ENGLISH

Intent

At Quinton Primary School, we believe that a quality Literacy (English) curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We aim to inspire an appreciation of our rich and varied literary heritage and a habit of reading widely and often. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts. We want to inspire children to be confident in the art of speaking and listening and we want them to use discussion to communicate and further their learning.

 

We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledge-base in Literacy, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. We believe that a secure basis in Literacy is crucial to a high quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate fully as a member of society.

 

Implementation

These aims are embedded across our Literacy lessons and the wider curriculum. We have a rigorous and well organised curriculum that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. Teachers ensure that cross curricular links with topic work are woven into the programme of study. Our curriculum closely follows the aims of the National Curriculum for English 2014.

 

The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

 

In addition to daily Literacy lessons, children excel in early reading through daily Phonics sessions from Reception to Year 2. They continue to develop a range of reading skills, as well as a love of reading, through following our reading scheme which is usually completed in Year 4. We use a wide variety of quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children. We also provide a wealth of enrichment opportunities such as hosting book fairs and running competitions.

 

Impact

As a result, we have a community of enthusiastic readers and writers who enjoy showcasing their developing literacy knowledge and skills. They are confident to take risks in their reading and writing, and love to discuss and share their ideas. Our attainment in 2019 at the end of KS1 and KS2 was above that of Warwickshire and the national average.

 

Please see our English Policy for more information.