Intent
At Consett Infant School it is our intention to provide a quality English curriculum that will develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. It is our intention that children become, confident, independent and resilient learners through carefully planned and delivered experiences which develop English skills, throughout the whole curriculum. We encourage children at Consett Infant School to develop their knowledge and understanding of all elements of English by encouraging them to take risks, try their best, experiment, explore and implement the new skills they are being introduced to. One of our key intentions is that children learn to read by decoding words fluently and confidently and develop their all-important comprehension skills and as a result, we endeavour to foster a love of books and reading. It is also our intention to foster a nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts. We encourage children to use what they learn in English as part of their spelling, punctuation and grammar work in their writing and apply this to their written work in all subjects. It is our intention to inspire children to be confident in speaking and listening so they can use discussion to communicate and further their learning. We see an integral part of being confident and articulate speakers as having a wide vocabulary which children can use in context and therefore it is our intention to provide children with a language rich environment in which they can grow and further develop their skills, knowledge and understanding.
We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledge base in English which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high-quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate fully as a member of society.
Implementation
We have a rigorous and well organised English curriculum and framework, that provides many purposeful opportunities for reading, writing and discussion. We use a wide variety of quality texts and resources to motivate and inspire our children. Teachers also ensure that cross curricular links with topic work are woven into the programme of study.
At Consett Infant School we constantly strive to develop our English curriculum by auditing areas of success and identifying areas for future development. Targeted areas for English are identified in the School Development Plan which are then worked on by all staff to ensure continuity and progression in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
At Consett Infant School, we identify children who need support and provide intervention in the most effective and efficient way that we can. We run intervention reading groups and most children on the SEND register have an aspect of English as one of their targets. Teachers plan and teach English lessons which are differentiated to meet the particular needs of each child. We help each child maximise their potential by providing support where necessary whilst striving to make children independent once they have been equipped with the confidence, tools and strategies that they need.
In our implementation of the English curriculum, we recognise that parents have an important part to play in the development of their child’s English skills and as such, to support them, we deliver information sessions on phonics and reading for Reception and Year 1 parents, phonics screening check for Year 1 parents, reading and SATs for Year 2 parents so that they understand age-related expectations. We also invite parents and carers to ‘Stay and Play’ sessions where they can see examples of reading taking place in many situations and children practising the skills they have been taught in the context of their classrooms. These sessions are well attended by parents and carers who often comment about how helpful the sessions have been for them.
Marking is rigorous in English, with the focus being on the basic skills the children need. Regular scrutiny of English books are carried out to check all teachers are following our marking policy rigorously.
We love to celebrate success of all learners and strive to help all children achieve their goals. Reading is celebrated in classrooms and around school. Every classroom has a reading reward scheme to encourage children to read regularly at home. In addition, throughout the school year our English curriculum is enhanced through World Book Day and a range of visits and visitors to enrich and complement children’s learning.
Impact
The impact of our English curriculum on our children is clear. The majority of children at Consett Infant School demonstrate good progress in relation to their individual starting points, sustained learning and transferrable skills. We have a community of enthusiastic readers and writers who enjoy showcasing their developing knowledge and skills. English assessments are carried out on a regular basis and show that most children at Consett Infant School achieve age-related expectations in all aspects of the subject. In addition to this, each year we have children achieving at a greater depth in reading and writing at the end of KS1.
As all aspects of English are an integral part of the whole curriculum, cross curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in the English lesson are transferred into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific grammar and punctuation.
As children transfer to other settings at the end of Year 2 in order to further their education, the impact of the experiences and learning encountered at Consett Infant School is evidenced in their creativity, passion for English and the high aspirations which travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.
For further information on Phonics, Reading and Writing, please follow the links within this section
