English
English Leaders - Clare Berryman, Emma Smallshaw & Benita Fox
Mission in Action
How we live out our Mission in English
Communication is the key to living out our mission statement. We hope a rich, engaging English curriculum will be the platform children will use to make a difference and be the change they hope to see.
Immersing children in rich literature, we believe, will open many doors and opportunities inviting aspirations, highlighting fine role models leading to successful learners who can communicate to many audiences for many differing purposes.
The Bible is a rich source of literature in its own right – of poetry, of proverb, of adventure; a collection of writing from differing authors. We will use this source to inspire, to enjoy and to guide.
Its teachings also guide us in how we should use our language to engage with each other. Our communication should be "good for edification." so as to build up.
It should meet the need of the moment and be effective. It should also "give grace to those who hear it". Our words should be a gift. They should bless those who hear.
Curriculum Statement
Six great principles of English teaching which reflect our pedagogy:-
Understanding that the subject is an interconnected body of knowledge - integration across subjects
Always supported by ambitious text choices - exposure to challenging text and vocabulary
Places great literature at the heart of every lesson - class novel, subject fiction and non-fiction, whole class reading
Hinges on subtle and sensitive modelling - key to what great teaching means to us
Places a great value on words - the best, the most powerful, the most appropriate
Gives students lots and lots of writing practice - basic skills, incidental writing opportunities, cross-curricular writing
The developing use of language underpins children's achievement across the curriculum and lays the foundations for active involvement in cultural life, society, work and lifelong learning.
English is a major world language and its secure and confident use opens many possibilities. Learning and using languages enables children to engage with different cultures and societies and further develops their understanding of how languages work.
Literature in English is rich, varied and influential. It helps children to develop their imagination, see the world through the eyes of others and read and write for pleasure
Children learn to communicate effectively in a range of media. They become increasingly fluent and accurate in expressing their thoughts and emotions, orally and in writing. They become more skilled in generating ideas, solving problems and thinking critically and creatively.
English has a pre-eminent place in education and in society. A high-quality education in English will teach pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. Through reading in particular, pupils have a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils both to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society.
Living out our Christian Vision in English
English is taught following the National Curriculum for English Programmes of Study for Key Stages 1 and 2, National Curriculum 2014.
English is taught daily as a discrete subject through cross-curricular links may be made.Lessons are split into Whole Class Reading, which takes place everyday, and Writing, which again takes place every day.All lessons are complemented with additional teaching in spelling and phonics.
Each class follows a programme of study for Whole Class Reading and another for Writing.The Write Stuff enables children to produce independent written work having been exposed to high quality modelled sentences rich vocabulary and a variety of grammar structures, and spelling rules.
Our Whole Class Reading framework allows children to develop reading fluency, access high order texts, practise reading skills: retrieval, vocabulary meaning, inferring and summarising, and allows for incidental writing opportunities. Outcomes reflect a range of writing, for a range of different audiences and purposes.
Reading and Writing are extensively used as communication within other subjects which provide children with opportunities to practice and apply skills.
Children also have the opportunity to read books of their own choice, to listen to challenging and classic novels and to choose writing genres in response to different stimuli.
Our English Curriculum
Whole Class Reading
Our Whole Class Reading curriculum is
Writing
Jane Considine’s ‘The Write Stuff’ is a highly structured system for teaching writing. It aims to bring “clarity to the mechanics of writing” through a step-by-step approach. The Write Stuff’ is built on a defined structure and includes a three chunk lesson cycle: initiate (we do), model (I do), enable (you do). Sentence stacking is the core method of the scheme. Sentences are crafted one at a time and “stacked” together to build a paragraph. The intention is to reduce cognitive load whilst learning to write well-crafted sentences. Each plot point(narrative/playscript), way point (non-fiction) or verse(poetry)focuses on quality before moving on
At the heart of ‘The Write Stuff’ there is a visual framework. It gives teachers and pupils a shared language by sorting writing concepts into three simple, colour-coded zones: The Fantastics (the ideas of writing), The Grammaristics (the tools of writing) and The Boomtastics (the techniques of writing). The layering of ideas (FANTASTICs), grammar (GRAMMARISTICs), and literary techniques (BOOMTASTICs) ensures pupils gain a deep and integrated understanding of how sentences function.
Oral rehearsal is embedded The Write Stuff. Pupils are encouraged to chot (chat and jot) ideas before writing. Teachers model their own thought processes aloud, using oral composition as a precursor to writing. Writing is more than spoken words written down; it requires control of language in ways that differ from speech. Classroom talk is purposeful and structured, not incidental. Pupils hear, share and refine sentences before committing them to paper. Write Stuff lessons are filled with kind calling out and collaborative phrasing, helping children internalise sentence rhythms and vocabulary. Independent writing is well-planned after sufficient rehearsal and sentence practice. The skills of editing and redrafting are modelled and taught when children have completed their own piece of written work.
Writing in EYFS
The Write Stuff in the Early Years provides a detailed framework for writing development in Reception. It introduces young children to oral composition, sentence-level structure, early transcription and the idea of writing with purpose.
Key features include:
•The Write Stuff in Early Years uses rich experiences to get children excited for writing.
•Children practise oral composition of their ideas, gradually building towards writing.
•Reception staff introduce the FANTASTICs. This helps children focus their ideas for writing through talk, play, drama and experiences.
•Pupils develop the capacity to form ideas and express them clearly before they pick up a pencil.
The writing units we have chosen...
Phonics
Phonics is taught using Monster Phonics. 
Monster Phonics is an enhanced systematic synthetic phonics scheme. Monster Phonics teaches children in a structured way but provides multi-sensory support to make learning engaging, interactive and memorable. It uses colour coding and monster sound cues to support learning when children encounter long vowels, silent letters, and tricky letters. As the children move through the scheme, the colour coding is phased out to allow the children to read independently. Each monsters represents a sound which allows the Monster Phonics approach to be brought to life and keeps the lessons engaging.
Spelling
Handwriting
Letter join
Children will leave Salesbury Church of England Primary School with a love of reading. Through the many opportunities, they will have hooked onto books that work for them which open many doors and possibilities. High standards in speaking and listening, reading and writing will be maintained by the school so children can continue their journey to Key Stage 3 with a solid skill base to read and write independently to the best of their ability. All children will access a rich provision of books, stories, poetry and language recalling a range of authors, poets and literary styles. Children will be articulate in a range of contexts and will have had many opportunities and challenges to develop their confidence. Children will explore books from a range of cultures and embrace themes, which prompt discussions regarding equality and diversity.