English
Intent
English at Flora Gardens underpins all aspects of our education and school community. At Flora Gardens we expect all our pupils to develop into thoughtful readers and creative writers and it is through the use of high quality class texts and the ‘Talk for Writing’ approach that we believe we can achieve this. The multi-sensory and interactive teaching style of this enables pupils of all ages and abilities to learn to write a wide range of stories/text types.
Through using high-quality texts, immersing children in vocabulary rich learning environments and ensuring new curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, the children at Flora Gardens will be exposed to a language heavy, creative and continuous English curriculum which will not only enable them to become primary literate but will also develop a love of reading, creative writing and purposeful speaking and listening.
Implementation
The National Curriculum divides English into five strands: Speaking and Listening, Reading, Writing, Spelling and Handwriting.
Speaking and Listening
Beginning in Nursery and continuing through all Primary years the children develop their capacity to express themselves effectively for a variety of purposes. Working with adults and other children, their activities include listening, giving opinions, replying to instructions and questions, describing experiences and feelings. Starting in EYFS and KS1 children re-tell familiar stories using actions and story maps following our ‘Talk for Writing’ approach.
As the children progress through the school they extend these skills to recount events, tell more complex stories, take on dramatic roles, report, summarise and predict. Children are also provided with opportunities to compose, recite and perform poetry. Class assemblies give the children a chance to showcase their learning to parents and the rest of the school.
EYFS and KS1 perform in a Christmas nativity every year and in Year 6 pupils end their time at the school by performing a musical.
Reading
At Flora Gardens, children learn not only the mechanics of reading, but to become accomplished, comprehending readers; developing the habit of silent reading and a love of reading for life.
This year we are continuing to use whole class texts in our developing curriculum, embedding high quality literature at the heart of our English lessons
Each class has a designated reading area to help promote the love and high importance that reading holds in our school. Within this there is a range of fiction and non-fiction banded reading books which the children take home daily along with a book for pleasure. Lower down the school parents are encouraged to share a book with their child, listen to them read and write a comment in their Reading Record. Further up the school children write their own comments using the question stems in the middle of their Reading Records.
Daily Guided Reading sessions support our pupils in developing the reading strategies and skills needed to explore the meaning of the books being read. As children progress through the school, they will hone their ability to infer, explain content, summarise, make predictions and connections.
Our sixth form volunteers from Latymer Upper School listen to children read in KS2.
West London Zone have provided support for our weaker readers from the Children’s Literacy Charity and Beanstalk. Beanstalk is a national charity which recruits, trains and supports volunteers to work in primary schools with children who have fallen behind with their reading. Both Beanstalk and the Children’s Literacy Charity train reading helpers that work one-to-one with the children to improve their reading ability and confidence.
Clever Writers at Flora Gardens Primary School
Intent
At Flora Gardens Primary School, writing is taught in whole class lessons so that all children have access to the age-related skills and knowledge contained in the National Curriculum. We believe good teaching of phonics, reading and handwriting go ‘hand in hand’ to produce confident writers. We want all of our children to be able to confidently communicate their knowledge and ideas through their writing. We will ensure:
- Each individual is guided and nurtured on their own personal journey to become a successful writer.
- All children are given exciting and purposeful writing opportunities that engage them
- All children will acquire a wide vocabulary and be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn throughout their time in primary school.
- All children have a clear understanding of grammar and apply it effectively to their writing.
- Children write clearly, accurately and coherently.
- Children have the necessary tools to adapt their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
- All children are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their writing, by developing a legible handwriting style by the time they move to secondary school.
Implementation
At Flora Gardens Primary School, we use ‘I am a Clever Writer’ as a basis for teaching writing skills. We ensure our children write every day, practising newly taught skills discreetly before layering them with previously taught skills.
I am a Clever Writer is a 'clearly structured approach to teaching writing' where each strand of writing is broken down into small steps to allow pupils to experience success with their writing. Teaching sequences are carefully planned to ensure opportunities for consolidation and the development of a skill relating to the Clever Writer Checklist. The Clever Writer Checklist remains visible and accessible within the learning environment and is added to as new skills are introduced.
Our teachers create their own WAGOLLs (What a Good One Looks Like) based on the stimulus text to model to the children how to include the identified features in their own writing. These are produced for both fiction and non-fiction sequences of learning.
At the end of each sequence of lessons, which usually lasts around a week, the children take part in an extended writing activity on a text type. This is our 'Star Write' and the different aspects of spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary taught during the week should be evident in the children’s extended writing. These strands are taught to match the curriculum for each year group, becoming increasingly complex over the course of the year as the children become more highly skilled. This allows teachers to teach specific skills discretely and ensure they are layered to give our children the tools they need to become confident writers.
Impact
The writing journey that children take as they move through Flora Gardens Primary School ensures they can successfully develop their composition (ideas) and transcription (spelling and handwriting). Rigorous teacher assessments and responsive teaching allow us to identify next steps for the children and the school. Monitoring is regularly carried out by the subject leader and the senior leadership team. This monitoring and evaluation cycle is mainly done by book looks, learning walks, analysis of data and planning. The children at Flora Gardens Primary School thoroughly enjoy showing their work to classroom visitors and they show confidence and pride in their learning. Assessment is tracked via Educator where teachers update their judgements every term.
If you want to find out more about the Clever Writer approach, click on the link below:
https://www.iamacleverwriter.co.uk/
How Parents Can Help
Parents have the ability to influence their children’s attitude to reading and ensuring they have a positive attitude to reading. Talking about books and sharing them together can be an enjoyable and effective activity. We understand that many parents speak more than one language and at Flora Gardens we think that regular practise and a focus on reading for pleasure is a skill everyone can give to their child. Reading with your child can take many forms and doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to a particular genre or even language!
Making sure your child has a quiet place to read is also important. At EYFS, KS1 and lower KS2, we ask for your support in filling out a reading record that indicates you have heard your child read. For upper KS2, the children complete their reading records independently and discuss their chosen books with their class teacher.
Quality Texts
We believe giving children experience of quality books will not only enhance their literary skills but also inspire them to engage with books, develop a love of reading and create motivation to write.
Below is a wonderful and highly recommended list of ‘100 books to read before…’ series created by Ashley Booth, a Year 6 Teacher in Liverpool.
You will find books suitable for all primary ages in the attachments below:
100 books to read in Key Stage 1
100 books to read in Years 3 and 4
100 books to read in Years 5 and 6
And click on this link for the 100 best picture books for Early Years
