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At Barling Magna Primary Academy we aim to:
Ensure every child develops a life-long love of reading
Enable every child to communicate articulate and effectively using a rich vocabulary
Provide a language rich environment which promotes discussion and debate
Write effectively and concisely for a range of audiences and purposes
English is sub-divided into the following areas:
Spoken language
Phonics
Reading
Writing: transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (structure of language and writing)
Spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and grammar
English is a fundamental life skill and is central to all learning. It enables children to develop the ability to listen, speak, read and write for a wide variety of audiences and purposes.
Children will learn to express themselves creatively and imaginatively whilst developing a life-long love of reading and critical eye for comprehension. They will gain knowledge through reading for information in non-fiction texts and the use of ICT based information (media texts).
Children will learn the structure and function of language including grammar, spelling and punctuation. In addition to daily English lessons, they will apply their English skills and develop their understanding of genre across a range of subjects within the curriculum and this will be identified in foundation subject planning.
“If a child can’t say it; they can’t write it”
SPOKEN LANGUAGE
Oracy is a child’s first access to language and so it should permeate the whole curriculum; at Barling Magna we value and teach the four strands of Speaking and Listening through Talk for Writing.
We employ techniques including speaking, listening, group discussion and interaction, and drama. Opportunities for Speaking and Listening are planned for in each English unit and the following strategies are used to develop children’s skills in this area:
PHONICS & READING
We recognise that children learn to read best when they are systematically taught to use a range of phonological approaches. For phonics and early reading we follow the Little Wandle SSP (please see the phonics page on this website or our Phonics & Early Reading policy).
We have a structured individual reading scheme which is fully phonically decodable, (Collins, Big Cats) that provides structured reading progression from Reception to Year 4 (appendix 2) it is our expectation that by the end of Year 4 children will be reading competently enough to enjoy a wide range of enriching literature outside of our reading scheme from our well stocked library.
From EYFS and through Key Stage One, High Frequency words are sent home in to be practised alongside reading at home.
In EYFS & Key Stage 1 phonics is taught daily.
Reading is also taught during whole class reading sessions for every year group. This is further supplemented by the language development which is taught during Talk for Writing. We believe exposure to age appropriate, quality reading texts forms the basis for all writing. Quality model texts are used at the beginning of each English unit to provide children with models for their own writing - these will be presented in as many different formats as possible.
in Key Stage Two, the whole class reading sessions explicitly teach comprehension skills and are supplemented by small group sessions for children who need additional support to 'keep up'..
Reading may also be taught on a one-to-one basis, where SEND or progress difficulties dictate, to ensure progress.
WRITING
Children are taught to write for a range of audiences and purposes. Our writing curriculum is designed to provide a Mastery approach to writing by full exploring different forms of each of the four purposes of writing: to entertain, to persuade, to inform, to discuss. Teachers use the Talk for Writing Process to analyse genres through reading and to develop specific text, sentence, grammar and word level skills.
The skills taught for writing are based on the National Curriculum for composition, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
NELSON HANDWRITING SCHEME
HANDWRITING
Children are taught joined handwriting following the Nelson scheme and write using blue ink. Single letter formation will be mastered before joins are introduced and children are explicitly shown how to form letters correctly. Handwriting should be taught in small groups where necessary so that the needs of individuals can be met. Handwriting will be taught daily until letter formation is accurate and during 3 sessions per week thereafter. Fine-motor skill development opportunities are provided as needed. In EYFS (and further as necessary), gross motor skill development activities precede handwriting development.
SPELLING
In Key Stages one and two, spelling is taught using our own, personalised, spelling scheme which follows the National Curriculum. Throughout this programme, children are taught a range of strategies to help them spell, including letter strings and patterns, rules, mnemonics, key sight words, word families, and derivations. The scheme also includes all the common exception words and statutory spellings as set out in the National Curriculum.
We provide each year group with a list of non-negotiable words that are to be learned as ongoing homework. Teachers may also use these words as part of early morning work activities or lesson starters.
In EYFS spelling is taught following the Little Wandle teaching phases in conjunction with the first 100 high frequency words. In Key Stage One, the teaching and learning of Spelling continues to follow the Little Wandle teaching phases in conjunction with high and medium frequency words and common exception words. Thematic and Science related words are also included.
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