English
Welcome to English at Julian’s Primary School. Here you will find important information about how we teach this subject across the school. At Julian’s we recognise the crucial importance of studying the English language. Improved performance at reading, writing and spoken language enables our pupils to express their thoughts and ideas more fluently, accurately and, ultimately, to their greater satisfaction. This also helps them to deal more successfully with other curriculum subjects, while enriching their lives beyond school. The teaching and learning of language skills are given a high priority in our school and where possible the creative curriculum and ICT also are used as tools.
Our overarching aim for English is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
English in every year group is planned around a high-quality core text each half-term, which is often linked to their wider curriculum topic. Writing genres are inspired by these texts to create an immersive learning experience. Educational visits are also linked to English themes so that children acquire and transfer new knowledge into their writing. Children showcase their best pieces of work in publishing books which they continue throughout their time at Julian’s.
Classroom environments at Julian’s are key to providing support to children and English working walls show a clear learning journey related to their specific genre or reading focus. All classes from Year 1 upwards have a ‘What Makes a Good’ wall with the features of the genre on display and examples of work. Children are encouraged to refer to this throughout their learning to help with their writing.
When it comes to reading, at Julian’s we believe that every child deserves success right from the start. We know that the sooner children learn to read, the greater their success at school. This is why we put reading at the heart of what we do. We use a phonics scheme called Read Write Inc. to teach our children to become successful readers. Some children complete the programme in Year 1 and others in Year 2.
In Key Stage 2, we follow Destination Reader which further develops children’s reading skills. Lessons focus on 7 key reading strategies:
* Clarifying
* Evaluating
* Summarising
* Making connections
* Asking questions
* Inferring
* Predicting
Destination Reader allows children to access high-quality texts that are engaging and exciting. The strategies are regularly modelled by the class teacher so children develop a good understanding of what it means to be an active reader. Partner talk and class discussions are central to lessons and children are taught to use sentence starters to support them in expressing their understanding of texts.
Useful Websites for English
KS1 Support with grammar, punctuation, spelling, reading and handwriting
KS2 Support with grammar, punctuation, spelling, reading and handwriting
KS2 Grammar, punctuation and spelling
Information and games on spelling, grammar, reading and phonics as well as free Ebooks