English
Aims and Rationale
Progression in English
Lower School Progression Map
Literature Spine
Literature plays a key role in pupils’ cultural, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual development. Pupils in the John Wallis Church of England follow a recommended whole school literature spine, created in consultation with Librarians, booksellers and literacy experts. The reading diet is designed to ensure that all pupils are given access to the very best children’s books available, in each year group. Recommended books get progressively more challenging year on year, both in terms of the morphology and syntax.
Reading enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. Texts are linked to the wider curriculum subjects, to allow pupils to develop the necessary content domain knowledge. This enables them to deeply understand the text and the context in which it was written. Direct investment is made to embed non-fiction texts around the core fiction text to develop content knowledge.
Our reading approach focuses on literary heritage classics, which pupils read from cover to cover, building cultural capital. Our reading curriculum equalises access to dominant-culture knowledge, through providing all pupils with the same reading opportunities – a rich and varied reading diet.
Here are the core books that children will read whilst at school. They will obviously read a lot more.
Middle School Progression Map
Lower School Rationale
The overarching aim for English in the Lower School is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping all pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
Our mission is to teach every child to read, to help them discover a love of reading and to keep them reading.
Readiness for Middle School
The following English knowledge/concepts are non-negotiables for the end of Year 4 for all pupils.
To be able to accurately, without overt sounding and blending and with sufficient fluency, read most words in age-appropriate texts.
To skim and scan a text to locate information and/or answer a question.
To justify simple inferences using evidence from the text, predicting what might happen from details stated or implied.
To write using paragraphs to organise ideas.
To be able to write narratives with a clear beginning, middle and end.
To describe characters and settings effectively.
To maintain the same tense throughout a piece of writing.
To proof-read to check for simple errors within my writing.
To speak with good diction so that the audience can hear clearly what is said.
To develop legible, joined handwriting of consistent quality.
Intervention and Catch Up:
Pupils in Year 3/4, who are behind with their reading and have gaps in their knowledge of phonics, receive support through RWI interventions, to ensure that they can accurately blend and decode words to access age-appropriate texts.
1:1 daily reading – to support fluency and comprehension of reading.
Reading comprehension – additional groups to support the development of comprehension skills based on gap analysis from assessments.
Spellings – support with common exception words and spelling rules through precision teaching.
Handwriting interventions – to support pupils to obtain the fluency and consistency of writing needed to ensure that they are writing at a good pace.
Curricular-related Pupil Experiences:
Author visits
Reading competitions
Links to Humanities/Science topics
Middle School Rationale
Rationale
The Middle School curriculum for English at The John Wallis Academy is designed to provide students with the skills they require to become avid and successful scholars of literature. Through exploring literature through a range of genres, contexts and histories, students will develop their analytical and writing skills. These skills directly relate to the curriculum they will encounter during the Upper School and GCSE courses, and therefore has been specifically designed to promote mastery and empower students to be successful, both within the realms of exams and within society. Over the course of their time within the Middle School, students will encounter literature from across the world: from poetry written by Ocean Vuong exploring the after effects and trauma of the Vietnam war to Nizrana Farook’s ‘The Girl who stole an Elephant’ which explores identity within Sri Lanka; from exploring the key archetypes and plot lines that have shaped European folklore and culture – from Beowulf to Bisclavret - to considering the implication of social inequality in Priestley’s An Inspector Calls and considering how its central messages are still relevant today. Whilst the central objective of the Middle School curriculum is to prepare students for both their SATs journey and future progression into GCSEs, it also intends to advocate empowerment through literature and cultural capital to shape our students into proactive and responsible members of society.
Underpinning this approach is a fundamental academy belief that students are encouraged and supported to be keen and frequent readers. Within the Middle School, reading is promoted as the ‘gateway to success’, with reading being both an individual and a collaborative experience. Through the use of regular discussion, intervention and competitions, the Middle School intends to remove the presumption that reading is a ‘stale’ and unnecessary experience, but instead highlight how it is empowering, inspiring and utterly lifechanging.
Aims:
Read a wide range of classic literature fluently and with good understanding, and make connections across their reading
Read in depth, critically and evaluatively, so that they are able to discuss and explain their understanding and ideas
Develop the habit of reading widely and often
Develop skills to analyse how the language, form, structure and context of texts can create meanings and effects.
Develop skills to maintain a critical style and informed personal response.
Develop comparison skills.
Evaluate of a writer’s choice of vocabulary, grammatical and structural features
explore aspects of plot, characterisation, events and settings
Distinguish between what is stated explicitly and what is implied
Explain motivation, sequence of events, and the relationship between actions or events
Understand how a writer’s social, historical and cultural context can affect their writing
Appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage
Write accurately, effectively and analytically about their reading, using Standard English
Acquire and use a wide vocabulary, including grammatical terminology, and other literary and linguistic terms they need to criticise and analyse what they read.
To be able to accurately, without overt sounding and blending and with sufficient fluency, read most words in age-appropriate texts.
To skim and scan a text to locate information and/or answer a question.
To justify simple inferences using evidence from the text, predicting what might happen from details stated or implied.
To write using paragraphs to organise ideas.
To be able to write narratives with a clear beginning, middle and end.
Curricular-Related Pupil Experiences
In recent years, Middle school students have had the opportunity to experience:
Theatre adaptations of texts studied such as a variety of Shakespearean plays.
Termly Reading Competitions
Regular Writing Competitions – both internally (through our Writing Champions Scheme) and externally.
Author Visits
Catch up and Intervention
Reading interventions – Accelerated Reader is used to monitor progress and fluency with reading. Those who would benefit from additional support will receive 1-t2-1 intervention. Those who require more intensive intervention will be proactively enrolled on our fresh start curriculum.
1-2-1 support in class
Setting arrangements in Middle School with support group(s) identified
1:1 daily reading – to support fluency and comprehension of reading.
Spellings – support with common exception words and spelling rules through precision teaching.
Phonics
We follow the Read Write Inc. programme for teaching phonics. This rigorous and sequential approach to early reading develops pupils’ fluency, confidence and enjoyment in reading. At all stages, reading attainment is assessed and gaps are addressed quickly and effectively for all pupils. Reading books connect closely to the phonics knowledge pupils are taught when they are learning to read. All pupils read at an age-appropriate level and develop fluency.
The sharp focus on ensuring that younger children gain phonics knowledge and language comprehension necessary to read, and the skills to communicate, gives them the fundamentals for future learning. We work tirelessly to ensure that all pupils have the secure foundations, needed to access a broad and balanced curriculum throughout the rest of their learning journey. In our Academy, reading is prioritised to allow pupils to access the full curriculum offer.
Reading
The reading curriculum has been designed and is taught so that all pupils are exposed to a staircase of increasingly complex, rich and challenging texts; there is no ceiling on what struggling readers can achieve.
All pupils develop their fluency, reading age-appropriate texts. However, if we restrict texts to only those that pupils will understand, we deny them the opportunity to learn new words and move up the staircase of complexity. Our reading curriculum will not place a ceiling on what lower attaining readers can achieve; it exists to provide access to challenging texts for all, narrowing the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. It is vital all pupils become confident in tackling complex texts and interpreting them independently.
Our reading model is designed to:
Instil in pupils the ability to wrestle with the most demanding of texts, interpret them independently, and understand what and how they mean what they do
Develop automaticity by strengthening reading habits, through plenty of opportunities to practice
Support the learning of new vocabulary and syntax
Be purpose driven: makes the reading process visible by explicit modelling & teaching of comprehension skills and strategies
Encourage text-based answers
Develop critical thinking
Foster strong discussion and language skills
Be a part of a wider knowledge rich curriculum
Inspire reading motivation and a joy of reading
Writing
Throughout the curriculum, children are taught to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
The teaching of writing develops pupils’ competence in the two dimensions of:
transcription (spelling and handwriting)
composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing).
Writing down ideas fluently depends on effective transcription: that is, on spelling quickly and accurately through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics) and understanding the morphology (word structure) and orthography (spelling structure) of words. Writing also depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting.
Effective composition involves forming, articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. This requires clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.
Writing lessons are connected to reading sessions and based upon core texts. As books are linked to the humanities, pupils learn factual knowledge alongside the text and acquire a bank of factual information to write about.
Teaching enables children to imitate the language they need for a particular topic orally, before reading and analysing it, and then writing their own version. Children internalise the language structures needed to write through ‘talking the text’ as well as close reading. The approach moves from dependence towards independence with the teacher using shared and guided teaching to develop the ability in children to write creatively and powerfully. The movement from imitation to innovation to independent application is adapted to suit the needs of learners of any stage. Grammar is embedded within writing sessions to make pupils aware of key grammatical principles and their effects, to increase the range of choices open to them when they write. The curriculum draws attention to the grammar of writing in an embedded and purposeful way, at relevant points in the learning.
Spoken Language
The curriculum reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically.
Every area of the curriculum provides pupils with opportunities to:
listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments
use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates
gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others
select and use appropriate registers for effective communication.
Upper School Language Progression Map
Upper School Literature Progression Map
Media Progression Map
Upper School English Language Rationale
Rationale
The English Language curriculum at The John Wallis Academy is designed to give students the opportunity and skills to be creative and confident individuals who can develop logical arguments, as well as encouraging them to be responsible citizens who are compassionate and understand the world in which they live. Our curriculum begins with an introduction to Victorian Detective Fiction and throughout the course continues with the exploration of pre-1914 texts, as well as more contemporary texts which explore modern issues such as the capital punishment, media representation and bias, as well as dystopian texts which reflect the changing fears of our society. These texts are used as stimulus for students to use to creative their own pieces of fiction and non-fiction writing. Our teaching of English Language equips pupils to ask perceptive questions, think critically, plan how to effectively structure an argument and develop perspective and judgement, both in formulating their own pieces of writing and when analysing the writing of others. Underpinning this approach is a fundamental academy belief that students are encouraged and supported to be keen and frequent readers.
Aims:
Read a wide range of texts fluently and with good understanding
Read critically and use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing
Develop skills to analyse and evaluate 19th-century fiction extracts.
Develop skills to analyse, evaluate and compare non-fiction extracts.
Develop transactional writing skills for a variety of forms, purposes and audiences.
Understand the conventions of the key text types (articles, reviews, speeches, journals, reference book extracts, autobiography, letters, obituaries and travel writing) and apply them to their own writing
Write effectively and coherently using Standard English appropriately
Plan and structure a line of argument coherently and articulately
Use grammar correctly, punctuate and spell accurately
Proofreading effectively
Ensure time management skills are developed in order to meet examination timings
Acquire and apply a wide vocabulary alongside knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology, and linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
Listen to and understand spoken language, and use spoken Standard English effectively.
Curricular-Related Pupil Experiences
In previous years, students have had the opportunity to:
Enter their work to the Young Writer’s Competition, where a select few chosen to have their work published
Submit their letters to the ‘Letters to the Earth’ anthology, where three students’ work was published alongside letters by scientists, journalists, musicians, indigenous leaders, activists, nurses, business leaders, priests, politicians, TV presenters, artists such as Yoko Ono, authors such as Ben Okri and fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood. One of the letters was even read out by actor Andrew Scott on live stream.
Join the RSC ‘37 plays’ plays play writing project
Catch up and Intervention
After school revision sessions on Wednesday from 3.15 – 4.00pm in room 510
Working closely with SEN and EAL support staff to provide intervention and catch up materials
Upper School English Literature Rationale
Rationale
The English Literature curriculum at The John Wallis Academy is designed to give students a rich experience of literature through time, generating and maintaining an appreciation of storytelling, the power of language and the role that both play in the world around them. Our curriculum begins with an introduction to Shakespeare and the context of the Jacobean era, through to poetry ranging from 1794 – 2005, onto WW1 play Journey’s End and finishing with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Through the study of universal themes (such as power, conflict, freedom), students will learn to think of texts as constructs, to understand how language is used to manipulate and shape ideas, and be able to read for deeper meanings and therefore interpret the world with greater insight. Underpinning this approach is a fundamental academy belief that students are encouraged and supported to be keen and frequent readers.
Aims:
Read a wide range of classic literature fluently and with good understanding, and make connections across their reading
Read in depth, critically and evaluatively, so that they are able to discuss and explain their understanding and ideas
Develop the habit of reading widely and often
Develop skills to analyse how the language, form, structure and context of texts can create meanings and effects.
Develop skills to maintain a critical style and informed personal response.
Develop comparison skills.
Evaluate of a writer’s choice of vocabulary, grammatical and structural features
explore aspects of plot, characterisation, events and settings
Distinguish between what is stated explicitly and what is implied
Explain motivation, sequence of events, and the relationship between actions or events
Understand how a writer’s social, historical and cultural context can affect their writing
Appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage
Write accurately, effectively and analytically about their reading, using Standard English
Acquire and use a wide vocabulary, including grammatical terminology, and other literary and linguistic terms they need to criticise and analyse what they read.
Curricular-Related Pupil Experiences
In recent years, upper school students have had the opportunity to experience:
A trip to Ypres, Belgium to see the war graves and watch a stage version of Journey’s End
A trip to the Globe theatre to see The Tempest
A trip to the Old Vic Theatre to see A Christmas Carol
A theatre troop visiting the school to put on performances of both Macbeth and A Christmas Carol
Catch up and Intervention
After school revision sessions from 3.15 – 4.00pm in Room 510
Working closely with SEN and EAL support staff to provide intervention and catch up materials
Media Rationale
“The people will believe what the media tells them they believe.” ~ George Orwell
Media literacy is the ability to think critically about what you are seeing, reading, and hearing. It helps us to analyse information from a variety of viewpoints. With so many sources of information today, critical thinking skills can help people identify reliable sources and filter through the noise to get at the truth. For example, we may spot fake news faster or understand why certain products are advertised more than others on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. We might also notice that content shared on those platforms often comes with an agenda – such as promoting an organization's political ideology or persuading someone to buy something they don’t need.
Pupils study Media Studies as an optional subject in Year 9 and continue through to Year 13. This allows the students to fully engage in the higher level thinking that is so often required for this course. Not only so the students discuss the techniques and processes of the Media but also develop their own skills and generating ideas.
The Media Studies Curriculum is mapped into five main areas:
Language)
Representation
Audience
Industry
Context
These aspects are interdependent and they will constantly interact and interrelate with each other throughout a pupil’s curriculum journey.
Aims
Through studying Media Studies students will :
View, evaluate and analyse a variety of media products, and develop practical skills spanning a range of media forms.
Study contemporary, diverse topics and varied and engaging content,
Develop research, problem-solving skills as well as their creativity.
Refine their debating skills through the discussion of contemporary issues from a range of perspectives.
Extend their practical skills in their chosen medium, building their capacity for independent research, and gaining a deeper appreciation and understanding of the role media plays in day-to-day life.
Curriculum Experiences.
Media Studies offers the students a variety of experiences to enhance their journey. There are a variety of workshops and trips on offer as well as guest speakers from industry professionals whereby they are often tasked with a small group challenge to present and pitch as per industry standards.
In Year 12 and Year 13 there is an opportunity to become part of the Creative Media Network where students are mentored by industry professionals over a period of time.
Lower School Progression Map & Literature Spine
Middle School Progression Map & Literature Spine
Upper School Progression Map