Town End Junior School

English

Overview

At Town End Junior School, we believe that literacy and communication are key life skills. Pupils are given opportunities to develop these skills through an integrated programme of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing. As part of the Tibshelf Schools Federation, we work in partnership with our colleagues at Tibshelf Infant School. This ensures that skills are developed by the pupils in Key Stage One and built upon in Key Stage Two. We intend to develop a love of literature through widespread reading and writing for enjoyment.

Through our lessons, we aim to demonstrate our investment in embedding English within other subjects in the curriculum and focus on developing the key aspects of learning through English. We are committed to providing our students with a high-quality English education that fosters a love for Spoken Language, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation.

As a school, we aim to ensure that all children:

  • read easily, fluently and with good understanding
  • develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
  • acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
  • write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
  • use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
  • are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

Intent:

  • For all pupils to become confident in the fundamentals of English.
  • For all pupils to speak and listen throughout lessons with confidence, make formal presentations and
    participating in class debates.
  • For all pupils to expand on initial discussions by explaining and elaborating their understanding.
  • For all pupils to read fluently and with good understanding.
  • To develop positive reading habits widely and often, for both pleasure and information
  • For pupils to be able to write effectively for a range of audiences and purposes using spelling,
    punctuation and grammar accurately and confidently.
  • That all pupils and staff adhere to the belief that by working hard, all children can succeed in English.
  • For pupils to be given the opportunity to apply their learning in English lessons to other subject areas,
    such as History, and in doing so to develop an understanding that English is essential to everyday life.

Implementation:

  • English lessons are taught on a daily basis.
  • Children are taught in mixed ability groups within their class.
  • As a school, we use the Literacy Tree scheme in Year 3 and 4. We use the Ashley Booth Scheme
    alongside No Nonsense Spellings and No Nonsense Grammar. These schemes are adapted
    accordingly to meet the needs of the children.
  • Each year group follows the long-term plan for the sequence of Learning set out in the appropriate
    schemes, ensuring there is complete coverage of the national curriculum by the end of the Key Stage.
  • Within each unit of learning, small steps are carefully planned by the class teacher; this is primarily
    done with the support of each scheme, but also, when appropriate, supplemented with other
    resources.
  • For each unit of work, class teachers consider the part it plays in the bigger learning journey, making
    links between prior learning that has taken place and sharing this information with pupils.
  • Interventions, planned by the class teacher, are provided to those pupils who require extra support.
  • Children are given the opportunity to apply skills learnt in English lessons to other subjects, such as
    History.
  • Teachers model the use of English vocabulary, with the expectation that pupils also become more
    confident and accurate in their use of this vocabulary in a range of lessons.

Impact:

  • Regular assessment takes place in the form of daily assessment for learning strategies
  • Termly NFER assessments (Years 3-5)
  • End of Key Stage SATs test (Year 6)
  • Monitor progress and inform future interventions and support.
  • A notable increase in students’ speaking and listening skills, reading comprehension skills and
    writing skills
  • A clearer understanding of key concepts within Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
  • Children will develop a lifelong enjoyment of English.