ST PETER’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL
English
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
Anton Chekov
At St Peter’s, we recognise and place great value in the quality teaching of English. Our aim is to ensure that the children in our care have access to a creative, enjoyable and engaging English curriculum that enables them to develop skills in all key areas of language and communication including reading, speaking, listening, writing and phonics.
Our English curriculum covers all areas of the national curriculum.
As the children progress through the school, they receive a rich and varied curriculum, due to high-quality teaching, careful assessment of learning, our rich curriculum, extension group provision and well-planned support groups to help children at risk of falling behind.
Reading
Throughout the school, reading is evident with each classroom having a dedicated book corner and display as well as our schools library where children can choose to read a wide range of quality stories, plays, and poetry and information books.
In the Foundation Stage we establish a language-rich environment and model and share reading with the children, demonstrating that it is an active part in the process of constructing meaning. We discuss how texts are structured, how to use book language and learn about the rhythm and expression needed for reading aloud. Our aim is to build on and extend children’s understanding of language so that they develop early reading skills and most importantly a love of books. The love of reading is nurtured throughout the school. In Reception, children are given a reading buddy from Year 6 with whom they read a variety of stories together each week.
In Key Stage 1, reading is taught through a wide range of reading activities which are used to develop children’s reading vocabulary and confidence in all curriculum areas. Through discussion and rich questioning, using quality fiction and non-fiction, children are taught the skills needed to interpret and understand a range of texts. These comprehension skills enable children to become purposeful, active readers and develop a lifetime love of books and reading.
In Key Stage 2, reading is primarily taught through whole class teaching and group work where necessary. We aim to make sure that all children can read competently, enjoy and appreciate books right across the curriculum.
At St Peter’s children access the Sounds-Write Reading Scheme from Reception - Year 1, and then access the Oxford Reading Tree reading scheme. This runs from Stage 1 through to Stage 20. The children read a variety of books in each stage including traditional tales, nonfiction, plays and poetry.
Phonics
Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way, starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex, it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read. Children are taught how to: recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes, identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make - such as ‘sh’ or ‘oo’- and blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word. Children can then use this knowledge to ‘de-code’ new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read.
At St Peter's, we use Bug Club as a scheme to support learning across the school.
SPaG
SPaG is an abbreviation for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Children have always been taught how to use punctuation and how to spell but, with the implementation of the new primary curriculum, children are now expected to learn grammar from year 1 to year 6. In order for your child to reach the required level of knowledge, we teach SPaG through one dedicated lesson per week as well as always having a SPaG focus in each of our English lessons. The weekly homework spellings also link directly to the expectations of your child’s year group.
To help at home have a look at the Glossary of SPaG terminology:
English Curriculum Overview - Year 1
English Curriculum Overview - Year 2
English Curriculum Overview - Year 3
English Curriculum Overview - Year 4
English Curriculum Overview - Year 5
English Curriculum Overview - Year 6
