matched to their abilities and interests

• targeted, robust and impactful interventions, where necessary

• high quality resources that are adapted to suit the needs of all

• rigorous, content-specific strategies for checking their understanding

• regular, low-stakes formative assessment to identify misconceptions and gaps 

• summative assessments that test their English knowledge and its application, including extended writing tasks

• receive regular, precise and actionable feedback to correct errors and address misconceptions

• rigorously planned collaboration tasks with a wide range of peers, in order to move learning forward

• rigorously planned collaboration tasks that provide pupils with a range of perspectives and develop their oracy