English

'Reading is breathing in; writing is breathing out'

Mrs Charlesworth is our English Subject Lead.

At Wrenbury Primary School, we believe that the two main components of English, reading and writing, are interconnected and not mutually exclusive. Good readers have a greater capacity to become good writers. We aim to encourage children to read widely and place a great emphasis on 'the class story' to inspire and lead not only the teaching of English but the whole curriculum through our literacy-led, creative, cross curricular approach to the curriculum. We aim to encourage our children to write in creative and imaginative ways, formally and informally, developing confidence and independence, alongside a love for the art of writing.

What and how we teach English
The National Curriculum Programme of Study (PoS) for reading and writing for each year group forms the basis of our teaching and learning.

Our teachers seek out a wide range of quality texts and resources, which are woven into the termly themes; the sequence of teaching and learning and further build a culture of reading for pleasure. Underpinning this is a desire to foster within our children a curiosity to develop, understand and apply a rich vocabulary to their own writing as well as acquiring the skills to write accurately, applying their knowledge of English grammar and punctuation and the conventions of spelling. Our learning environments are purposefully phonics and word rich, linking to the whole school themes and supporting the individual reader and writer.

Our aim
During their primary years with us we aim for our children to be able to:

• 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
• Develop their powers of imagination, inventiveness and critical awareness
• Develop a capacity to convey meaning to a range of audiences through an interest in words and their meaning, and a growing vocabulary
• Become familiar with a range of forms of fiction and non-fiction writing e.g. books, brochures, letters, diary entries, stories etc
• Follow a structured phonics programme beginning in the Foundation Stage and working on daily phonic sessions through to the end of Y1 and further, if children need this
• Understand and learn the rules and conventions for spelling accurately
• Use planning, drafting and editing processes to improve their work
• Learn the conventions of written language and grammar
• Learn to write in a fluent joined handwriting style
• Use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• Be competent in the art of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

As mixed aged classes make up the school structure and these change yearly, the end points for outcomes are: end of EYFS; end of KS1 and end of KS2. Statutory assessments determine the success of the curriculum and the outcomes for pupils at Wrenbury. By the time they leave primary school, our aim is for our children to be confident and capable readers and writers and speakers.