English

Our English provision is firmly rooted in the 2014 National Curriculum and is delivered through daily English lessons from Year 1 to Year 6. Each lesson is designed with clear learning objectives prominently displayed, allowing children to comprehend the expectations associated with their tasks. This practice not only fosters transparency but also empowers children, as they can actively engage in self and peer assessment. The success criteria established for each task are consistently referenced throughout the lesson, particularly during teacher modelling, and are integral to the feedback process—delivered both verbally and in written form.

Recognising that every child has unique learning needs, effective adaptive teaching strategies are embedded within our curriculum. This allows all children to engage with the learning intentions meaningfully. Resources such as vocabulary word banks, writing frames, and sentence starters, alongside mixed-ability groupings and adult support, are used to provide tailored learning experiences. Furthermore, teachers are dedicated to equipping children with the tools necessary to attain greater depth in their written work, reinforcing this through direct references to the success criteria during the learning process.

Children at Sandringham and West Newton Primary Academy enjoy extended writing opportunities that are integrated within foundation subject lessons, enabling them to plan and produce longer texts in meaningful contexts. We are committed to cultivating a vibrant and stimulating environment that promotes reading, writing, and discussion. The strategic use of displays throughout the school aims to enhance the teaching and learning of English, functioning as dynamic teaching tools, while also celebrating the high standards of students’ achievements. Each classroom showcases children’s work, encouraging pride in presentation, and our library areas are stocked with a diverse array of fiction and non-fiction texts, inviting children to develop a genuine love for reading across various genres.

Emphasising the foundation of literacy, we acknowledge that spoken language plays a crucial role in the development of reading and writing skills. Teachers focus on nurturing pupils’ confidence and competence in spoken language and listening through the introduction of higher-level vocabulary and technical terms relevant to both core and foundation subjects. Cooperative learning strategies further encourage children to engage in meaningful discussions, offering a platform for them to articulate ideas and address misconceptions collaboratively.

Our English lessons, which occur five times a week, centre on developing the necessary knowledge and skills pertinent to various writing genres. Where appropriate, we adopt a cross-curricular approach, aligning English lessons with related subjects to create cohesive learning experiences. Discrete English knowledge and skills are woven throughout these lessons, ensuring mastery of National Curriculum objectives, from word-level understanding to sentence construction.

In addition to our academic focus, we implement handwriting lessons across all year groups.

Further teaching strategies include;

• Questioning: Teachers utilise diverse questioning strategies to gauge children’s current understanding and encourage deeper learning.
• WAGOLL (What a Good One Looks Like): Higher-level exemplar texts are shared to clarify expectations.
• Modelled Writing: Teachers demonstrate writing and revisions to set high expectations for children’s output.
• Shared Writing: The collaborative input of students is harnessed to create joint pieces of writing.
• Comparing, Analysing, and Evaluating: Children are encouraged to reflect on and critique written texts and performances.

Assessment in writing is not a one-off measure; it is an ongoing process. Teachers conduct half-termly assessments of children’s writing from Reception to Year 6, evaluating a piece of writing based on age-appropriate expectations across six points throughout the year. This process considers each child’s previous achievements and the work completed throughout the term.

To personalise learning, we implement PiXL Writing TAF’s across the federation, allowing teachers to tailor interventions effectively. This resource is invaluable in addressing both reading and writing needs.

In terms of reading, our commitment to fostering strong literacy skills is unwavering. All classes are equipped with higher-level texts, and teachers select challenging literature to read aloud, laying the groundwork for associated written tasks. Access to rich vocabulary not only enhances the reading experience but also translates into improvements in writing capabilities. We pride ourselves on extending children’s love of reading through initiatives like author visits, which stimulate inquiry and engagement with texts.

We ensure that there are opportunities for children to read daily, with teachers engaging children through read-aloud sessions. Weekly designated time slots for comprehension activities allow children to actively partake in learning, as they are involved in immediate feedback through self-marking, facilitating prompt recognition and correction of misconceptions. The skills nurtured during these activities encompass predicting, clarifying, questioning, summarising, inferring, connecting, and evaluating texts to enhance comprehension.

In parallel, all children from Year 1 to Year 6 participate in weekly spelling tests, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the National Curriculum’s spelling patterns and non-statutory words. Spelling lessons are structured around the targeted words to be tested each week, reinforcing their learning.

Termly assessments inform teachers regarding each children’s understanding of spelling rules and patterns, as facilitated by PiXL’s resources. This insight guides planning and addresses areas of focus for both teaching and progression.

Teachers from Years 1 to 6 collaboratively plan an enriching and varied curriculum, drawing upon multiple planning resources. Our English plan articulates the objectives to be covered, accommodating different year groups in a single class, which can be customised to meet individual needs. In doing so, we ensure a secure coverage of the National Curriculum and adherence to expected year group learning outcomes.

Phonics, essential for early readers, is taught daily using the Little Wandle Synthetic Phonics Programme to aid decoding skills in reading books.

We maintain a commitment to equal opportunities, ensuring that every child, regardless of race, gender, cultural background, ability, or physical or sensory disability, has equal access to achieving their potential within the English curriculum.

Inclusion is also a fundamental aspect of our approach. For children with English as an additional language, we emphasise accurate modelling of English by staff and encourage collaborative work with peers who are proficient in English. Children with special educational needs are supported through targeted strategies, with class teachers liaising with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO) to provide appropriate interventions.

High-achieving students are afforded opportunities to deepen their understanding through tailored differentiation and illustrated within the success criteria for each lesson. This enables them to demonstrate their advanced knowledge and skills in their written outcomes and also allows for potential collaboration with outside agencies when suitable.

Through the comprehensive and inclusive implementation of our English curriculum, we strive to instil a passion for literacy and a lifelong love of learning within our children.