English 2024 - 2025

At All Saints, we deliver the English National Curriculum through high-quality texts. Grammar is taught in context, wherever possible, and we explicitly teach spelling through the Read, Write Inc. Spelling Programme or using Spelling Shed.  Oracy and listening skills are developed through planned opportunities and the school is also developing Voice 21 strategies to enhance the teaching of oracy skills.

Phonics

We use Read, Write Inc. to teach phonics at All Saints. This is a high quality, daily, discrete session which we begin in Nursery.  The programme is continued throughout Reception and Year 1, with some children continuing into year 2 and beyond if needed. The scheme is tailored to the needs of individual children and groups. More information about this programme can be found through this link. http://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/parents/

Reading

 We aim to teach children the life skill of fluent reading and a joy of reading by developing

• phonic knowledge and skills
• fluency and accuracy in reading across a wide range of contexts
• knowledge of an extensive and rich vocabulary
• comprehension of texts
• motivation to read for both study and for pleasure
• knowledge of literature and poetry through having read a rich and varied range of texts

We use a variety of reading scheme texts and non-scheme books to ensure children learn and apply a range of reading strategies. We endeavour to provide books/texts that engage all children and their varied interests.

Our home reading book organisation system is based on Book Bands or the Read, Write Inc. colour. Each band or colour has carefully chosen phonic sounds, words and phrases. As the children progress, the comprehension difficulty increases. Once children can read fluently at each band, they are able to select a reader for home from our extensive library. Parents are expected to hear their child read every day and to return their book bag and reading record to school. Oxford Owl have a selection of free e-readers for all age groups that can be accessed on tablets and on PCs at home. Sign up for free to access these materials. https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/find-a-book/library-page/

Writing

We aim to teach children the life skill of written communication so that they leave us with:  

• The ability to write fluently and with interesting detail

• A vivid imagination which makes readers engage with and enjoy their writing

• A highly developed vocabulary and an excellent knowledge of writing techniques to extend details or description

• Well-organised and structured writing, which includes a variety of sentence structures

• Excellent transcription skills that ensure their writing is well presented with correct punctuation and spelling

• A love of writing and an appreciation of its educational, cultural and entertainment values

• The ability to read, evaluate and edit their own work

We use a variety of strategies to deliver the writing curriculum including Talk for Writing and Alan Peat sentence types and Jane Considine lenses. We expose children to different writing genres and analyse the features of each genre giving them the confidence to write independently for four main purposes -  to entertain, to inform, to persuade, to discuss.

All Saints Writing Overview

Principles: Writing for pleasure using quality and diverse model texts

EYFS

Attempting to write phonic sounds

Gross Motor skills

Mark making

Letter formation

Drawing Club – oral rehearsal of sentences

Hold a word or sentence / Dictation

Independent writing opportunities in continuous provision

YEAR 1 – The Year of the Sentence

Phonics

Fine Motor skills

Letter and number formation

Oral rehearsal of sentences

Hold a sentence / Dictation

Independent writing opportunities through book making including editing and publishing

YEAR 2 – Let Me Entertain and Inform You

Phonics

Fine Motor

Letter formation, spacing, sizing

Hold a sentence / Dictation

Writing texts to entertain - descriptions, short narratives, retells, poetry

Writing texts to inform - recount, letters, fact files

Independent writing opportunities through book making including editing and publishing

YEAR 3 – Let Me Entertain and Inform You

Catch up Phonics

Letter formation, spacing, sizing, first joins

Hold a sentence / Dictation

Writing texts to entertain - descriptions, short narratives, retells

Writing texts to inform - recount, letters, fact files

Independent writing opportunities through book making including editing and publishing

YEAR 4 –Painting Pictures With Words

Letter formation, spacing, sizing, joining

Hold a sentence / Dictation

Writing texts to entertain - descriptions, short narratives, retells, poetry

Writing texts to inform - recount, letters, fact files, reports

Writing to persuade (summer term)

Independent writing opportunities including editing and publishing

YEAR 5/6 –Painting Pictures With Words

Letter formation, spacing, sizing, joining, fluency

Hold a sentence / Dictation

Writing texts to entertain - descriptions, short narratives, retells, poetry

Writing texts to inform - recount, letters, fact files, reports, explanations

Writing to persuade

Writing to discuss

Independent writing opportunities including editing and publishing

Spelling and Grammar

In Early Years and Key Stage 1 the children are taught spelling patterns through phonics using Read Write Inc. In year 2 this is consolidated using the Read Write Inc. spelling programme. They are taught common exception words and high frequency words as part of the English curriculum. Children also use the Spelling Shed on line programme.

Children in Key Stage 2 are primarily taught spelling using Spelling Shed materials. Each child is able to access Spelling Shed online to practice their spellings.

Grammar is taught through texts as part of the English curriculum and not usually taught as a discrete discipline. It is mostly integrated into the learning in English over the week so that the grammar children are exposed to is in a real context.

Here is a link to the National Curriculum Spelling Patterns and Spelling Lists for KS1 and KS2 children.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239784/English_Appendix_1_-_Spelling.pdf

Here is a link to the full National Curriculum document for English for KS1 and KS2.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335186/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_English_220714.pdf

Speaking and Listening

The English National Curriculum states that pupils should be taught to:

• listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
• ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
• use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
• articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
• maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments
• use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
• speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
• participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
• gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
• consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others
• select and use appropriate registers for effective communication

At All Saints we plan activities to develop these skills across all subjects using Voice 21 strategies