English

Subject Leader - Mrs K Holden

The development of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing are all important aspects of children's learning of language. The school follows the programmes of study as outlined in the National Literacy Strategy. The format of the lesson is broken down into the following components:-

15 minutes - Text work - (a balance of reading and writing) sharing a book or poem together with the rest of the class.

15 minutes - Focused word work or sentence work - whole class.

20 minutes - independent activities to gain further understanding of the lesson's objective, whilst the teacher works with ability groups or assesses progress and understanding around the classroom.

10 minutes - plenary - reviewing, reflecting, consolidating teaching points and presenting work covered in the lesson.

All classes within the school follow the above format.

Reading

In reading, we start by stimulating an interest and enjoyment in books. A meeting is held for the parents of Reception children. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the teaching of reading and ways of helping children at home. At school, we use a variety of approaches to teach children the basic skills which are essential for them to become confident and competent readers.

Children who have achieved competence in the basic skills of reading are encouraged to develop a wider vocabulary and greater fluency.

All children are encouraged to take a personal interest in books. We have a library system in operation and, in addition to the home reading book, children are encouraged to take home a book of their choice from the Library. Every class is timetabled to use the library on a weekly basis. This is to stimulate their enthusiasm, enjoyment and interest in reading and we hope that parents will read and enjoy these books together with their child. Guided reading sessions take place outside of the English lesson, where the teacher will focus on specific objectives using carefully chosen text to match the ability and targets each group is working towards. KS1 children receive 15 minutes every week and KS2 children 30 minutes every two weeks.

Writing

As with reading, writing builds upon children's interests and experiences. Children are encouraged to write for a series of purposes and develop the various skills necessary to meet these differing requirements. Stories, poems, descriptions, letters and recording events and other information all have their part to play. Emphasis is placed on handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar. We believe that accurate, well structured work is essential if children are going to be confident in, and satisfied with their writing.

Home School Reading Programme

The home has an important part to play in language development and we hope that parents will join with us in helping their child's language development. Talking with children about their experiences especially on an individual basis, is very useful to a child. As well as listening to your child read when he or she brings books home, we hope that parents will help with spellings and writing. Every child takes a book home to read with you plus other activities to do. A reading diary is provided for you to comment positively on your child's progress.