English
'From the very beginning the Word was with God. The Word was the source of life and this life brought light to mankind.'
John 1:2-4
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Introduction
At St. Hugh’s Catholic Primary School, we want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of English, and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. We firmly believe that the recipe for success is high quality teaching in English, which is central to the life of our happy, caring school.
Intent
Our principal aim is that children leave St. Hugh’s Catholic Primary School with a wide range of happy and rich memories in English formed through interesting and exciting experiences. We want to enhance a child’s awareness of their own abilities and strengths as a learner thus ensuring that children see learning in English as an ongoing process, not a one-off event. We wish to inspire in our children a lifelong love and passion for reading and writing. In addition to English lessons, there are 5 x 30 minute Key Skills sessions which incorporate Guided Reading. Also, Key Stage 1 will have dedicated lessons for the teaching of phonics and those on our Letters and Sounds intervention programme will receive a further 3 phonics sessions per week in a small group. To allow pupils to enrich their knowledge in English, opportunities will exist for children of all ages to experience learning beyond the classroom. Children will develop a deep understanding of the subjects they are studying. They will increasingly use their prior knowledge to enhance their comprehension & writing skills as well as their speaking and listening skills. We aim to grow a love of reading and writing within our children and an appreciation of its educational, cultural and entertainment values.
Implementation
The curriculum hours in English are non-negotiable and will be followed by all staff in the school. Staff subject knowledge is very important and all staff receives regular training in the teaching of English. This is followed up with coaching and mentoring as needed. Our carefully designed schemes of learning in English ensure consistency and progress of all learners. Clear WALTs and success criteria – differentiated when appropriate - in every English lesson are used to guide the children to achieve their potential. This ensures work is demanding and matches the aims of the curriculum. Every classroom has an English working wall which is used on a daily basis to aid teaching and as opportunities for children to scaffold their learning. Each year group follows the same writing continuum so that pupils are familiar with the method of writing from the planning stage to their final piece of writing. Children are given opportunities to reflect upon their learning through editing, self-assessment and peer-marking alongside teacher feedback. Drama is a key component of our English lessons and children are encouraged to act out stories and plays, imagining how other characters feel, enabling them to develop empathy.
Impact
Children become increasingly confident, resilient and independent in their learning. They experience a wide-range of learning tasks in English and respond effectively to them, developing their knowledge and skills. Clear outcomes focus and guide all English development plans and drive improvement. Children of all abilities and backgrounds achieve well in English, consistently making progress in their learning journey; they finish KS2 equipped with numerous skills and the knowledge necessary to enable them to continue that journey successfully. Through wider reading in English, children develop a love for reading, expanding their minds and curiosity of the world in which we live. Children produce high quality work that is influenced by their exposure to these texts. We grow a love of writing within our children and an appreciation of its educational, cultural and entertainment values. At St Hugh’s children learn the importance of listening attentively not only to any teacher or adult but also to their peers; they develop an understanding of the value of listening and the need to appreciate or challenge views given. Children show respect for others when communicating, even when views differ.
Cultural Capital
The rich creative and cross-curricular nature of English enables all the children at St. Hugh’s to develop the cultural capital they need to succeed in later life. The children are exposed to a variety of vocabulary, genres, characters and experiences - through listening, reading, discussion, debate and empathy. Our reading schemes and topics are carefully chosen to ensure that the children are exposed to the richest literary opportunities to help them acquire the cultural capital they need to succeed in life.
British Values
There are numerous opportunities for pupils to gain a greater understanding or awareness of love, respect, tolerance and justice through reading, writing and discussion. The children learn about their place in our rich, diverse world.