English

Our English co-ordinator is Miss Marchant.

 

Our English curriculum is designed for pupils to be avid readers, confident writers and effective communicators. 

What is our aim and vision? (Intent)

We promote high standards of language and literacy and develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. Linking our Writing units to classic and modern texts, we appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage. Our skills focused learning journeys ensure children write clearly, accurately and coherently. We provide our children with opportunities to develop their oracy skills through an array of strategies including Colegrave’s annual Shakespeare Week where children get to perform and watch drama pieces.

How are we teaching and assessing? (Implementation)

Writing

Children are taught transcription and composition in a creative and thematic way. Each writing unit is linked to a high- quality core text. Writing units are carefully planned with end point assessment in mind, ensuring that the learning journey enables children to work on age related targets from the programme of study. Effective composition involves articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader, which is why we ensure all children are exposed to a range of writing for varying purposes and audiences.

Reading

Reading is the cornerstone to education, which is why it is thread through the whole curriculum.

(Early readers follow the RWI phonics scheme, this comprises of teaching it to all children in Reception and Year 1 and has a phased approach in Year 2. The scheme is also available for interventions across the school and supports learners new to English- please see the phonics curriculum statement for more information.)

After RWI, we immerse ourselves in Reciprocal Reading. Children build on their knowledge of phonics in the quest for mastery of both word reading and comprehension. Independent reading takes place every day to ensure children are exposed to lengthy texts and build their stamina. Reciprocal Reading texts were carefully chosen to reflect age related expectations, to supplement the cohorts learning and to expose children to a varied literary field. All reading sessions focus on the key skills derived from the programme of study:

1. Quick Fire Quiz (recapping knowledge)
2. Vocabulary Check (language acquisition)
3. Read (high-quality text)
4. Think and Share (oracy practice and knowledge sharing)
5. Independent thought and solo work (Comprehension)

This carefully crafted programme is adapted to suit the needs of each individual class but it ensures that comprehension draws from linguistic knowledge and on knowledge of the world. Comprehension skills develop through pupils’ experience of high-quality discussion with the teacher, as well as from reading and discussing a range of stories, poems and non-fiction.

We nurture a love of reading and read every day.

Handwriting and Spelling 

Transcription is embedded within the learning journeys. We also teach stand-alone lessons for spelling and handwriting to support children achieving the best possible progress and outcomes. The programmes we use are:

• Spelling Shed
• PenPals

What are the outcomes and achievements? (Impact)

Our children make progress in English which ensures they become avid readers, confident writers and effective communicators.

Cultural Capital

At Colegrave, we are dedicated to enhancing our students' cultural capital through a variety of engaging and inspiring trips and events linked to the English Curriculum. Our events include exciting author visits and immersive experiences that complement the literature we study. We celebrate Shakespeare Week and World Book Day each year, offering students a rich and dynamic exploration of the English language. These initiatives not only deepen our pupils' understanding but also aim to ignite a lasting passion for the subject.