“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.” – Roald Dahl. 

Intent

At Lydney C of E we have designed our English curriculum with the intent that all children, regardless of background, will become fluent, insightful readers and technically skilled, creative writers. Our children will engage with a range of genres and develop their understanding of fiction and non-fiction styles. Furthermore, we have developed a curriculum that will instil in all children a love of reading and writing that we hope will stay with them for life. We understand that a good grasp of English is the bedrock of the entire curriculum and that children who are confident and adept readers and writers will be empowered to succeed in all other areas. We understand, too, the vital role played by parents and carers in the development of reading and writing and in the nurturing of positive habits, particularly in attitudes towards reading. We welcome this and we value and seek their contribution.

Underpinning our English curriculum are our Christian values: trust, friendship, respect, forgiveness, courage and truthfulness and curriculum drivers.

Implementation

The English Curriculum is led and overseen by the English Curriculum Leader, in conjunction with the EYFS lead, reading leaders and SLT. They regularly monitor, evaluate, and review English teaching and learning, celebrating and sharing good practice. Monitoring is also used to identify gaps in the curriculum that may need to be addressed across the school, or within individual year groups. This Monitoring cycle also ensures that the standards and outcomes are at expected levels.

Formative assessments will be integrated into every day English teaching to ensure teachers have an in–depth knowledge of the children’s learning and to inform their next steps.

Across YR – Y2, the children are regularly assessed based on their phonics ability which will inform the accurate allocation of streamed intervention and catch–up groups which allows for phonics teaching to be tailored to the specific needs of each child. Where children require additional support with phonics, they will be placed on a robust 1 to 1 tutoring programme until the gap is closed. This assessment continues into Key Stage 2 as necessary, and further rapid catch-up groups are implemented.

The National Curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework provide the basis of the English curriculum which is then tailored to meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in school.  

All planning will be informed by two fundamental, complimentary tenets: 1) to develop technical proficiency and 2) to develop enjoyment of reading and creativity of writing.

Teachers will plan their English lessons using the planning documents in our policy folder, which includes details of our progression of skills as well as the teaching sequence for writing. This allows children to build upon prior knowledge and understanding.

Teachers will ensure that children are exposed to a wide variety of different, high quality literature. Children will be exposed to classics as well as to lesser known works of literature from around the world, representing a diverse range of authors and writers. Drama and role play will encourage children to develop their oracy skills. 

Children’s efforts will be celebrated. Work that reflects the writing efforts of all children will be displayed.  Children will be presented with opportunities to share their work with the wider school community and with parents. 

Impact

Our English Curriculum should ensure that: 

• Children leave Lydney C of E School with a love of reading. They are able to reference a wide range of different authors, from different literary traditions and genres. 
• Children leave Lydney C of E School with a love of writing. They should be able to express their opinions and their creativity in writing that is well structured, clear, technically accurate and interesting to read. 
• Children leave Lydney C of E School able to express their opinions verbally; to understand how to engage – and disagree – with others clearly and articulately. 
• Children leave Lydney C of E School having made the best possible progress as a result of consistent, Quality First Teaching and (where appropriate) additional interventions. 

• Children leave Lydney C of E School confident to try new things, experiment with their writing, take risks, and continue to expand their experience of reading. 
• Children leave Lydney C of E School feeling that their efforts were valued and their opinions heard. That they have had a chance to find their ‘voice’ and were encouraged to use it.