We believe that through the teaching of English we are equipping children with key life skills. We all use language to develop our views and opinions of the world around us. We believe it is crucial for children to learn to communicate fluently in spoken and written form. The development of reading and listening skills enables our pupils to acquire new knowledge and develop emotionally, culturally and intellectually.
When our children leave Thames View Primary School we expect them to be avid readers, children who read fluently and widely and are able to express preferences and opinions about the texts that they read. We want them to read for pleasure, having had access to a wide range of text types, genres and authors in order for them to make informed opinions about their favourites. We want to produce children who write with confidence and accuracy for a variety of purposes and audiences whilst developing their own individual flair. We want our children to be able to write with grammatical accuracy and be able to apply spelling patterns correctly using a neat handwriting style. We aim to expose our children to a wide range of vocabulary so that they are able to decipher new words and then use them when speaking both informally and formally.
What is English?
The National Curriculum in England breaks down English into these key areas:
- Spoken language
- Reading - inc Phonics
- Writing
- Spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation (SPAG)
Aims
At Thames View Primary School we aim to:
- establish an entitlement to high-quality teaching of English for all pupils
- establish high expectations for teachers and pupils
- develop continuity, progression and coherence across the school
- ensure that pupils read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- help pupils develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- encourage pupils to appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- ensure children develop a wide vocabulary in written and spoken form
- ensure children learn to write clearly and accurately, adapting their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- develop children’s understanding of the grammar that underpins our use of language
- ensure children understand and use spelling conventions
- support children to develop neat and well-presented work of which they feel proud
- ensure children can use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
Areas in Depth
Below are a number of documents which break down how we teach Reading, Writing, Phonics and SPAG in further detail.