Our English Lead is Mr. Tickner

At St Edward's Catholic Primary School, we attach great importance to the teaching and learning of reading and writing; believing that great readers become great writers. Grammar and sentence construction are taught throughout our extensive curriculum. Correct spelling is crucial in written communication and this is tackled by the early skills taught in phonics continued through to the learning of spelling in UKS1 and KS2. It is our policy that children across Key Stage 1 and 2, write using the cursive script.

It is our aim to provide meaningful opportunities that enable the children to write both independently and unaided.

As a school, we offer a wide range of stimulating resources, including a well-stocked library, where we use the 'Accelerated Reader' scheme to maximise the attainment of all learners. All children from Year 2 (and older), complete a seasonal star reading test that produces a new ZPD (zone of proximal development) level for the children to choose texts from.

Parents are actively encouraged to engage and support their children in their English learning. We hold regular parent workshops and 'Book Looks' which help to inform parents of their children's learning. If you would like to see if the books at home are matching up with your child's reading level, follow the link to the accelerated reader online library: https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/UserType.aspx?RedirectURL=%2fdefault.aspx

For our assessment in Reading and Writing, we use FFT across KS1-2 and EEXaT in EYFS.

Intent

At St Edward's Catholic Primary School, English and the teaching of English is the heart of our curriculum.  We aim to inspire an appreciation of our rich and varied English heritage.  Staff at St Edward's Catholic Primary School, feel it is fundamental to highlight and be aware of the differing groups of learners and vulnerable children in their class.  We recognise that each child has their own starting point upon entry to every year group and progress is measured in line with these starting points to ensure that every child can celebrate success.

We want to inspire children to be confident in the art of speaking and listening and we can use discussion to communicate and further their learning.  We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledge base in English, which follows a clear pathway of progression as their advance through the primary curriculum.  We believe that a secure basis in English skills is crucial to a high quality education which will give our children the tools they will need to participate fully as a member of society.

Implementation

With these aims in mind, first and foremost, we implemented lessons for reading for Years 2 through to 6 (for Year 1: Phonics).  This ensures that reading objectives are explicitly taught every day and that every child has quality reading time with the teacher. All reading at St Edward's is documented through the platform of BoomReader which measures the level of parental communication. It also allows us to work with our families, closely. Vulnerable groups are highlighted and teaching assistants are used to support these groups further to ensure progression and specific year group skills are secure.  Resources are used to support and enhance these lessons to make certain that all staff feel proficient and skilled in delivering high quality lessons.